Polyurethane bushing replacements for front stabilizer (sway bar)?

[Peace]

Anyone out there having tried the polyurethane front stabilizer (sway bar) bushings from Energy Suspension on a Tribeca?
http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/swaybbct.html

I'm having the issue as described in this thread on my 06 Tribeca:
http://www.sb9t.com/forums/showthread.php?t=242
...but wondering if a non-OEM alternative could be better if I could find the right size:confused:

Any input of this type of product is appreciated!
Cheers

[mstinger2003]

hmm...that would be nice if they work. I had mine replaced under warranty but I am getting a popping now when turning hard right?

[B9LTD83]

hmm...that would be nice if they work. I had mine replaced under warranty but I am getting a popping now when turning hard right?


Hey just FYI that popping noise on mine on the hard right turn was the front stock mud guard. Check to see that it is not cracked or torn or bent in towards your wheel well...

[mstinger2003]

are you referring to the fender liner? I don't have the mud flaps.....

[2GC8sNaB9]

hmm...that would be nice if they work. I had mine replaced under warranty but I am getting a popping now when turning hard right?

~~ Are you getting the popping noise when you are turning at any degree, or when you lock out the wheel. There is a nylon lock out bump stop used on the Tribeca, instead of the traditional rubber type. That loud sound/feel is just letting you know that the max radius has been met. ~~

[mstinger2003]

I was not getting up dates when posted on here?? anyway it is when turning sharp for the most part but not necessarily turning all the way to lock, more when the surface is of camber and turning at the same time. Or coming in to a parking lot with a incline from a flat road (90 deg)

[hawker800mech]

I was thinking of going to poly bushings. If I do I'll let you know.

[sweetpete]

Hawker, did you ever try the poly bushings? If so, how are they working out for you? P.S. I live in New Albany :)

[hawker800mech]

Hawker, did you ever try the poly bushings? If so, how are they working out for you? P.S. I live in New Albany :)

Hello neighbor!

I have yet to look into the poly bushings. I need to think about it because they are starting to bang around a bit.

[rzp13]

Well I got tired of the old bushings from Subaru that kept failing and decided to take one off and head to the local 4wd store and find a poly replacement. I ended up getting a set from Energy Suspension that are a perfect fit. The set cost me $20 and they are greaseable so each oil change I shoot a little grease in as well and so far no issues.
As soon as I put them on the car felt better. I took a total of 20 minutes to install once it was up. BTW the sway bushings will not look bad even if they are. I expected to see visable failure or cracking but there was none - local dealer's parts manager confirmed this is the case for every set they have changed.
If you have been putting off changing the sway bar bushings be sure to check your control arm bushings. I found my drivers side is shot most likely from the continued failure of the sway bushing. The replacements are about $20 from Subaru. I just have to find someplace to help to press out old / in new.

[drbrousters]

Energy Suspension 9.5165G

Thanks!!!! :D

Found them at Amazon! In Sexy Red!!! :cool:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161R-Greaseable-Bushing/dp/B000CN9CMW?tag=dogpile-20

Others:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ENS-9-5161G/?image=large

http://performanceparts.com/product_group.php?vendor=&pgid=21&sgid=127&orderBy=MembersPOPRank%20ASC&page=3

:tup:

[Peace]

Well I got tired of the old bushings from Subaru that kept failing and decided to take one off and head to the local 4wd store and find a poly replacement.
Thanks for sharing, nice pics too. :-)
Question: So do you need to relieve loadbearing on the front wheels to do the replacement or did you do it with weight on the front wheels, i.e. using ramps?

ps I have still my first OEM replacement, but planning to put Poly in when the OEM fail the next time.
Cheers

[drbrousters]

Had mine installed today when they replaced the stabilzer links. :eek:
The noise is gone.:thx:

[sweetpete]

Excellent info on the bushings! Thanks! Any special grease required?

[drbrousters]

Nothing special. General car lube

[rzp13]

Thanks for sharing, nice pics too. :-)
Question: So do you need to relieve loadbearing on the front wheels to do the replacement or did you do it with weight on the front wheels, i.e. using ramps?

ps I have still my first OEM replacement, but planning to put Poly in when the OEM fail the next time.
Cheers

Car was on ramps. I did not need to relieve the load on the wheels.

[Abaton6]

Energy Suspension 9.5165G

Thanks!!!! :D

Found them at Amazon! In Sexy Red!!! :cool:
http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161R-Greaseable-Bushing/dp/B000CN9CMW?tag=dogpile-20

Others:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ENS-9-5161G/?image=large

http://performanceparts.com/product_group.php?vendor=&pgid=21&sgid=127&orderBy=MembersPOPRank%20ASC&page=3

:tup:

Thanks for the links. I haven't even gotten my car yet, and ordered a set. :cool:

[tribecadean]

their are 2 diameters listed in the post.
9.5161G which is for a 1 inch bar

size 9.5165G which is for a 1 1/4 bar.

