Help with Old Man Emu Dakar leaf pack noise

I have been running the OME Dakar leaf pack with

$75 D29XL Leaf Spring

D29XL add-a-leaf for quite a while now. Quite often I carry 900+ lbm and these leafs perform flawlessly. I absolutely love the drive when both loaded and unloaded. I am using them in conjunction with the N182 dampers.

The problem is that the front bushings where the leafs attach to the frame are making a creaking noise. For the first few months I just put up with it, but a while ago it really started to get loud. So loud that you can hear it with the windows rolled up and the stereo on.

I have talked with ARB USA and they sent me the lubing procedure for greasing the leafs, which obviously didn't fix the problem because it is the pre-installed front bushings making the noise, not the leaf springs. Beyond that they haven't provided any fix other than saying that they 'shouldn't be making noise.'

I have checked and rechecked all torque values. There is no obvious cause that can be seen.

The only cure is completely spraying the area with a lubricant (WD40 was suggested by ARB)...and it only works for about half a day. Drive more than ~30 miles and the creaking is back. It starts softly then progresses back to full loudness within a day or two.

Toyota doesn't sell the front bushing alone (I just spent an hour or so at the Toyota parts department)...it only comes attached to the leaf packs so pushing in a Toyota bushing is out of the question.

Short of going back to the vastly inferior TSB spring pack + AAL and rear block, do you guys have any suggestions?

 

Thanks for the tip - I will look into aftermarket bushings. As for pressing them out, I have access to an arbor press at work, but not a hydraulic press. Any idea what type is used to usually press them out?

 

buy some new bushings from all pro, they are like a dollar or two

 

Just saw your post 6 years later...but im having the same problem just wondering what you did to fix this my truck is the 2002 tacoma double cab and im running the dakar leafs i thought something bad was happening in the front of the truck but when we shake the truck side to side the front eye of the spring slides back and forth inside of the eye that wraps around it... i dont think anything will ever break but its very loud....