Lago Blue

Have been running this set-up:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...3#post18611913

since August '08 with good success. I have taken it apart approximately every six months to clean, inspect and lube. During this interval I have observed the following:

a.) the high stiction of the original install has decreased slightly w/mileage.

b.) slight wear to the poly bush I.D.; &

c.) slight wear to the OEM bush metal core O.D.

This is due to the following:

- deformation of the poly bushs' flange to I.D square corner. This is where it pushes against the filleted flange of the re-cycled OEM metal core (more on this later); &
- friction and abrasion between the metal core and poly bushing during joint rotation, wear marks are circumferential.

The wear is due to a couple of things:

- the Energy Suspension bushing's I.D. is an eight-sided splined hole, and as it is has not been sealed at the ends, water and grit can enter the greased inter-face; &

- the OEM metal cores where not new to begin with and are very rough on the O.D. due to rusting which occured while they where still inside (but no longer attached to) the OEM rubber bushes. Some from a new set may be less rough/more round. Bare in mind that these pieces will never be the centre-less ground and spiral-grooved jewels of song and fable, they where probably not even turned, likely just stamped into shape.

The observed slight amount of wear has not yet resulted in any perceivable slop or play in the upper control arm, but perhaps this wear can be reduced, hence this update.

I have added the following to this set-up:

Thrust Washers: To the inboard faces of the poly bushes where they abut the OEM metal core-end flanges. These are of a more slippery material than the poly, but as importantly, they help to seal the gap left previously where the polys' flange didn't quite touch the cores' flange. The metal cores' radiused fillet jams against the poly bushes' square-corner where its' I.D. meets the end-flange. The polys' splines where exposed here, allowing some contamination.

Outer End Seals: On each end where the long through-bolt emerges from the bushes. The polys' splines where also exposed here, allowing further contamination. I cut the fingers off a surgical glove and rolled them (condom-like) over the fastener-ends up onto the bushings' O.D. (Note: As I am using the narrower forged upper arms, the bushings protrude enough to easily allow this install, this may not work so well with the wider welded upper arms). Obviously just temporary, this is just until I can fashion some true "end-caps" which will not touch the fastener ends; at all.

With the above changes, I hope to increase the service interval, reduce wear, stiction and delay the onset of play. One other thing I should mention:

Grease: The best I've found so far is available from the kind folks at IPD (Volvo). It is called Aqua-lube and is available quite reasonably from them in at least small amounts (a small dab in a 35 mm film container). Warning, if you Google "Aqua-lube" you may enter a pop-up hell from which you may not emerge from without ripping your computer's plug from the wall, and that may require you to get it serviced after-wards. I suspect this (turquoise-coloured) stuff is a commercial marine grease. It goes on (and therefore doesn't come-off) like melted bubble-gum. A very little dab will do yah.