Spherical bearings (SPL Camber Arms) Noisy??
That's a pretty generous policy. I'll give you a thumbs up for that. 
Most spherical bearings that I've used over the decades will develop some noise over time after being exposed to the elements. Even the best get "creaky" on occasion. As with any bearing/bushing, they are a wear item and will need replacing.
Most spherical bearings that I've used over the decades will develop some noise over time after being exposed to the elements. Even the best get "creaky" on occasion. As with any bearing/bushing, they are a wear item and will need replacing.
This is to clarify the noise issues on our v2 a-arms...
I have received complaints about the noise but it has been difficult for me to replicate the noise issue in a controlled manner. I have no noise issues on our prototype arms that has been on our 350Z since 2008. This car sees constant track duty, with aero and slicks it has pulled 1.8g cornering, and has gone off track a number of times. So it has seen its share of abuse, however admittedly it does not see any street use and is garaged when not in use.
I did have 2 issues in the beginning. On the very first batch of arms, on some bearings that are "tight", there may be insufficient friction between the ball joint adapter and the spherical bearing, which can cause the adapter to spin against the bearing instead of transferring that motion to the bearing itself. We sent out a service pack to all affected customers, providing a bearing glue to attach the adapter to the bearing properly. We applied the bearing glue to all v2 arms shipped out from then on.
A second batch of arms had a slightly mis-machined adapter, it was not a problem unless the bearing glue fails. However that may happen if you bottom out the suspension or if the ball joint gets exposed to excessive heat. If that happens you should get a clicking sound indicating that the bearing is loose against the adapter. I can fix this, please contact me if you think you have that issue.
As for the squeeking noise, I am not 100% sure what the cause is. Some customers reported that happening after it rained, and some reported that it went away after cleaning the a-arms. So the most likely explanation I have is that it is due to residue sitting on the bearing ball causing noise when it rubs against the bearing liner.
The squeeking noise does not affect the function of the arm, the bearings are all still working properly. Cleaning and lightly lubricating the ball (and working it into the whole bearing by articulating it) seems to solve the issue.
To address the overall noise problem, I re-designed the arm (v3) to use larger bearings, generally that should reduce wear and friction, the trade-off is increased weight. I am also looking into the bearing quality, if is an issue I may have to switch to a different manufacturer of bearings. Whatever the fix is, I have decided to offer it free to current v2 arm owners. But because the noise is hard to replicate in a controlled fashion, it is taking a little longer to figure out the best approach.
Just to clarify, this is not a safety recall, there is nothing mechanically wrong with the v2 arms, but I do understand nobody wants a product that is noisy. So I am trying to fix it. If you wish to be updated on the progress on this, please email us at sales@splparts.com and I will put you on an email list and notify you as soon as we have the fix ready.
I have received complaints about the noise but it has been difficult for me to replicate the noise issue in a controlled manner. I have no noise issues on our prototype arms that has been on our 350Z since 2008. This car sees constant track duty, with aero and slicks it has pulled 1.8g cornering, and has gone off track a number of times. So it has seen its share of abuse, however admittedly it does not see any street use and is garaged when not in use.
I did have 2 issues in the beginning. On the very first batch of arms, on some bearings that are "tight", there may be insufficient friction between the ball joint adapter and the spherical bearing, which can cause the adapter to spin against the bearing instead of transferring that motion to the bearing itself. We sent out a service pack to all affected customers, providing a bearing glue to attach the adapter to the bearing properly. We applied the bearing glue to all v2 arms shipped out from then on.
A second batch of arms had a slightly mis-machined adapter, it was not a problem unless the bearing glue fails. However that may happen if you bottom out the suspension or if the ball joint gets exposed to excessive heat. If that happens you should get a clicking sound indicating that the bearing is loose against the adapter. I can fix this, please contact me if you think you have that issue.
As for the squeeking noise, I am not 100% sure what the cause is. Some customers reported that happening after it rained, and some reported that it went away after cleaning the a-arms. So the most likely explanation I have is that it is due to residue sitting on the bearing ball causing noise when it rubs against the bearing liner.
The squeeking noise does not affect the function of the arm, the bearings are all still working properly. Cleaning and lightly lubricating the ball (and working it into the whole bearing by articulating it) seems to solve the issue.
