Deteriorated Body Mounts

[swshawaii]

Post #43

Daystar part number KF04009BK. Says it fits 2001 Explorer sport not sport trac however we all believe that it "should" work for our trucks. I'm ordering them from OK4WD priced at $147 before shipping.

Post #79

@ Gse Brent... What I ended up doing was using the following bushing numbers on those 4 sets. On the ones behind the fender wells the M02541 for upper and the M02543 for the lower were used and the ones used under the center post were M02544 for upper and M02543 for the lower. Test drove it for about five miles just to see if there was any popping or squeaking and heard none. Am gonna take it out for a spin this evening to see how it holds up at highway speed for about 10 or 15 miles. Will get some pics up later on.

 

[Gse Brent]

Yea man telling you guys daystar kit works for sure. All it took was a guinea pig to try it once and to tell explorerforums about it. Yea i'm glad alot more guys are doing it and following through with it.

 

[WidgetTrac]

Is the Daystar kit working as-shipped, or only if you add a bunch of fender washers?

I was wondering if some of the thin flat bushings in the picture might be some of the extra ones, and if so, could they be used instead of washers? It seems like the extra thickness of poly would be quieter than thin poly plus steel...

In my case, I just need the 4 sets under the front and middle cab, and it looks like oem will run about $135 +s&h. Has anybody found a better price?

I've looked for the individual daystar bushings listed above for sale individually, but I can only find them as the full kit, which costs more than OEM. I couldn't find any listings that just showed "universal" bushings of all different sizes to choose from.
.
What I did find... http://suspension.com/BODYMOUNT.html

Prices seem to run about 3 to 5 $ per bushing, and you order the size you need - this would be PERFECT except my stock bushings are completely gone in those 4 places so there aren't any old ones for me to measure. (the other 4 places look brand new!)
Also takes 4-6 Weeks!

 

[swshawaii]

Great to hear Prothane is addressing this widespread issue.
Supplying replacement hardware with the kit would be huge.

 

[Prothane Tech]

Great to hear Prothane is addressing this widespread issue.
Supplying replacement hardware with the kit would be huge.

Just check our web site, I have been warned not to advertise about our solution to all of your problems with body mount bushings for your Sport Tracs.

So I'll just step off...

 

[ncranchero]

Just check our web site, I have been warned not to advertise about our solution to all of your problems with body mount bushings for your Sport Tracs.

So I'll just step off...

Please visit this vendor LINK and for a nominal cost that you'll recover many many times over you can be a legit vendor here and advertise as you wish. It's really cheap considering this is the premier Explorer/Sport Trac site on the web.

 

[OffTrac]

You would definitely get your money's worth for being a vendor on here. Just read the threads about them to see how big the demand is. To date, it's been OEM's poor quality or piecing together universal kits.

 

[ajc0401]

Has anyone found any videos on YouTube or elsewhere of Daystar bushings being installed on preferably Explorer Sport, but even a Sport Trac? I just bought Daystar bushings for our Sport from Summit Racing for $162 and picked them up at their McDonough, GA store. Now my son and I need to find a body shop or mechanic who will install all bushings, but the rear and front bushings. A body shop guy said he has never attempted the installation before, but is willing to give it a go for $40/hr. He said if my son and I will supply him with any helpful info as to how to install them and remove the carpet or at least do whatever we can do to reduce the time, he then can spend his time installing the bushings. Thanks for any feedback.

BTCMAN, you previously mentined that you were looking to install some Daystar bushings on your Explorer Sport. Were you able to make it work. I have a 2002 Explorer Sport (RWD) and am hoping that the Daystar kit (KF04009BK) i ordered will work on it. According to previous posts, this set seems to have worked on 01-02 Sport Track. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[btcman]

Daystar Body Mount Bushings Working Great on Sport !

We did have the Daystar body mounts installed on my son's 2001 Sport several months ago and they continue to work great. The ride is so much improved over the gone or almost gone original OEM bushings. Do not hesitate to install the Daystar bushings on your Sport, as the Ford OEM bushings are way too expensive. Our mechanic, who installed the bushings by himself, used all of the bushings in the kit and replaced all of the upper and lower bushings, even the front ones which were fine and made of a different material than the foam urethane in the rest.

My son used to be embarrassed to let anyone ride with him, due to the noisy ride caused by the worn out bushings. If you do not want to try installing the bushings yourself, find a off road or 4 wheel dealer who will charge a reasonable fee to install them. The bushings were not too rusty on the Sport (always located in Atlanta) and came off pretty easily using an air impact wrench with the truck on a lift and a metal lift tool to raise the body off of the frame. Be sure to have silicone grease applied to the bushings before installation to help reduce or eliminate squeaking. Good luck!

 

[OffTrac]

Just for reference, how much did you pay to have the bushings replaced? I have the OEM bushings in my possession but haven't had the time to replace them. For a reasonable price, I'm just about considering having a shop do them.

