My 04 with 92k miles "creaks" a bit as well when its cold. I know that I need new springs/shocks and will this Spring. Anyone's thoughts on replacing bushings on these 11 year old trucks? Needed or silly?
New baby + worn suspension = concerns
Backstory:
So in March I will be having a little girl besides my rover to take care of and I just want to make sure everything is as safe as possible with the suspension of the vehicle. I have an 04 D2 with the optional sagging headliner. It has about 104k miles on it now and I have done the front driveshaft rebuild, and new brakes and rotors (still need to bleed). I just ordered some Cooper A/T3 265/60r18's which showed up last night and plan to get an alignment done with the mounting tomorrow.
Concerns:
1. When the weather is cold and I go over speedbumps slow or dips that make the suspension sag a bit it makes a grinding sound like something is missing oil or lube. When the temperature goes above 60f or so it goes away. Any ideas what this could be?
2. In general the bushings seem "ok", nothing is blown out but a few of them have a bit of dry rot or cracks so I am considering replacing them. Problem is I don't know if they need to be replaced now or if they are fine. Ill have the autoshop tomorrow give me an "honest" recommendation when they do the other stuff. When it comes to replacing them should I just get OEM rubber replacements or a "soft" poly set? If I get bushings should I just skip the alignment until I get them or can I add bushings after an alignment.
~Chris
So in March I will be having a little girl besides my rover to take care of and I just want to make sure everything is as safe as possible with the suspension of the vehicle. I have an 04 D2 with the optional sagging headliner. It has about 104k miles on it now and I have done the front driveshaft rebuild, and new brakes and rotors (still need to bleed). I just ordered some Cooper A/T3 265/60r18's which showed up last night and plan to get an alignment done with the mounting tomorrow.
Concerns:
1. When the weather is cold and I go over speedbumps slow or dips that make the suspension sag a bit it makes a grinding sound like something is missing oil or lube. When the temperature goes above 60f or so it goes away. Any ideas what this could be?
2. In general the bushings seem "ok", nothing is blown out but a few of them have a bit of dry rot or cracks so I am considering replacing them. Problem is I don't know if they need to be replaced now or if they are fine. Ill have the autoshop tomorrow give me an "honest" recommendation when they do the other stuff. When it comes to replacing them should I just get OEM rubber replacements or a "soft" poly set? If I get bushings should I just skip the alignment until I get them or can I add bushings after an alignment.
~Chris
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Based on your description, including the dry rot and cracks, it MAY be one or more of your bushings. My guess is that your shop will recommend replacement, whether you need them or not.Backstory:
So in March I will be having a little girl besides my rover to take care of and I just want to make sure everything is as safe as possible with the suspension of the vehicle. I have an 04 D2 with the optional sagging headliner. It has about 104k miles on it now and I have done the front driveshaft rebuild, and new brakes and rotors (still need to bleed). I just ordered some Cooper A/T3 265/60r18's which showed up last night and plan to get an alignment done with the mounting tomorrow.
Concerns:
1. When the weather is cold and I go over speedbumps slow or dips that make the suspension sag a bit it makes a grinding sound like something is missing oil or lube. When the temperature goes above 60f or so it goes away. Any ideas what this could be?
2. In general the bushings seem "ok", nothing is blown out but a few of them have a bit of dry rot or cracks so I am considering replacing them. Problem is I don't know if they need to be replaced now or if they are fine. Ill have the autoshop tomorrow give me an "honest" recommendation when they do the other stuff. When it comes to replacing them should I just get OEM rubber replacements or a "soft" poly set? If I get bushings should I just skip the alignment until I get them or can I add bushings after an alignment.
~Chris
I'd stick with the stock rubber, and definitely do not do the alignment until the bushings are done.
Depends on the bushings. If they're sufficiently worn, should replace. If your going to hold on to the truck for awhile, probably worth it as well.My 04 with 92k miles "creaks" a bit as well when its cold. I know that I need new springs/shocks and will this Spring. Anyone's thoughts on replacing bushings on these 11 year old trucks? Needed or silly?
Long story short, your suspension is safe. Barring serious neglect or damage, no suspension component will fail in a manner that will make your vehicle unsafe.
That said, be sure to check the ball joints, tie rod, and drag link for wear or damage. They're probably what's making that noise. They're the "Jesus" components that link your steering wheel to the tires so if they were to fail (negligible chance) you'd lose control. If they need replacing, make sure you do the alignment AFTER you install new ones, since you'll need to re-align anyway.
Also keep in mind that only our front axles can be aligned, so don't pay for a "4-wheel alignment".
At your mileage your shocks, springs, bushings, and watts linkage could ALL use replacing. However I wouldn't call them "unsafe" and is a pretty pricey job so you have to weigh the cost benefit. Shocks/springs/bushings will easily run $1000+ in parts and probably another $1500 in labor. The job itself isn't terribly difficult, but unless you have air tools and a shop press I wouldn't attempt it. In my opinion it can probably wait.
In regards to urethane vs. rubber, this past summer I replaced every bushing in my '03 with Flo-Flex urethane bushings. They definitely do a good job of tightening up the handling, but there is a noticeable increase in harshness - therefore not the best idea if you have a baby in the car. I love the urethane, but in your situation I'd go with OEM.
That said, be sure to check the ball joints, tie rod, and drag link for wear or damage. They're probably what's making that noise. They're the "Jesus" components that link your steering wheel to the tires so if they were to fail (negligible chance) you'd lose control. If they need replacing, make sure you do the alignment AFTER you install new ones, since you'll need to re-align anyway.
Also keep in mind that only our front axles can be aligned, so don't pay for a "4-wheel alignment".
At your mileage your shocks, springs, bushings, and watts linkage could ALL use replacing. However I wouldn't call them "unsafe" and is a pretty pricey job so you have to weigh the cost benefit. Shocks/springs/bushings will easily run $1000+ in parts and probably another $1500 in labor. The job itself isn't terribly difficult, but unless you have air tools and a shop press I wouldn't attempt it. In my opinion it can probably wait.
In regards to urethane vs. rubber, this past summer I replaced every bushing in my '03 with Flo-Flex urethane bushings. They definitely do a good job of tightening up the handling, but there is a noticeable increase in harshness - therefore not the best idea if you have a baby in the car. I love the urethane, but in your situation I'd go with OEM.
It is in the shop now. This place doesn't have a 2 wheel alignment price and it's $84. Where can I find a good price on a rubber bushing kit? I asked them to check the bushings and everything
I do have a hobby shop on my military base that has spring compressors and presses and all that. They charge $4/hr for a lift and only charge for balancing tires and ac refresh...things like that. I'll have to read more into the labor portion. I have never done suspension work on a car before. Only messed with the engine bay for things like turbo kits, fuel system etc etc in my subaru.
Don't waste your money on rubber bushing... get a set of PolyBush like this >It is in the shop now. This place doesn't have a 2 wheel alignment price and it's $84. Where can I find a good price on a rubber bushing kit? I asked them to check the bushings and everything
Polybush Kit - Front & Rear Suspension (Orange/Standard Firmness) (9781 Same Fit As Part # KIT 20 ORANGE ) - Land Rover kits from Atlantic British
You can get them from AB, RoversNorth, Lucky8, wherever.
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