To address the overall noise problem, I re-designed the arm (v3) to use larger bearings, generally that should reduce wear and friction, the trade-off is increased weight. I am also looking into the bearing quality, if is an issue I may have to switch to a different manufacturer of bearings. Whatever the fix is, I have decided to offer it free to current v2 arm owners. But because the noise is hard to replicate in a controlled fashion, it is taking a little longer to figure out the best approach.
Just to clarify, this is not a safety recall, there is nothing mechanically wrong with the v2 arms, but I do understand nobody wants a product that is noisy. So I am trying to fix it. If you wish to be updated on the progress on this, please email us at sales@splparts.com and I will put you on an email list and notify you as soon as we have the fix ready.
Thanks
Jake
Last edited by AcidJake75; Jul 8, 2010 at 05:14 PM.
The creaking noise is caused by the dirt/oil entered into the spherical bearings. I have SPL v3 front camber arms, mid links, rear links. It took me a while to find out what exactly causing these noise.
All you need to do is to clean them, such as spraying brake parts cleaner. And afterward, apply lubricant on the bearings. You can use WD-40, but I found that the white lithium grease works better.
All you need to do is to clean them, such as spraying brake parts cleaner. And afterward, apply lubricant on the bearings. You can use WD-40, but I found that the white lithium grease works better.
The creaking noise is caused by the dirt/oil entered into the spherical bearings. I have SPL v3 front camber arms, mid links, rear links. It took me a while to find out what exactly causing these noise.
All you need to do is to clean them, such as spraying brake parts cleaner. And afterward, apply lubricant on the bearings. You can use WD-40, but I found that the white lithium grease works better.
All you need to do is to clean them, such as spraying brake parts cleaner. And afterward, apply lubricant on the bearings. You can use WD-40, but I found that the white lithium grease works better.
-J
I have the SPL endlinks and those spherical bearings made lots of noise after I installed them. I put some grease in the bearings and the noise is gone. I just clean/relube them everytime I do an oil change since I'm already under there.
This is to clarify the noise issues on our v2 a-arms...
I have received complaints about the noise but it has been difficult for me to replicate the noise issue in a controlled manner. I have no noise issues on our prototype arms that has been on our 350Z since 2008. This car sees constant track duty, with aero and slicks it has pulled 1.8g cornering, and has gone off track a number of times. So it has seen its share of abuse, however admittedly it does not see any street use and is garaged when not in use.
I did have 2 issues in the beginning. On the very first batch of arms, on some bearings that are "tight", there may be insufficient friction between the ball joint adapter and the spherical bearing, which can cause the adapter to spin against the bearing instead of transferring that motion to the bearing itself. We sent out a service pack to all affected customers, providing a bearing glue to attach the adapter to the bearing properly. We applied the bearing glue to all v2 arms shipped out from then on.
A second batch of arms had a slightly mis-machined adapter, it was not a problem unless the bearing glue fails. However that may happen if you bottom out the suspension or if the ball joint gets exposed to excessive heat. If that happens you should get a clicking sound indicating that the bearing is loose against the adapter. I can fix this, please contact me if you think you have that issue.
As for the squeeking noise, I am not 100% sure what the cause is. Some customers reported that happening after it rained, and some reported that it went away after cleaning the a-arms. So the most likely explanation I have is that it is due to residue sitting on the bearing ball causing noise when it rubs against the bearing liner.
The squeeking noise does not affect the function of the arm, the bearings are all still working properly. Cleaning and lightly lubricating the ball (and working it into the whole bearing by articulating it) seems to solve the issue.
To address the overall noise problem, I re-designed the arm (v3) to use larger bearings, generally that should reduce wear and friction, the trade-off is increased weight. I am also looking into the bearing quality, if is an issue I may have to switch to a different manufacturer of bearings. Whatever the fix is, I have decided to offer it free to current v2 arm owners. But because the noise is hard to replicate in a controlled fashion, it is taking a little longer to figure out the best approach.
Just to clarify, this is not a safety recall, there is nothing mechanically wrong with the v2 arms, but I do understand nobody wants a product that is noisy. So I am trying to fix it. If you wish to be updated on the progress on this, please email us at sales@splparts.com and I will put you on an email list and notify you as soon as we have the fix ready.
I have received complaints about the noise but it has been difficult for me to replicate the noise issue in a controlled manner. I have no noise issues on our prototype arms that has been on our 350Z since 2008. This car sees constant track duty, with aero and slicks it has pulled 1.8g cornering, and has gone off track a number of times. So it has seen its share of abuse, however admittedly it does not see any street use and is garaged when not in use.