 

[btcman]

I paid $300 labor to have the bushings replaced. The mechanic had originally asked $70 per hour and it took him about 5 hrs. He then reduced the charge to $300. I had others quote up to $580 - $650, but I kept asking around for a more reasonable labor cost.

 

[OffTrac]

Not bad. About what I figured on the low end. Even if it took me 8 hours, though, I think I'll do this myself. I don't make $40 an hour. If it comes down to it and it takes me too long, I might just have to go to a shop.

 

[diogenes]

Hey BTC, I'm also in Atlanta and looking for someone to replace my bushings on my 01 ST - who did you use?

 

[WhiteST]

Deteriorated body mounts?

http://suspension.com/BODYMOUNT.html

If these are indeed way cheaper, how would we go about getting measurements for the purchase of a set? Or, has someone already posted the dimensions??

 

[swshawaii]

http://suspension.com/BODYMOUNT.html

If these are indeed way cheaper, how would we go about getting measurements for the purchase of a set? Or, has someone already posted the dimensions??

The Daystar ST kit including hardware should be available this week.
Hardware was not included with the Daystar and ES universal kits.
Prothane's ST body mount kit should also be available this month.

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1315876&REPLYCOUNT=7

 

[01STrunner]

The Daystar ST kit including hardware should be available this week.
Hardware was not included with the Daystar and ES universal kits.
Prothane's ST body mount kit should also be available this month.

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1315876&REPLYCOUNT=7

For this that did a BL, the bolts that would come with the kit wouldn't work anyway. Not at all trying to undermine anyone just wanted to put the idea out there.

 

[PilotChris]

I have a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport. I had the "banging" noise in the back like so many others on this forum. Of course, the rear bushings were deteriorated beyond recognition. I went to my local Ford dealer and got a quote for the parts required to replace the two rear bushings. The upper and lower bushings and the bolt... The grand total cost: $580.XX. INSANE! So I came to my forum here and read many of the posts. I ordered the Daystar kit and unfortunately the kit was backordered. The company refunded my purchase and I started looking around the local auto stores and farm supply stores.

So here is the solution that I used....

I purchased 4 each 3-inch polyolefin wheels, 2 each 6-inch grade 8 bolts and nuts, 4 each fender washers. I think I spent around $36. I decided on the polyolefin wheels for a couple of reasons. They are tremendously resistant to chemicals and they are way stronger than rubber. The temperature range for this product is -20-degrees F to + 180-degrees F. I felt the specifications for these polyolefin wheels would hold up to the elements for the areas I travel and the strength would work well for the application.

I removed the two bolts - one on each side of the rear of the vehicle for the bushings. I then used a reciprocating saw to saw through the old rusted center of the destroyed bushing assembly. This is thick steel and I used 3 saw blades before I had the 2 pieces of steel sawed through so I could remove this old rusted assembly. To remove these old bushing assemblies I had to jack up the rear body of the Explorer. I used a floor jack and a jack stand to get this done. This provided enough clearance to remove the remainder of the old bushing assembly (the piece between the body and the frame). Now that everything was clear, I was ready to install the new bushings (polyolefin wheels). I used the reciprocating saw to remove some polyolefin material so the wheel assembly was flat when layed on its side. I installed the wheel (laying flat on its side) with a large fender washer on top in the space between the body and the frame. I then inserted the 6-inch grade 8 1/2-inch bolt through the hole in the "trunk" of the Explorer and through the newly installed "bushing." I then installed another "bushing" - wheel on the bottom of the bolt and capped it with another fender washer. I installed a lock washer and then a nut on the grade 8 bolt. I did NOT tighten this bolt yet. I repeated the process on the other side. I now had four newly installed bushings - two on each side like the original installation. I lowered the vehicle body and removed the jacks from underneath the vehicle. I then tightened each bolt.

This replacement of the rear bushing has worked flawlessly for me. Your experience might be different. The Explorer rides like a dream again. Smooth and quiet...

Chris

 

[ptf18]

Fellows: Same problem with the body mounts on the wifes '02 S/T. I'm tempted to try to do the work myself as I have the skills, (Im an Aircraft Mech), tools...but not alot of time. Her car is a daily drive so...

Im trying to understand how the OEM parts are assembled. Could someone help me out. I hear about a sleeve that is usully found rusted together. Is there a "thru bolt" that holds the pieces together? I understand that "thru bolt" is a 13mm Allen head. Is that correct?

I would assume you should gut the interior, and then unscrew these Allen Headed bolts from the inside of the S/T. Then gently lift the body up (how?) just enought to pull out these rotten OEM parts. Then reassemble everything with new parts and a bit of grease.

Is there a YouTube vid on this project?

Thanks all

 

[swshawaii]

Search body mount/bushings in this forum, a very common repair many have done.
Most difficult part is usually removing the frozen/threadlocked bolts inside the cab.

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com/Installation_Instructions/Daystar/p21012.pdf

 

[djstatix]

Ok, trying to tackle this job with my 01 sport in my garage. I got the daystart sport track kit. Any tips on what tools i will need to get the damn bolts out? I have an impact wrench but the bolts will not budge.