Just as a note to anyone considering fitting poly bushes.

I have just renewed all of my front suspension bushes, it's the first time I've stripped the xk but it all went well.

I started on the RH side, it took a total of 5 hrs to strip it, change the bushes and refit it all. The top wishbone is pretty easy, the lower is a bit of a pig and the damper was a complete B.
The LH side took 3 hrs (I knew what I was doing by this point)

The result is a very quiet front end, all the little knocks and rattles have gone and the car feels far more positive.

It was very much worth the money and the effort, if your considering it I would say do it, you'll need a press to do the damper lower joints, and a little patience to get the boots and clips back on again.

 

Either you are very lucky or I'm very unlucky!

On the last five Front Upper Wishbones I've removed for bushes, three have had seized Fulcrum Bolts. Worst case was four days of alternate heat and hammering to free the Bolt.

Graham

 

Were I to do it again (replace all of the front end bushings), I would not use the Powerflex polyurethane bushings. They moan and groan over any kind of bump, hump, or lump, small or large, and I would replace with standard rubber bushings.

 

No moaning or groaning from mine yet, I did give them a smear of lube which might last a while.
Having now driven it for a couple of hundred miles it's made the noises from the rear end very obvious. Not sure I'm going to be able to put them off for too much longer.

 

I just had my XJR front end redone. Didn't do it but the result is simply transforming. The car drives so much nicer. A little more road vibration comes thru the wheel esp. on nasty roads but the positive feeling is so much worth it. Having used poly for years, I've never had an issue with noise as tberg has. It makes me wonder if something wasn't done properly. My TVR doesn't have a single rubber bushing on the car at this point and no noise out of the bushes.

I'm hoping to do the XK over the winter myself. Glad someone has had some good results with doing it on ther XK. I'll be the first to admit that it isn't for everyone, but I am a believer.

 

For the past couple of weeks, my front suspension has been squeaking and making so much noise that it's almost unbearable to drive. It's going in on Friday as my mechanic who listened to it yesterday thinks it's the poly busings in need of grease. I can't believe that much noise could come out of bushings alone. But, we'll see. While the ride as well as the car's ability to take dips and bumps improved, the noise caused by the poly bushings is simply unacceptable, and I'll most likely replace them with OEM rubber bushings. I'll report back on Monday as to the findings and the solutions. It's just terrible right now.

 

Were there any particular issues with the lower bushes? I need to do mine over the next couple of weeks, the tops having been done last year - apparently they were not easy as the bolt had seized, fortunately I had those done at the local garage but plan on doing the lower ones myself. Any advice for doing the wishbone bushes only with the Powerflex bushes?

 

I've been sitting back, waiting for peeps to begin complaining about their poly bushings. There's a case to be made for them - they're slightly easier for DIYers to install. And in the case of large bushings they are a bit less compliant, possibly yielding more positive handling and road feel at the expense of smoother ride. But that's where it all ends. Poly bushings do require periodic lubrication, unlike torsilastic bushings. Poly bushings rotate, inside and out, as the suspension flexes. Torsilastic bushings merely flex and friction is not a concern.

One could drill passageways for lubrication and install service fittings (grease zerks) to accommodate poly bushings but that would negate the ease-of-install advantage. Personally, I don't care much for poly bushings but understand the initial advantage during installation. About the only areas I'll consider using them is anti-roll bar links, suspension strut rods and some mounts as they are then only subjected to flexing, not rotating forces.

Just my $0.02 worth...

 

The lowers were a bit of a pig, the rear bolt is very close to the steering rack, you can just squeeze it out but the rack needs to be in just the right place, and you have to be firm with the gator in order to get the bolt past it. The bolt is also an eccentric cam bolt so mark it's position before removal, it's probably worth getting the castor camber and toe set after you've replaced them. The front bolt is easier to get out but only just fits between the subframe and the brace bars etc. getting the bushes out was the worst bit, I couldn't find a way to secure the wishbone in the press, the OEM bushes are mushroom shaped so you'd have to cut the tops off them in order to get ant purchase on the press blocks. I resorted to the hammer and 32mm socket, I'd mastered the technique by bush no 3 and could get them out in under 2 mins, if you go for the brute force approach drop a bolt down the socket and into the bush center, it a, stops you knackering a socket and b, stops it flying off every time you hit it. I used a large long handled 4-5 lb lump, they soon moved.
Plenty of silicone spray to get the wishbone back on and your away.

I'd estimate 3-4 hours for the first one and less than 2 for the second.

Good luck, let me know how you get on

 

I'll see if any squeaks appear, it's probably less of an issue in the uk as the roads are wet 75% of the time, so will lube bushes lol.

 

I have had Powerflex lower control arm bushings on my XKR car since 2008 and have logged over 70K miles since (including 4 years in the desert Southwest) and I have zero issues and no noise whatsoever. FYI I had to replace the stock bushings twice @ roughly 20K and 40K miles so that was my impetus. Great decision.

 

Beav,
You're absolutely right. I have poly bushings on both my XKR and my Pantera, and they both make a lot of noise. Now, I've probably put 50,000+ miles on the XKR since the original bushings were replaced, and the squeaking began only a couple of weeks ago, however, they always "moan and groan" going over even the smallest of dips or bumps. I was told a long time ago by a car restorer not to use the poly bushings; I should have listened.

 

I got my car back this afternoon, and the cacaphony that sounded like a flock of parrots coming from the front end is mercifully gone. My mechanic said they spent seven hours removing, greasing, and replacing all of the poly bushings. Honestly, I can't believe it, the noise was so pervasive, I could not fathom that lubrication alone could make the difference. I am delighted but will not use the poly bushings again.