I did have 2 issues in the beginning. On the very first batch of arms, on some bearings that are "tight", there may be insufficient friction between the ball joint adapter and the spherical bearing, which can cause the adapter to spin against the bearing instead of transferring that motion to the bearing itself. We sent out a service pack to all affected customers, providing a bearing glue to attach the adapter to the bearing properly. We applied the bearing glue to all v2 arms shipped out from then on.
A second batch of arms had a slightly mis-machined adapter, it was not a problem unless the bearing glue fails. However that may happen if you bottom out the suspension or if the ball joint gets exposed to excessive heat. If that happens you should get a clicking sound indicating that the bearing is loose against the adapter. I can fix this, please contact me if you think you have that issue.
As for the squeeking noise, I am not 100% sure what the cause is. Some customers reported that happening after it rained, and some reported that it went away after cleaning the a-arms. So the most likely explanation I have is that it is due to residue sitting on the bearing ball causing noise when it rubs against the bearing liner.
The squeeking noise does not affect the function of the arm, the bearings are all still working properly. Cleaning and lightly lubricating the ball (and working it into the whole bearing by articulating it) seems to solve the issue.
To address the overall noise problem, I re-designed the arm (v3) to use larger bearings, generally that should reduce wear and friction, the trade-off is increased weight. I am also looking into the bearing quality, if is an issue I may have to switch to a different manufacturer of bearings. Whatever the fix is, I have decided to offer it free to current v2 arm owners. But because the noise is hard to replicate in a controlled fashion, it is taking a little longer to figure out the best approach.
Just to clarify, this is not a safety recall, there is nothing mechanically wrong with the v2 arms, but I do understand nobody wants a product that is noisy. So I am trying to fix it. If you wish to be updated on the progress on this, please email us at sales@splparts.com and I will put you on an email list and notify you as soon as we have the fix ready.
Another reason why SPL is one of the best, they stand 110% behind their products!!!
Ah, this is good news! I developed the squeak last week and had a chance to clean and lube them yesterday. Glad to hear that this is not a safety issue but I'm also very happy/impressed that SPL will be offering a fix for the issue. 
Exactly the reason I use SPL parts, great products and vendors.
I should have mentioned that most of my race that weekend was in rain or damp weather, and when I inspected the bearings I did notice alot of debris from the track/road.
After cleaning and spraying with white grease, the problem hasn't returned.
I'll be at the track again on July 22nd, I'll follow up again then.
Hopefully its dry
I should have mentioned that most of my race that weekend was in rain or damp weather, and when I inspected the bearings I did notice alot of debris from the track/road.
After cleaning and spraying with white grease, the problem hasn't returned.
I'll be at the track again on July 22nd, I'll follow up again then.
Hopefully its dry
Bump.
Ran over 300KM today at the track, not a single squeak, clunk, or creak out of anything.
Temp was around 27c, hot, dry, and sticky.
Guess it was the rain/debris from last time that worked its way into them.
Nothing a little white grease didn't cure.
Ran over 300KM today at the track, not a single squeak, clunk, or creak out of anything.
Temp was around 27c, hot, dry, and sticky.
Guess it was the rain/debris from last time that worked its way into them.
Nothing a little white grease didn't cure.
Here's an update:
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
Here's an update:
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
keep me on the list
Here's an update:
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
I spent some time researching and testing bearings and liner materials, and we are switching to a new liner composition for the bearings that is less sensitive to moisture and also creates less friction. In my testing (which is fairly simple, that involved immersing the bearings in dirty road water and spinning them at various rpms), the new generation bearings greatly outperformed the bearings we previously used. Also I have received positive feedback from customers that the v3 arms are quiet. So I am certain the v3 ball joint plate plus the new generation bearing liners will fix the noise issue.
Manufacturing of the new bearings is now underway, but they are still about 2 months out. The v3 ball joints will also take 2-3 months as we are really backed up right now on machining jobs. So basically we're shooting for end of the year for the replacement parts to be ready to ship.
I haven't visited this thread in a long while but I'm glad to see the engineering hasn't stopped!
Anyways, PM me if you need any assistance with bearing evaluations as I've done design, R&D, and testing of many different varieties of bearings all the way up to magnetic bearings for high speed applications. If I can I'll dig through some of my old notes to scan and send to you if I have something that will help.
