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radius arm bushing creaking and cracking?


ford1386

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i have a 94 ranger with a 6" skyjacker lift with radius arm drop brackets, a 3" BL,and factory coil spacers off of an early 80's 1/2 ton ford. and the radius arm bushings seem to be binding i get a cracking from under the truck as i turn the wheels from lock to lock or brake hard.Looking at it from under the truck i cant see the bushings move from side to side a little and can feel the cracking noise in the frame rail and radius arm bracket. Do i need to put a reinforcement between the two brackets or get lower drop brackets because of the 1" spacers. Im pretty sure its the RA bushings cuz i had put antiseize on them and that seemed to help or when it rains it goes away. Any input would help thanks.
 


canyoncritter

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make sure the radius arm mount bracket bolts are tight.

check to makes sure the radius arms to the brackets are tight.(I forget what the TQ spec is off hand)

also check the radius arm crossmember its self, the two halfs are still tight to eath other.

if still squaking

you may also have a worn out bushing.just cause the outside of the bushing looks fine dont mean the inside of it is.

if you take it down far enuff to to check out the busings, inspect the crossmemeber where the radius arm bushing go threw, it may have cracked in in that area....
 

ford1386

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the bushings are new but there polyurethane so could that be the cause
 

4x4junkie

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Poly bushings may squeak some, but they shouldn't cause cracking (clunking?) noises you can feel. I couldn't say what else it could be though if it goes away in the rain :icon_confused:
 

sloue

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i had the same EXACT problem with my new poly bushings. i pulled them out and put a small smear of Axel grease put them back t qed down and 8o to 120 ft-lbs. fixed it. they seem to have seated in and have not had a sound out them for months.the tq specs i got from a hayens manual
 
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