greasing noisy bushings

[auditude@juno.com (Ken Keith)]

Well, I'm pretty sure it's the bushing that are making that <incredible>
racket, and I've actually decided that I'm going to switch back to stock
in the future.  In the meantime, I think I'm going to grease them again,
but have some questions.

When I greased them the first time, they were pretty wet with WD40.  This
prolly rinsed the grease right out.  Next time, they'll be bone dry when
I apply the grease.

When I applied the grease, I put it everywhere I could reach, with the
a-arms dropped.  I put it on the flat sides of the bushings, and inside
the metal collar that the bolt goes into.  I also greased the bolts and
the insides of the subframe.  I used regular wheel bearing grease.

I'm wondering what motion specifically is causing these <nasty> creaks
and pops.  Is it the a-arms sliding straight forward and back along the
bolts?  Is it the flat sides of the bushings snagging and catching on the
flat walls of the subframe?  Or is it the bolt rubbing the inside of the
metal collar within the bushing?  Or, lastly, is it possibly the collar
itself rubbing the inside of the bushing?  Or everything?

I did not drive out the collar and apply grease to the insides of the
bushings themselves and the outside of the collar.  It looks to me like
there is absolutely no movement between the two, but I could be wrong.

Where should I put the grease?

Also, people have suggested to use different types of grease.  Ones that
wont wash away, I think, for the most part.  I've heard motorcycle
grease, lithium grease, and others.  It also was suggested to replace the
bushing bolts with new ones.

What's the last word on what type of grease I should use?

I'm thinking that there might be some kind of Duralube or Militec 1 or
some-kind-of-2:46am-in-the-morning-informercial kind of super lube to use
on these things.  Somehow, since the grease I so thoughtfully put on did
absolutely _nothing_ I think there might be a better candidate.  I also
think my application left much to be desired.

I promise to stop writing about this (as soon as it's solved, hehe).

It's an incredibly sickening sound.  I just drove into my apartment
complex with the windows down, and it sound like...  I've never even
heard anything that sounded as bad, chassis-wise.  It really sounds like
MacGyver's been working on my car for it's lifetime, and the wire clothes
hangers are on their last legs.

Thanks again,

Ken (snap, crackle, and pop; Borla burble, and 5 cylinder whine, in that
order)
Auditude

_____________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]