Rear sway bar...

[03.5msprotege]

I believe that with the warmer weather we have been having lately, the rear sway bar has started to squeak. Under cornering load, light load on the suspension, light acceleration I can notice this squeaky noise.
So, what do you recommend to lube the sway bar bushings? Are the bushing poly or rubber?
thanks for the info.

[Rally Ninja]

I changed my bushings with SU ones.. they said it was like the same as the AWR ones. I just used a lot of lithium grease. I think they are poly.

[eddiejoe56]

Buy either the Street Unit or AWR replacement polyureathance bushings.
Install them over a couple of wrap layers of teflon plumbers tape.
Then buy two 20-mm shaft collars from McMaster Carr and install on each end against new bushings.
This is what I did last August and they have been silent since. The teflon tape lasts a lot longer than any grease.

[eddiejoe56]

Buy either the Street Unit or AWR replacement polyureathan bushings.
Install them over a couple of wrap layers of teflon plumbers tape.
Then buy two 20-mm shaft collars from McMaster Carr and install on each end against new bushings.
This is what I did last August and they have been silent since. The teflon tape lasts a lot longer than any grease.

[eddiejoe56]

Buy either the Street Unit or AWR replacement polyureathane bushings.
Install them over a couple of wrap layers of teflon plumbers tape.
Then buy two 20-mm shaft collars from McMaster Carr and install on each end against new bushings.
This is what I did last August and they have been silent since. The teflon tape lasts a lot longer than any grease.

[03.5msprotege]

where do I find these awr bushings and how much? I'm new to the mazda scene and can't really find any aftermarket part suppliers.
thanks for the help.

[Rally Ninja]

Most of our sponsors should have them.

[Blaznmsp]

how hard is it to replace the rear bushing b/c im having the squeak problem to and want to replace them but im no car expert. can anyone point me in the right direction? tks

[greasemonkey524]

how hard is it to replace the rear bushing b/c im having the squeak problem to and want to replace them but im no car expert. can anyone point me in the right direction? tks
I replaced mine last weekend and they weren't all that bad to do. You need to jack the back end of the car up and there are two 14mm bolts for each bushing. I had the most trouble with the passenger side top one because of the exhaust. I have the GHL so I don't know if the stock exhaust gets in the way. I had a buddy pull the exhaust out of the way as i did it. They were kind of a PITA to loosen so soak them pretty good with penetrating oil. I also put anti seize on the bolts in case I need to change them again. Hope this helps!

[Blaznmsp]

so u can take the bushings off and put new ones on with out having to take the bar that their on off?

[greasemonkey524]

Yes you can. It really isn't all that bad. Just make sure to lube the new bushings up real good.

[Blaznmsp]

Yes you can. It really isn't all that bad. Just make sure to lube the new bushings up real good.
cool. thanks for the help

[fr0st]

teflon tape eh??

im gonna try that next time..

i got some pink teflon (fuel/oil resistance)
might be nice.

[03.5msprotege]

Awesome. Is it really worth it to change the bushing for the awr/su units? I'm in canada and the shipping is as much as one of the parts.
It really is my wifes car and she enjoys driving it so is the benefit worth the cost?

The poly bushings will help stiffen up the rear end right?
thanks for the info.

[warrier04]

i replaced mine with the SU bushings because mine - for the third time - were drastically squeaking.

install was straight forward, but it's just a matter of how well you can manuver a socket wrench in the right position to get to the two bolts on each side.

since the install, not a peep from the rear end. don't know about any extra stiffening, though ..

[Mustard97]

i just lube my stock ones every year, normal maint thing for the speeds hehe

[thrilhouse]

Any advice about type/brand of lube to use on the bushings? Do you need to remove the bushings to lube them? I just bought an 03 MSP and am loving it but the squeaking is unbearable and any small motion of the rear suspension and the sway bar starts squaking.

When I had the car safetied the garage lubbed them up for me but I have no idea exactly what they did and 3 days later it went from completely quiet to loud squeaking.

[greasemonkey524]

I just used Permatex grease and yes you need to take them off to lube them. I tried spraying them with penetrating oil and silicone spray but it would only last for a day or two.

[thrilhouse]

I haven't had a good look at how the bushings are attached to the sway bar / body but I just got new bushings in the mail. Can I prop one side of the car up at a time to do this change or do both wheels have to be hanging free for the change? I was actually thinking about drivng the back end up onto a tall sidewalk and sliding under the car since I don't own a decent jack.

[fr0st]

buy some urethane bushings from a vendor... i bought a set of SU and put some white litium grease.. enevr heard the squeek again..

[thrilhouse]

buy some urethane bushings from a vendor... i bought a set of SU and put some white litium grease.. enevr heard the squeek again..

