Squeaky UCA

I've done a lot of searching that hasn't yielded any results specific to my question so forgive me if this has already been asked. I did read that TC UCAs tend to be a bit squeaky. In fact, a lot of aftermarket uni-ball UCAs are and perhaps it's just because of the design. I would greatly appreciate someone taking a listen to the video I made to make sure this is just normal of if I should disassemble them and re-lube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr7OyleSZPw&feature=youtu.be

 

You probably just need to lube the uni-balls. Tri-Flow Dry Lube is what is recommended:

 

Thanks @YotaDan. I ended up calling Total Chaos to get their opinion and they also suggested Tri-Flow but did not specify that particular one. I ran to the local bike shop and picked up a bottle and put a few drops on the joint. Got back to my desk and noticed you replied with that specific lubricant from Tri-Flow so I got worried I picked up the wrong stuff. Gentlemen I spoke to at TC hadn't heard of this specific "dry" formula and always suggested the standard one. He did say that after reading up on it, this version would be the best option going forward. Seems like I should have been a bit more patient so that I would have had a chance to get your input and get the best option. If the squeak doesn't go away, I'll be giving you some of my money.

 

We started offering this one due to both Total Chaos and Camburg recommending it specifically.

 

Carlos@Camburg told me any dry PTFE lubricant is fine and that Tri flow is just a brand name of the same stuff you can get from an auto parts store or bicycle shop. Just like the grease Camburg sells for the UCA polyurethane bushings. It doesn't have to be the exact grease that they sell either. I use this stuff for my Camburg UCA uni balls. The other day I went wheeling up a really dusty trail and some hills, then it rained & I had a bad squeak, I could push on my bumper and it would squeak as the UCA went up & down. I sprayed that on the uni balls and the squeak is gone & hasn't come back. I also use Lucas Red n Tacky instead of the grease Camburg sells for 5 or 10x as much.

 

Yeah, I used some Tri Flow on it the other day and the squeak is still there. I was worried that perhaps the grease I am using isn't working but since you use the same (Lucas) then I think I know what the issue is. The idiot that installed that UCA didn't grease the bushings when he installed it. I'll try to take it apart this weekend and see if my theory is correct.

 

You can probably check to see if there's Greese spots where the polyurethane bushing buts up to the arm. If you can't see anything you can take a safety pin or small chisel and poke the end of the greese zerk and see if anything comes out. Those bushings are way noisy when not greesed.

 

Thank you for the advice. I'll give it a go tomorrow.

 

It's the bushings not the uniballs. Just had this same issue last week. I Lubed the uniballs first and let them sit over night. Wiped them down in the morning before work. Squeak still there. Got home and greased the bushing zerks and squeak is gone.

 

I haven't greased the bushings since my last oil change and never had a squeak, till the rain made the dust go down into the uni balls and created a grit so I sprayed the PTFE lubricant to remove all that crap out of there and the squeak is gone. I have zirk fittings on each side of the UCA's where the bushings are. But hey this spray always worked for me. That was the 1st time they had ever squeaked since I bought them and I didn't grease the bushings & the squeak is gone. But my uni balls are at a different angle since I bought a set of ext travel Icon coil overs and maxed the pre load out so I put it back up on the lift and decreased the preload to a 2.5" lift. Could be a couple of things but as soon as I sprayed the uni balls that gritty squeak was gone. It wasn't a rubbery polyurethane sounding squeak. It was a metal on metal squeak.?

 

Took some time today to take my UCA off and sure enough, no grease on the bolt that connects it to the frame. This was the UCA I had to get someone to install as I just couldn't seem to get it myself. Moron didn't install properly. Since I had plenty of time to plan and get the proper tools, I took it off myself, relubed it and reinstalled. Squeak is (so far) gone.

 

FK bearings say NOT to put anything on uniballs. Also, there is a seal around the teflon, so you really aren't lubing anything, you're just make a dust collector on the outside of the uniball that will probably wear the seal out and cause the teflon to fail prematurely. You also should loosen the through bolt when greasing the bushings to allow the grease to evenly distribute around the bushing.