Shock Bushings Retrofit?
02-19-2017, 06:48 PM
#1
Intermediate
Thread Starter
Shock Bushings Retrofit?
Before we knew better, a few years ago we had the rear shocks in my wife's 2007 Base TL "professionally" (you'll know why I used quotes as you read further) replaced. About a year ago, we started noticing a rattle in the back when someone was sitting in the back. Over the year, it gradually got worse until we noticed it when no one was in the back.
I finally decided to tackle it today. I took out the back seat, c-pillar covers and rear deck, looking for what might be rattling, but nothing was amiss. Then I noticed that the shocks looked like they weren't seated right in the mounts. When I tried to tighten the nuts, they wouldn't budge. I decided to remove the nuts to see what was wrong, and when I did, I found that the "professionals" put the bushings in upside down! Obviously, this error made it so the nuts reached the end of travel before the bushing could be seated properly. Since I just did the front shocks myself last weekend, I know how the bushing are supposed to be oriented with the concave/beveled/rounded side pointing away from the mount. There were rubber shavings around the area, too, from the shocks moving around all this time.
I pulled off the bushing, turned it around and reinstalled it. I reinstalled the nut and tightened, while praying that this would the resolve the problem, and while I got more pressure on the bushing, it was obvious that the bottom bushings were also put in upside down.
I happened to have 6 large washers with oversized holes what were large enough to fit around the diameter of the metal sleeve that lines the inside on the bushings, so I put 3 of them on each shock, which enabled me to put more downward pressure on the bushing before thread travel stops. Luckily the bushings weren't shaved so much that the bushings were completely ruined.
I had my wife test-drive the car while I sat in the back. No noise whatsoever. I put my fingers around the mounts, and can feel the shocks flexing the rubber bushings, but I suppose that's what they're supposed to do.
My question is this: Do you think it's OK to leave the shocks mounted this way, with my Retrofit of extra washers, or do you think I have to remove and dismantle the shock assemblies to turn the bottom bushing around? Obviously, if I did that, it's some work, and I might as well put in new bushings, but I'd really hate to do that job for two bushings!
I'm really passed at that shop right now, but not about to go back to them for obvious reasons!
Thanks in advance for any opinions.
I finally decided to tackle it today. I took out the back seat, c-pillar covers and rear deck, looking for what might be rattling, but nothing was amiss. Then I noticed that the shocks looked like they weren't seated right in the mounts. When I tried to tighten the nuts, they wouldn't budge. I decided to remove the nuts to see what was wrong, and when I did, I found that the "professionals" put the bushings in upside down! Obviously, this error made it so the nuts reached the end of travel before the bushing could be seated properly. Since I just did the front shocks myself last weekend, I know how the bushing are supposed to be oriented with the concave/beveled/rounded side pointing away from the mount. There were rubber shavings around the area, too, from the shocks moving around all this time.
I pulled off the bushing, turned it around and reinstalled it. I reinstalled the nut and tightened, while praying that this would the resolve the problem, and while I got more pressure on the bushing, it was obvious that the bottom bushings were also put in upside down.
I happened to have 6 large washers with oversized holes what were large enough to fit around the diameter of the metal sleeve that lines the inside on the bushings, so I put 3 of them on each shock, which enabled me to put more downward pressure on the bushing before thread travel stops. Luckily the bushings weren't shaved so much that the bushings were completely ruined.
I had my wife test-drive the car while I sat in the back. No noise whatsoever. I put my fingers around the mounts, and can feel the shocks flexing the rubber bushings, but I suppose that's what they're supposed to do.
My question is this: Do you think it's OK to leave the shocks mounted this way, with my Retrofit of extra washers, or do you think I have to remove and dismantle the shock assemblies to turn the bottom bushing around? Obviously, if I did that, it's some work, and I might as well put in new bushings, but I'd really hate to do that job for two bushings!
I'm really passed at that shop right now, but not about to go back to them for obvious reasons!
Thanks in advance for any opinions.
