[marvinstockman]

Beardy, as you've done almost everything, spray a runny lubricant into the two sway bar bushings, wait overnight. If the noise is gone, send me $10 in a plain brown envelope.

 

[marvinstockman]

Beardy, unless you opened up the bushings, you didn't do anything, which is why I said to spray away with a 'liquidy' lubricant. You need to get between the rubber and the sway bar and the rubber and the clamp.

 

[marvinstockman]

Beardy, if you've got something like WD40, which is runny, you can just crawl under and spray away. If it works, then take it apart, clean it up, and then lubricate with rubber safe grease. Silicone is rubber safe.

 

[marvinstockman]

Jeepman, I just got from the Yukon, where I met Sargent Preston and his dog King, and I'll need a little time to catch my breath.

That being said, a couple of things:

1. The sway bar twists in response to a wheel hitting a bump. The twist is transmitted to the other wheel. Whether the bushing captures the bar and adds to the twist stiffness of the sway bar, I don't think that really, really makes a difference. If you compare the twist stiffness of the sway bar to the rubber bushing, the rubber bushing is a non-player.

2. The bushings are there to prevent up/down and fwd/back motion, or a combination of both.

3. If Chrysler actually wanted to trap the sway bar in the bushing, they would have splined the bushing and the bar.

4. For a normal rubber bushing and a metal sway bar, what you hear is 'stick/slip'. The bushing holds the bar until it can't anymore, and you hear the noise made when the bar twists free of the bushing.

5. Regarding hard urethane bushings, the manufacturers make no pretense about being able to prevent the bar from twisting in the bushing, especially with the OEM bushing clamp. As it would impossible to generate enough clamping force on the bushing. As such, grease the bushing, and the whole thing becomes a non-issue. The hard bushing better prevents the up/down and fwd/back movement of the bar.

After all that, I'm going back to the Yukon, especially now that Canada has opened its borders!

 

[marvinstockman]

I spoke to Sargent Preston, and he agrees that with the factory clamps, there's no way to fully compressively bond the bushings. The fact that most of us have had stick/slip noise proves my point.

 

[marvinstockman]

Beardy, I was once on a trip to Philly to see my son, and when I got off the highway, my front end sounded like it was going to tear itself apart. WD40 on the bushings got me home with a happy and contented wife!

I strongly suggest you try it, before driving yourself crazy and tearing things apart

 

[marvinstockman]

And don't listen to anyone from Canada or Texas!

 

[marvinstockman]

Once again 'beat', I just don't know what to say, I just don't know what to say!

1. The WD40 was to be used as a troubleshooting tool, as, if the noise went away, you've found your noise source. People have spent thousands tracing these noises, when it was just the bushings.

2. The tape wrap was electrical tape around the large vacuum hose on the charcoal canister under the van, which was cracked at the canister. I was going to order the preformed vacuum hose, but the tape worked fine until I sold the van 5 years later.

In conclusion, listen to 'beat', listen to 'beat', but don't, just don't listen to me. As I'll be in the Yukon searching for Sargent Preston and his dog King.

 

[marvinstockman]

Jeepman, I think most of the damping comes from the struts, as the sway bar twist is turned into up/down motion of the wheel/tire. The vast, vast majority of damping does not come from the wee, wee little bushing, but the fat and plump strut assemblies.

This issue has been discussed to death, and obviously the Chrysler design is a poor one, otherwise creaking and groaning would not be an issue!

 

[marvinstockman]

Jeepman, you're fighting smoke, as the sun no longer shines in the States. Which is why I'm moving to the Yukon, and moving in with Sargent Preston and his dog King!

 

[marvinstockman]

Beardy, don't give up. Once you troubleshoot with the WD40, and if the noise goes away, you can just wait till it comes back, which might be 6 months. Then get yourself a spay can of a runny rubber safe lubricant and spray away.

You don't have to take the clamps or bushing off, just turn the steering wheel full lock and you see the bushings. No jacking of the van required.

Anyway, don't give up so easy, as I've given you an easy way to determine if the sway bar bushings are the cause of your noise, just spray away with WD40 both between the bar and bushing and between the bushing and clamp.

I had this van from 2004 till 2015, and bushing noise was a problem I solved. Take my advice or do nothing, but my advice will only cost you a can of WD40 or something like it.

 

[marvinstockman]

beat, once more with feeling, WD40 is used as a troubleshooting tool, but me thinks I'm only pissing in the wind!

 

[marvinstockman]

Once more with feeling, the creaking bushings are not loose or worn. If they were loose or worn they probably wouldn't creak. New bushing creak, old bushings creak, it is just a poor design by Chrysler!

Finally, WD40 doesn't really contain a lubricant, you can just use it for troubleshooting, and if you can get a runny silicone spray, that would certainly work better.

 

[marvinstockman]

The single point clamp used in our vans, and for the twist loads applied by our vans on to the sway bar, obviously doesn't work to compression bond the bushing to the bar. Otherwise, the bushing wouldn't be making noise. Most cars don't have this issue, and would have been easy for Chrysler to fix.

That said, wherever the noises are coming from, they are annoying and unwarranted. I fixed my noises, and well that is all I'm going to say on the matter.

 

[marvinstockman]

Beat, you forgot to mention black electrical tape, although it also comes in white, blue, and red.

 

[marvinstockman]

Beardy, keep you foot off the gas, and coast in areas where the van creaks and groans, this should eliminate the motor mounts.

Have sprayed your bushing yet?

 

[marvinstockman]

sbrook, you've said it better than I have!

And I've already left for the Yukon.

 

[marvinstockman]

First, auto engineers are not stupid, and as autos are oil leakers, most elastomers used in vehicles have to be somewhat tolerant of oils.

I have a gallon of liquid silicone oil, that I bought over 30 years ago, that I have used on the bushings to good effect.

And as sbrook said, if anyone is afraid of WD40 for testing purposes and has nothing else, a spay bottle of water and dish washing soap will work.

 

[marvinstockman]

Metal, if the clamp is not clamping the new or old bushing properly, the bushing will stick/slip and creak.

I was thinking last night that a rubber strip glued to the underside of the clamp might add more clamping force to the clamp and prevent stick/slip of the bushing. I'd also make sure the sway bar, that is under the bushing, is clean.

That said, and unless the clamp is redesigned, I think it is a lost cause, as the bushings will creak and groan till the end of time!

In conclusion, I fixed mine, and the rest of you will have to wait till I get back from the Yukon.

Finally, Sgt. Preston wasn't even Canadian. He was from Minnesota, but maybe that is almost Canadian!

 

[marvinstockman]

Metal, first try spraying them, but make sure whatever you use is very runny. Remember, your new ones will also stick/slip.

Also, I was thinking, which is problematic in itself, maybe wrapping the bushing in several layers of good quality 3M electrical tape will add enough clamping force to keep the bushing from stick/slipping.

Of note, I applied to the Mounties, but they said I was too, too old, and I wasn't Canadian