Do you lube your heims?

[Bundy]

After a good rain and sitting for a month I drove the Bronco around and the steering sounds like a haunted house. I read a bit on the web about lubricating them and saw many different suggestions. I read that you should avoid using anything dirt and grime will stick to like WD40.

Do you lube your heims? If so what do you use?

 

[ENDLIFE]

I don't use anything on mine, but if I did I would use a dry lubricant. A gentleman with a Toyota that we trail ride with smears grease on his heims, then a little rubber cup to hold the grease in heats it up with a heat gun till the grease seeps in the joint. I'm not sure about the play he has in his heims but they made no noise.

 

[Hozr]

Sooooo.......Most modern heim joints have a teflon (or similar) liner and they are self lubricating. If they are fairly new they *should* be maintenance free. Heating them with a torch will only serve to melt the liner and make them extremely loose and noisy. See above.

anyway, they should require no lubrication. If they are noisy they are probably bad or the noise is coming from elsewhere.

 

[garberz]

I use silicon lube spray. It keeps them quiet for about 2 hrs. Then back to squeaking again.

Mark

 

[Broncobowsher]

Depends on the joint itself. Add in the environment that it is run in.

 

[TAC71]

I run these on my rod ends. I use NMB rod ends not that cheap farm implement stuff, and they last about 4 years as a daily driver/wheeler with no noise.

http://www.sealsit.com/rod-end-seals.html

 

[Rockin69er]

Mine always squeaked after a rain. Everyone says they are worn out if they do. I changed them out and the new one did the same after the first rain. I bought another set and had a machinist at work mic all three sets. They were all the same. I now spray them with a silicone lube or WD-40, wait at least an hour then wipe off the outside with a rag and brake cleaner. That will last about 6 months (it doesn't rain much in AZ). This includes the steering heims and the ones on the end of my Cage arms. I have been doing this for 5 years.

 

[Bundy]

I live close to the beach so everything rusts after about 45 minutes outside so the rain is especially brutal. How can you tell if a heim is worn out?

 

[357Bronco]

I use Amsoil Metal Protector. It dries to a wax like state, and doesn't really attract dust. It's just like Bel Ray chain lube, for all the guys who grew up with chain drive ATV's and dirt bikes.

 

[welndmn]

You're really not supposed to lube them, but after I pressure wash the truck after a weekend of wheeling, I normally spray a little wd40 on them. It drys and goes away in a few day, I think I mainly do it to not let my hard water ruin the ball. It could just be in my head too.

 

[ENDLIFE]

No torch, just a heat gun, and some grease. I don't like using a torch on anything that moves. He does use rubber heim boots to keep his lube in after he greases up his heims, I looked at the boots but other CB members say to avoid them.

 

[69svt]

http://camburg.com/all-products/00-06-tundra2/tri-flow-heim-uniball-lube/ This stuff works great I use it on my steering and radius arms. You can also pic it up at local bike shops.