polyurethane bushings shot
 

Some of you might have seen my issues with the steering. The steering wheel when holding a turn on a long bend feels as it's it tugging yet I get no movement on the steering wheel. It's just a feeling like being tugged back.

Back in late 2018 I replaced the front bushes with a set from retroturbo. It's after this and some time I started to get this feeling.

I replaced the steering rack (rebuild) as it was knocking from a worn arm (driver side) and no change. I also replaced the steering pump for a new one. No change. New allignment too.

I might have found the issue. Take a drive tomorrow with new bushes.

My around 8000 mile bushes (in red) are shot. I have contacted retroturbo asking if there was a bad batch or issue. I have yet to get a reply (since 19th july)

The warranty was 12 months and I'm not asking for something back just an answer.

To be honest. I never thought the bushes would be shot so did not give them a 2nd thought. Just proves parts replaced could still be the issue after a short life in service.


Have a look at the video's below. It's surpising how these have worn given the miles.

My powerflex bushes on the audi TT are all like new with more miles.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF6KbXSypMM[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIT5KM2yLbg[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkHNyYBAvqI[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F81tXwqk7lE[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWMKO-LtHR0[/YOUTUBE]

Wow they are awful!!!

The rear bush in video one when fitted to the car shouldn't be a two piece bush at all. The superflex ones I've got are a one piece bush, a bit of a bugger to fit but they are solid.

The bush in the other videos is meant to be bonded to a metal sleeve, the fact it isn't is obviously allowing it to flex all over the place and wear out very quickly.

Go with superflex or genuine Volvo rubber.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=307435

It's not very good is it.

I forgot this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKe3Py6dtvk That's alloy too with bonded poly inside.

The split bushes do not meet in the middle. Not long enough. You can see in the arm where the poly has been rubbing in the arm and then a little bit of clean metal in the arm.

I've scrapped better bushes than any of those are! I've seen some bushes go like that before though, not good at all! Usually if the bush you take out is a one-piece bush, a one piece bush must replace it.

I keep meaning to try some of this stuff on some bushes that wear quickly on my other beast :

https://www.mbfg.co.uk/pt-flex-70-rubber.html

Been threatening to try it for years and i think the stuff i bought is past its shelf-life now, maybe i'll get to try it anyway and it'll last long enough to give proof of concept though.

I played with that sort of stuff few months back. Worked very well. As for my bushes I put them in the bin today. My new bushes are https://www.strongflex.eu/en/ from poland. I used them on the rear before and seem to hold up ok. i know these are not powerfelx ect.

I have powerflex on my mark 1 audi TT. I spent a lot on that car. My volvo also has superpro the oz company.

Time will tell!!!

I’ve got the retro turbo ones as well and they are crap, mine have been fitted for 3-4 years now and I need to recheck them as they were not looking the best last time I was under there and the steering is feeling off recently.

I only fitted the retro turbo ones as they were cheap (had virtually no money at the time) and I needed to get the car MOT’d and on the road in about a week.

Mine came with air bubbles in the surface as they’ve been cast and not very well. If I have to replace them I’ll either buy better quality ones or turn myself some on my lathe.

When I contacted the guy from retro turbo he was in Poland at the time (I think he has family there).

When i first bought it, the idea was to replicate front ARB "D" bushes and also drop-link bushes. This is on my other beast and most of those parts are NLA now. The only ones still available are a limited number of the 26mm bar D bushes. All drop links and/or bushes for them are NLA and considering cars with the 26mm front bar tend to eat drop link bushes (shortest time was 6 days on a pair of NOS Genuine ones!), something was needed.
I've now exhausted ny stash of NOS drop links so need to resurrect the project. Might look at other bushes as well if it's successful! :thumbs_up:



Usually air bubbles in the surface is down to one of two of a few things Jim, assuming they're using a similar cold-cure product to the one i linked to above.
First is insufficient mixing, second is pouring too fast, third is too high a cure temperature (curing them too quickly to get them out quickly maybe), fourth is lack of a breather hole to let the air get out of the bush as it cures (again a fast cure will lock bubbles in) and i can't think of the other at the moment.

If you're going to get busy with the lathe Jim, you'd be better turning a mould to make your own then you can choose the hardness of the bush and the colour and make them considerably cheaper!
Don't forget to allow for shrinkage, spray the inside of the mould with silicone lube, silicone based furniture polish (Mr Sheen worked well with PU on injection moulding) or rub candle wax on as a mould release. You can buy tubing to make new crush tubes so perhaps invest in new crush tubes if they're needed and don't forget the breather holes at the top so the air bubbles can float out.

For Polos we used to run nylon/other engineering plastic blocks like these instead of ARB mounts. Designed to correct castor angle of the wheels too when lowering as the ARB would push the lower arms back on the Polos. The round clamps stop lateral movement in the ARB:

Great....i fitted #Retroturbo bushes all round a couple of years back, better get under and have a look..... Piotr is a very nice guy to deal with until you have problems....