The first sentenence of my question says that I just got some -- mail order. They are the 20mm AWR bushings.

Just want to know if, in order to install them, I have to jack the whole rear of the car up. I'm hoping its possible to install them with the full weight of the car on the rear suspension.

[fr0st]

The first sentenence of my question says that I just got some -- mail order. They are the 20mm AWR bushings.

Just want to know if, in order to install them, I have to jack the whole rear of the car up. I'm hoping its possible to install them with the full weight of the car on the rear suspension.


my post was directed to the first post in the thread..


for yours, i would say you don't have to jack the car, but it will make the installation hellovalot easier if you do.. takes about 20-30 minutes to do it..


the bushings are wrapped around the sway bar.. you unbolt the fastener that holds the bushing and it just falls off..real easy.. grease them more then enough all way around, then wipe off the excess when installtion is done.

[03.5msprotege]

SO, I did what everyone suggested and went ahead and lubed up the rear mounting points and that didn't fix the squeak. In fact, it's gotten worse. I'm thinking that I have a squeak related to the rear springs but I haven't jacked up the car to check that part out yet. Anyone else have that problem? What did you do to fix it?
thanks

[mhrebin]

do you still have the original bushings? if so, those might be worn out so when the collars are fully tightened, the bushing isnt tight all around the bar. it could be worn out or mushroomed still allowing the bar to move around and squeek.

brand new bushings would fix that.

[We Are Ninja]

SO, I did what everyone suggested and went ahead and lubed up the rear mounting points and that didn't fix the squeak. In fact, it's gotten worse. I'm thinking that I have a squeak related to the rear springs but I haven't jacked up the car to check that part out yet. Anyone else have that problem? What did you do to fix it?
thanks

I had the exact same problem. The rear end squeaked so bad I wanted to drive my car off a bridge. I bought a clunk fix bracket and it took care of it. From what I understand, Mazda chose to place the mounts/bushings much further in on the chassis than Racing Beat intended causing the bar to twist instead of bend like it's supposed to. The clunk bracket will relocate the mounts to the appropriate place allowing the bar to function as intended and get rid of the squeak/clunk completely.

I got one and the back end is silent Click me, mang. (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123668282)

[evolv]

I had the exact same problem. The rear end squeaked so bad I wanted to drive my car off a bridge. I bought a clunk fix bracket and it took care of it. From what I understand, Mazda chose to place the mounts/bushings much further in on the chassis than Racing Beat intended causing the bar to twist instead of bend like it's supposed to. The clunk bracket will relocate the mounts to the appropriate place allowing the bar to function as intended and get rid of the squeak/clunk completely.

I got one and the back end is silent Click me, mang. (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123668282)

All this is true and more.

To answer the question about "what grease to use on the stock bushings" the answer is NOTHING.

The stock bushings have a teflon liner in them that when combined with grease will wear away very quickly. Also, if your bushings squeak and you add grease you can expect to hear a clunking noise within a few 1000 km's.

Replacing the stock bushings is the cheapest short term solution for the annoying sqeak but you can anticipate that the noise will be back within 6,000 - 10,000 km's.

[thrilhouse]

I am about to replace my bushings with AWR ones. I was going to go buy the teflon plumbers tape. Does this mean that I shouldn't use the lubricant that came with the new bushings if I use teflon tape and if so which is better?

[Lunatik]

i have seen a bunch of squeaky noise problem thread because i recently had that noise and was killing me! but today after checking out the car for a while to see where it was coming from i noticed that my bumper was the one making all the noise..... i just tightened up the screws and noise is gone!...just a little info for some of you before you go and buy anything

[Lunatik]

i take that back the noise is back

[03.5msprotege]

I used a red chassis lube... I can't remember the name of it and the squeaking has been gone since my last post. Back in July, I used a green grease and it only worked for about a week. This red chassis lube it great. now, I have to wait for it to warm up and do the front sway bar.

[yashooa]

I had the exact same problem. The rear end squeaked so bad I wanted to drive my car off a bridge. I bought a clunk fix bracket and it took care of it. From what I understand, Mazda chose to place the mounts/bushings much further in on the chassis than Racing Beat intended causing the bar to twist instead of bend like it's supposed to. The clunk bracket will relocate the mounts to the appropriate place allowing the bar to function as intended and get rid of the squeak/clunk completely.

I got one and the back end is silent Click me, mang. (http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123668282)

I am glad I bought my Delsing rear swaybar mount kit when I did.

[FunkyBuddha]

I am glad I bought my Delsing rear swaybar mount kit when I did.

Yes me too LOL. I'm glad I didn't put it on my P5, as I have an MSP now with the klunk and the squeak.

[junya1985]

I used some AC delco Brake lubricant that i had at my work and it lasted for over a year with no squeek on stock bushings with 80K on them