Change the front bushings in your Dakars

I try to tell people but they don't believe me. When I did mine, the rear ride dynamic changed so much it was like a whole new leaf pack. Glad it worked out for you.

 

I tried but $ wasnt there at the time. PB&J sandwiches for a week lmao

 

It's ok. Eventually when we get around to doing it on your truck you probably won't feel the difference since we greased and undertorqued everything already. In the meantime we have another project for you that'll keep you happy and occupied.

 

A little off topic but it represents the final fix to the issue that brought me to this thread in the first place. After doing the bushings, I wanted some extra insurance against this happening again:


Class 10 Nylock nuts.


From Fastenal.

 

I looked for metric nylocks that fit those bolts but didn't want to order online. Should've checked fastenal. I think I noted somewhere that a 1/2" grade 8 bolt is about the same size as the m14 that's there now and I considered swapping them out, but I then thought about emergency roadside repairs and having mixed fasteners (SAE and metric) would make that a pain. Actually you can see in the first post my homemade puller was a grade 8 bolt welded to a spare m14 I had in my parts bin. They are really close in size using my eye-o meter. I'm sure someone will chime in and tell me that they're .000000002" different and I'm an idiot for thinking I can use a grade 8 on a Tacoma. Glad you found the metric nylocks. I might have to pick up a couple for mine now.

 

Got these bushing knocked out today.. The drivers side was stubborn and took a lot of time, passenger side was not too bad.
Like some have stated,it seems the rear of the truck is riding a lot smoother..
Thanks for the write up @GHOST SHIP

 

Thanks for the feedback! As with anything suspension related, keep an eye on your bolts and recheck torque after a few miles. (Hundred or so).

 

Absolutely!!!!
I also need to check the rear shackle like suggested!!

 

I need to do this as well. My Dakar’s have walked right out
Of the bushings. Going over speed bumps it clunks and the squeaking is driving me crazy. PBblaster temporarily fixes the squeaks though. Dakar’s aren’t but about 6 months old too.

 

Mine started squeaking in their first year so you're not alone. I recently developed a slight squeak in the rear bushings again, but it was because they were dirty from a recent trip. Quick spray with the hose and air dry and it was all gone. Back to silent bliss. Sounds like I'm driving a hybrid.

 

@GHOST SHIP how long did yours pop before fixing?

 

Waiting on some wheelers bushings to come in when they get back in stock which may be a couple weeks. Right now mine pops going over speed bumps and pulling into my driveway. Hopefully nothing will be damaged from rubbing.

 

"pop"? I had a squeak from metal on metal, If you're having a pop or a clunk (I know sounds are hard to describe via text), there might be something else wrong. Occasionally I've heard of u-bolts coming loose if you've worked on them recently. I'd check torque there (85lbs, IIRC). If you're going to do this soon, then I'd also advise to take the time to go through the entire rear end carefully and look of obvious signs of where the rubbing or pop could be coming from. Any clean areas no matter how small on an otherwise dirty undercarriage are good places to start. That's usually a dead giveaway that something is moving or rubbing.

 

All the u bolts have been retorqued, I’ve went over everything in the rear end and nothing is loose. The bushings are so bad that there is play causing the leafs spring to hit the mount. I’ve had somebody drive my truck over speed bumps, and seen the movement as it popped. I’ve figured out what the cause is, just can’t believe they got that bad in less than a year.

 

They were squeaking REAL bad before the popping. A simple little
Bushing can make a good looking nice truck sound like a total piece of shit.

 

Truth.

There really shouldn't be a worry about causing permanent damage other than rubbing the paint off the hanger where you're getting contact. I was using PB Blaster help ease the noise before I did the upgrade, so you might want to try that for now. Once you get to doing the install you may or may not want to paint the inside of the hanger. I didn't because I figured it'd be coated with grease all the time anyway, thus protecting it from moisture (rust). If you live in the salt zone, then you may want to paint for added piece of mind. I can't recommend the Supergrease enough as it's super thick and tacky. $45 seems steep for the tube but it's well worth it once you have it. They sell a smaller tub that isn't labeled as "supergrease" if you don't have immediate plans to use a lot of it.

$18 Energy Suspension - 9.11104 8 OZ TUB OF FORMULA 5 PRELUBE

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MW5SJ4

*Disclaimer- I haven't bought this tub, so I can't confirm that it is the same product as Prothane's Supergrease, but since they use Gubment packaging on everything it's hard to tell anyway.

 

I’ve been using pb blaster too!
But thanks for the link I may try that stuff.

 

@GHOST SHIP

What's that little footy pad on your high lift?

 

Good eye. It's a piece of my old tire. I give credit of the idea to @geekhouse23 , but he said that he got it from someone else. I made a few for various members but it makes your Hi-Lift much more stable on concrete/asphalt without the fear of it slipping out from under the truck (causing the infamous hi-lift door ding). Here's a pic of my tire and some clues to how I cut it.


And some from @geekhouse23 that gave me the idea:






I cut mine a little closer than that and subsequent efforts are flush with the steel pad now that I've gotten better at cutting it neater.

 

Ah. Some ingenious shitz right there.