How long do the SPC arm upper ball joints last?

[jross20]

So with all the recent discussion on lower ball joints recently... It actually got me to thinking that I don't actually know what the replacement interval is on the upper ball joints of SPC arms. Or is there one at all? I grease mine but since like the first month they've been a greasy mess which I figured was normal... But maybe it's not?

Just trying to make sure I'm not pushing them too long.

 

[theesotericone]

They have held up to my wheeling habits for 5 years so far. I keep a spare set of the SPC UBJ's in the rig but have never needed them. Broke plenty of LBJ bolts in that same time. lol

 

[Bad Luck]

The upper ball joint doesn’t see nearly the amount of stress that the lower ball joint does. Grease every other oil change and check for play and you should be fine.

 

[96RedRunner]

Mine have puked grease since new, SPC rec's 5-10 pumps at service that a fair amount
of grease for the area, rec service after dusty or wet conditions.
How they worded rec's I figure they knew of the puking.
Puked grease not a bad thing, it a catch all filter gets changed everytime you grease em.

13K on mine DD & mild abuse had BJ's seperated Saturday very little difference from new tension.

With [MENTION=143526]theesotericone[/MENTION]'s 5 yrs of habits torture test on original BJ's makes for a good vouch on a product. :cheers:

 

[repo]

The paperwork that comes with it says excess grease will come out of the boot. Mine is like that too I could never tell how much grease was going in but it squeezes out when driving around so I learned to trust the number of pumps in says in the maintenance instructions. Better to have too much grease than not enough, unless it's so much it's getting flung on other stuff. It seems hard to get the grese through the zerk it always makes a mess. I bought a Lumax locking grease gun coupler a while ago I thought might work better but haven't got around to trying it yet.

 

[octanejunkie]

The replacement interval is as needed based on inspection and measurement, and depending on duty cycle

Here is the general FAQ on the upper BJ
https://www.spcalignment.com/partFAQ/25002_FAQ.pdf

I pump a few pumps in after each wheeling trip

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[fortysixandtwo]

How long are the SPC upper control arm bushings supposed to last?

My first set only lasted 7 or 8 months of mild driving. SPC warrantied them, painfully, and sent me 2 brand new upper control arms/UBJs. But I'm wondering how long these are actually gonna last.

 

[thezentree]

How long are the SPC upper control arm bushings supposed to last?

My first set only lasted 7 or 8 months of mild driving. SPC warrantied them, painfully, and sent me 2 brand new upper control arms/UBJs. But I'm wondering how long these are actually gonna last.

I’ve got like 60k miles on mine. They’re a little worn, but still tight. I wish SPC would put grease zerks on the bushings.

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

which bushing type are you using now?
iirc, SPC has 3 types, with the first one having a documented failures.

How long are the SPC upper control arm bushings supposed to last?

My first set only lasted 7 or 8 months of mild driving. SPC warrantied them, painfully, and sent me 2 brand new upper control arms/UBJs. But I'm wondering how long these are actually gonna last.

 

[96RedRunner]

Pair I have should be V2 bushings by purchase date haven't heard of V3.
Took more effort to move them off and on BJ than I was expecting Saturday guess I'm good for the moment.

 

[octanejunkie]

which bushing type are you using now?
iirc, SPC has 3 types, with the first one having a documented failures.

do you know the appropriate dates of the bushing updates? I bought my SPCs a few years ago and only just installed them this year

Pair I have should be V2 bushings by purchase date haven't heard of V3.

Took more effort to move them off and on BJ than I was expecting Saturday guess I'm good for the moment.

Which SPC bushing are you referring to? There is no BJ bushing I remember seeing, just arm to truck

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[96RedRunner]

There is no BJ bushing I remember seeing, just arm to truck

I changed position of BJ D to E, nut was loose I took nut off swung arm to check what bushings are used.

 

[jross20]

Hey guys, thanks for all the replies. For some reason I never got to notification and I actually forgot about this thread so I'm just now seeing this all... Haha

Okay well it sounds like everything's probably okay. I'll definitely pick up some stairs though cuz that might be a good idea for later

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

it seems that they have gone back to the v2 SpecRide bushings as they no longer have the v3 bushings on their website.

They used to show the v3 in there calling it the xAxis Retrofit Kit P/N 25021. That bushing needed to be pressed into the UCA using a special tool to keep the bushing aligned properly and prevent being damaged



Specialty Products Company | SPC Alignment | The Automotive Alignment Leaders

Pair I have should be V2 bushings by purchase date haven't heard of V3.
Took more effort to move them off and on BJ than I was expecting Saturday guess I'm good for the moment.

 

[HiluxSurf SSR-G]

no, i don't have the dates of the bushing updates.

do you know the appropriate dates of the bushing updates? I bought my SPCs a few years ago and only just installed them this yearWhich SPC bushing are you referring to? There is no BJ bushing I remember seeing, just arm to truck

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[repo]

do you know the appropriate dates of the bushing updates? I bought my SPCs a few years ago and only just installed them this yearWhich SPC bushing are you referring to? There is no BJ bushing I remember seeing, just arm to truck

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If you remember what the ends looked like you can check pictures on the spc website, they look different. Also they allow free movement with no binding so during install you can torque the UCA bolt to spec up on the stands instead of on the ground, if it didn't mention that in the installation doc it probably came with the old kind. The new ones ("Axis" bushings) are greaseless, permanently lubed, or at least it didn't come with bushing grease or mention greasing them from what I remember.