Squeaky Dakars : Any advice from others with the Dakars ?

550 miles after installation (all surface roads, haven't been off-road yet) and I heard the "squeaky squeaky" as I was getting out of the truck today. Looks like I'm about to become intimately familiar with this thread very soon.......

 

I did this but it seems I have a lot of squeaks in the back. Maybe I need to loosen the back bolts and put some grease in there.

 

I put strips in the rear too last time , just in front of the hanger

 

Is it also recommended to grease the leaf spring bushings and/or bolts that secure them to the truck?
If so, what brand or kind?

 

Anyone? OZ-T.....?

 

You can use Super Lube for those types of applications

 

Finally got around to putting new EPDM on my Dakars and cleaned out mt drums......no more squeeking again!

 

Gotcha, thanks.

 

Re-Subbed.

 

Wow, Just got through reading this long......ass thread. My Dakars are being delivered today, seems like after all this time, all these problems the manufacture would have got enough feedback and fixed this. My plan, I'll gently pry the leaves apart prior to installation, give 'em a liberal coating of spray lithium grease slip a section of epdm pond liner in, hit with the grease again. Then on install, slip the front bolt in and when the trucks on the ground torque the front bolt. Sheeeesh.........I'll report back

 

Here is your solution , heavy duty slip plate you can just spray

http://www.iowa80.com/DirectionsWEB...?itemid=09477&itemdesc=Slip+Plate+Aerosal+Can

 

I already have a solution but yours looks interesting too

 

I would like to say that I did this and it worked until I flexed the crap out of my suspension and one side fell out.... lol

Perhaps it was a fluke and I will probably put it back.

 

I actually said in my original post that I wondered how it would work out if the fronts really flexed out

Perhaps you would be better served with the adhesive backed strips that were linked on an earlier page

 

Well now you know! lol



Perhaps...

My springs aren't really squeaking right now, so I am just going to leave it for now. If they start squeaking again I will look into that or that slip plate spray.

 

Is it also a good idea to spray[FONT=&quot] a dry graphite lube[/FONT] in between the leafs prior to install?

 

It wouldn't hurt to put a little more grease on the yellow leaf isolators. The come very lightly greased and there is room for lots more.
Here's a pic of how mine came:

 

^
Both of my packs were that way. The only grease to speak of was the little bit shown in the pic I posted. I needed to put my top overload in so I just broke the pack all the way down while I was already that far. I'm in this process right now. I'm not at all that impressed with the thin paint that came on these. Heck, the packing tape that was on it from shipping even pulled paint off it, and sitting in the back of my truck in the rain for a day started them to rust. I'm debating stripping the small amount of grease on them and hitting them with some paint so they don't look like junk yard leaves in 6 months.

 

Rust Cure Formula 3000