I just measured my bar, a 1 inch open end wrench fits around it perfectly, so my 06 beca will need part # 9.5161G

[Huskymaniac]

Just bought a set of the reds for my 2006 from Amazon. I hope this will do it. I am sick of dealing with these every 35K miles or so. I am going to pre-lube them with Krytox. After that, I will have the mechanic grease them about once a year with synthetic grease.

[drbrousters]

It worked for me. I am very greatful.

[tribecadean]

my car has 61,000 and I guess mine were original and pretty shot. On the car they looked ok, off the car..they cracked easily.

Put them on after dinner and my nap...its just after midnight here and I went for my test drive. Front end is now smooth as silk over a bump. I wouldnt have noticed the knocking sound as I am used to american cars.

Anyway. Thanks again for the pointer..it was a $20 repair that makes sense.

[SJD_BOSTON]

Does anyone know the size on the 2009 Tribecca. Dealer just hit me up for replacement last week at 45K miles. Think I will handle this one myself.

[tribecadean]

i read by the seller of the bushings to size the bushing .. " take a 1 inch open end wrench and see if it bits over the bar"..

[tribecadean]

problem is : My bushings were sqeaking and creaking like an old rocking chair. You had to turn the radio on . very annoying.
1-I got under the leveled car..loosened the brackets and repositioned them a bit..helped about 40%
2- I borrowed a grease gun and lubed..problem fixed.

Poly has a reputation for squeaking.

[cmurphy]

Thanks for the info! Much less noise now. Easy swap out. I noticed the old stabalizer bar bushing hole was much larger than the new ones (the wear probably). I picked up the two bushings at the dealer for about $25. I asked if they upgraded the original bushings and the parts guy said there was a prior part number for these bushings and Subaru may have.

While I had the car on ramps, I noticed the A arm bushings had some cracks. Do I need to be concerned? I know that is a much more difficult job and something I couldn't do myself. Do I just wait for them to start making noise?

Amazing the dealer never pointed these bushing problems out during the "inspection" they claim to do at oil changes. I have 38K on the car and it's over 3 years so no warranty for suspension anymore. I bet if someone would have inspected them during the warranty period, the problems would have been there then. I hope at least they are actually changing the oil. I go to the dealer for oil changes as it's a used certified and I don't want any disputes if anything were to happen to the power train.

[Dabbler]

Hello All,

I am new to this forum but not new to the Subaru Tribeca. I purchased a 2006 from a dealer in 2007 with 8000 miles on her. She started to clunk in the front end at about 12000 miles. Went back to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong.

Went back again at 20,000 miles and they replaced the lower control arm bushings. That seemed to solve the problem, only to have it return at 40,000 miles. After reading this thread I purchased a pair of stalizer bushings and finally replaced them today. The car has 81,000 miles and the clunking sound was evident when going over the smallest of bumps.

This repair took about 15 minutes. Easy to do from a pair of ramps. The old bushings were worn to nearly 50% larger then the new ones. Clunking is now completely gone. I will probably get another pair of these for a future replacment at the 95,000 mile mark.

Anyone with two hands and reasonable amount of flexibility can do this repair. It will save you a bunch of money.

I did purchase a pair of new lower control arms for future use. Since my clunking problem was solved with the new stablizer bushings, I will leave things as they are until the next issue arises.

Phil

[jabber]

bought mine at autozone for $20. They do squeek, reminding me to grease them.

[drbrousters]

Dabbler:

You didn't indicate whether yours could be lubed. These can:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Energy+Suspension+9.5165G

[zrwon]

Dabbler:

You didn't indicate whether yours could be lubed. These can:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Energy+Suspension+9.5165G

9.5165 is 1.25" mine is an 06 and uses 9.5161 and is 1".
Now I need to find the easiest way to replace the lower control arm bushings since it did not pass the out of province inspection.

[drbrousters]

Sorry. Mine is also an '06. Here's the right link.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161G-Greasable-Sway/dp/B000CNB4U0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303911904&sr=8-1

Also available in red.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161R-Greasable-Sway/dp/B000CN9CMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1303912098&sr=1-1

...though, paying more for a different color makes no sense to me. Mine are red because, at the time, it was the only thing available.

You could probably get a lower control arm bushing part # by contacting one of these Energy Suspension dealers online.
http://www.energysuspension.com/online-retailers.html

My thoughts: It seems to me that lubricating them will make them last longer, so why not get a type that is made to be lubed?

Doug

[zrwon]

Sorry. Mine is also an '06. Here's the right link.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161G-Greasable-Sway/dp/B000CNB4U0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303911904&sr=8-1

Also available in red.

http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Suspension-9-5161R-Greasable-Sway/dp/B000CN9CMW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1303912098&sr=1-1

...though, paying more for a different color makes no sense to me. Mine are red because, at the time, it was the only thing available.

