Body Bushings deteriorated? (pics inside)

[Derick Cardenas]

I got under the truck today...found these:

The body bushings uner the driver and front passenger seats are worn out. i dont know how it happened. My ST has 40,000 kilometers on it. the service center here recommends lifting the body and replacing them...gonna cost me like 150usd.

anyway, is there another alternative? it is bumpy.



thanks



derick

manila, philippines

 

[Richard Kolb]

pay the 150 and get it fixed. That isn't bad. Maybe get some new bushings, non-oem. Poly-whatever they are.

 

[Michael A 2]

My best advice... replace the bushings in its entirety. even at 40K, road conditions there in Manila is a pain in the butt. It can certainly take a toll on any vehicle. How's the gas mileage of the ST in stop & go traffic of Metro Manila? I assume they use the same engine/powerplant as in their US counterpart.

 

[raffy hizon]

had mine replaced at around 50,000km here in manila. the parts arent that expensive, its the labor cost for that type of work thats expensive.....



had it done in ford libis

 

[Nelson Atwell]

derick,



I hope none of your family members were affected by the typhoon.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Derick,



I changed the code a little to make them show up..



<img src=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/dermon/DSC00699.jpg>



<img src=http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/dermon/DSC00698.jpg>





Tom

 

[Dallas Starr]

put on a body lift.. you are already lifting the body off...

 

[Derick Cardenas]

vigilantes: the mileage i get at best (on Zcal/KN air intake) a best is 5.5km per liter stop and go traffic. that's bumper to bumper. the worst.



rptrac: ill try to visit the offroader shops in katipunan..they might have some polyurethane stuff.



nelsonOK: we're far from the palce hit by typhoon

tom: thanks dude

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Thanks for posting that issue.



A question for the mechanics out there. How difficult is it to change the body bushings yourself?

 

[EddieS'04]

Is this a common problem with all Tracs or just early ones ? Mine is an '04..

 

[raffy hizon]

hi again derrick, the shop you are referring to in katipunan is rats 4x4 right? they do not have those bushings. the best is to get the parts from the dealer.



thats exactly how my body mounts looked like when i had them replaced

i remember posting the photo last year...

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

OMG, those things look awefull Is that caused by bad road conditions? Those things look like they have exploded.

 

[Derick Cardenas]

i dont know what caused them. perhaps flood? undercoat? lack of underwash?



rptrac: ill contact ford libis or balintawak and check if they have the the bushings. do you have other mods on your trac?

 

[Dre L]

IIRC, you need to lift up the interior trim and carpet at about 6 spots, unbolt a mount, jack up the body, swap the mount, bolt it down, put your trim together.



Probably easier than it sounds, but I would recommend a torque wrench and some loctite.

 

[Yardsale]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I recall a feature of the Sport Trac is polyurethane bushings - stiff, but long lasting.



If those are polyurethane, then it seems they are defective.



This:



"Under the Sport Trac, microcellular urethane replaces solid rubber in body mounts. The urethane is claimed to be 27% lighter and halves low-frequency noise."



is from:

http://www.machinedesign.com/ASP/strArticleID/29724/strSite/MDSite/viewSelectedArticle.asp



and this:



"Urethane body mounts, the first ever used on an SUV, help smooth out the ride."



is from:

http://www.autoweb.com/content/research/index.cfm/aid/138797/action/showarticle



Perhaps microcellular urethane and polyurethane are significantly different enough that microcellular urethane doesn't have the long wear characteristics of polyurethane.