You could probably get a lower control arm bushing part # by contacting one of these Energy Suspension dealers online.
http://www.energysuspension.com/online-retailers.html

My thoughts: It seems to me that lubricating them will make them last longer, so why not get a type that is made to be lubed?

Doug

Doug, here in Alberta, the red bushings or black are the same price, $17.00 cdn and are stock items on the shelf, no shipping charge, I was surprised to see that low price.

As for the front suspension lower control arm rear bushing, I did 2 days of surfing and found a lot of info on the VW TDI web site that has an almost identical style of control arm as we have on the Tribeca and those who tried a poly bushing on the rear of the control arm hated it and they failed sooner than the OEM rubber ones, where they gained was using the Audi TT bushing because it is a solid piece of rubber not with holes in the rubber like our Tribeca and Jetta design. (but the Audi TT bushing is not the same size as our application, IT WILL NOT FIT ON OUR TRIBECA)
There are no options for Tribeca it is a Subaru dealer only item in Canada and retail for $25 to $29 depending on dealers, in the US you can find them as low as $10.80 plus shipping etc.
The location of that bushing and the way it works would make a poly bushing feel all the roads cracks and bumps in the steering wheel, as much as I love Poly bushings this is the only place I would not use them even if they were available.
We have to live with this bushing, I will try my best to take pictures and make a write up on how to replace them.
Most shop will charge 2 hours labour per side to replace them but with most shop rates, it is cheaper to buy a new complete control arm from the dealer $210 and replace the whole thing since it comes with both front, rear bushings and a new ball joint and is easy to replace.
If you have lots of mile I would recommend a new complete control arm since the front busing is $55 at NAPA (I don't have the price of a new ball joint but it is included).
The rear bushing I need to replace has to be pressed out and new one pressed in and is the only thing that might scare some people away, it can be cut out for those without a press but you still need to press the new one in place with a press or a vise, not difficult for most but can be a challenge for those who have never done something like this.
Hopefully I will have time to show both ways, pressed or cut.
Another idea would be to remove the control arm and take the new bushing and find a friend who has a press or in my case I used to take it to work before buying my own press.
If I don't have the time to make a write up, go to the TDI web site and search for "bushing" and you'll see how it is done, it is the same on the Tribeca, the size is different of course but it is the exact same idea and he did a very good do-it-yourself write up without a shop press.
I'm not sure if links are allowed here but here is the link to the Do-it-yourself from the TDI web site that will guide you through the bushing replacement:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=154137

Hope this can help someone.
Al

[zrwon]

Front suspension, Control arm bushings, the big rear bushing P/N is 20204XA00B9E.
I found prices anywhere from $10.00 in the States to $29.42 at one Canadian dealership.

They are actually made by Toyo, I assume Japan, there is a small logo on them, right into the rubber part.

[zrwon]

Does anyone have the torque specs for the control arm bushings mount, the ball joint to spindle lock bolt and the sway bar end link bolt?

I always have a service manual for my vehicles but didn't get one for the Tribeca yet.

Thanks
Al

[zrwon]

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=154137

This link is perfect, our control arm and bushings look just like the one in these photos, so removing the bushing is the same procedure, the only thing I did different was where he uses 2 pieces of wood to push the bushing back in, I used a steel barbell because I have a shop press, and the barbell fits perfectly on top of the busing to push it into place.

Our ball joint has to stay on the control arm, there is a bolt holding the ball joint to the spindle, I removed that bolt and the ball joint slipped right out and stayed on the control arm, do not remove the cotter pin and nut, take the other horizontal bolt on the top, it is a lot easier.

It is a very simple job if you follow the TDI's site directions, I tried to press the old bushing out, it was a waste of time, I ended up cutting it with the jig saw like he did and was much easier and faster, it took 5 minutes to cut it and punch it out and about the same to slide the new one in.

One the car there is a total of 5 bolts and one nut to remove; Sway bar end link, ball joint to spindle, front control arm bushing and the 2 rear control arm bracket bolt and the nut holding the rear bushing.

If you don't have too much rust on the bolts and have an air impact, it takes about the same amount of time to remove the control arm then it takes to remove the wheel.

I'm ready to reinstall the driver's side, it should be fairly simple, I wish I had the torque specs for everything.

I installed poly sway bar bushing at the same time.

I took pictures but there is not much point to post them, the TDI web site shows the important part, the bolts I described are pretty straight forward.

Al

[skoren]

Hi,
I called the dealer and they recommend not to replace only the bushing, but something in additional. I guess the sway bar links as well.
It is something like 350$ on the parts only. Can someone recommend what would be a worse case senario with respect to what parts should be replaced? my 2006 Tribeca has 90 k miles.
Thanks a million,
Sion

[drbrousters]

Hi,
I called the dealer and they recommend not to replace only the bushing, but something in additional... something like 350$ on the parts only.

Over the phone??? :eek:

I'd go to an independent repair shop, tell them the front end is making a noise, and ask them to have a look and tell you what's wrong.

It may be the same, but at least you'll have a "second opinion.":tup: