if you could edit that picture (in MSPaint or something) and put a circle or an arrow where you think its coming from that would be a big help

adjusting your torsion bars is really easy to do... all you need is a floor jack, and a large breaker bar... I'll post a picture from the service manual shortly of the bolt you need to turn to adjust...

Jack both the front tires off the ground, and turn the adjuster bolt clockwise to tighten it... this will add more pre-load to the torsion bars... turn both sides the same amount of turns (its best to mark the bolt so you can reference how many turns you've made... each full turn is about 1/4", and don't go over 2".... lower the D and measure the height from ground to wheel well... just make both sides even or you're allignment will be out

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Sorry about that. The squeak is coming from the area circled in the photo. There is a black, rubber washer or bushing on either side of the arm. They look a little cracked, and as best I can tell, that is where the sound is coming from (on either side of the front end).

As for adjusting the torsion bars, how will I know how much to turn the bolts? You said no more than 2", but what should I be looking for?Thanks for the help, deerang.

J.

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It's not really a big deal that you're hitting these bump stops... If you want to lift the torsion bars I'd say try 1/2" at a time untill you get something that feels alright to drive... Another guy on here said he lifted the front of his D 2 inches and kept the rear at stock height and the steering felt wierd.... it was a recent thread but I don't remember what it was about to help you search for it.

 

I believe the bushings you are referring to are the Lower Control Arm Bushings. They are a MF to replace. Most of the time you have to raze the vehicle remove the bolt and heat the bushing until the bushing melts.
www.energysuspension.com/


Has your replacements. Sometimes you have to call them for part #'s and installation requirements but they are the best. If you do one side you have to do the other side. (To much movement differences) This will cause alignment problems so do both sides.

When doing a torsion lift you should do an alignment because your camber will be out.

Also your bumper bushings should not be in contact with the control arm. The ideal position would be in the middle allowing full flex between points in travel. I don't know about this other bushing that control downward flex. The only one that I can think of is the sway bar bushings. These are easy to replace and you can get the whole front end kit or pieces from energy suspension.

The upper control arm bushings are a MF to replace so I wouldn't do it.

 

Thanks for the feedback, hydrashocker and deerang. I think I'll swing the druango by the shop this week and see if they agree that the lower arm bushings are making the noise. If so, I'll see how much it would cost to replace. I really hate giving the service guys any more money, but I also hate spending my weekend under the durango to fix some measly bushings. Thanks again,

J.

 

to be honest, if you're front suspension squeaks, then 9 times out of 10 its the sway bar bushes...an easy cheap job.
You'd be better to replace them first before taking apart your front suspension to get at the lower control arm bushes...
If you're trying to locate the larger rubber suspension stops that limit the initial compression of the suspension as the vehicle hits the bump and the wheel rises - these are on the lower control arm pointing upwards. The small ones that you replaced, as I said in my post, limit the suspension travel as the wheel unweights and the suspension decompresses as the body of the vehicle bounces upwards.

Chris

 

You make a good point, Chris. I think I might switch the bushings out before taking it to the shop. Do you recommend the polyurethane or rubber bushings? I'm having a hard time finding the part numbers that I would need. Autozone only appears to have rubber bushings for the front end. Now, the end bushings they are recommending are for a 1 13/32" rod, whereas the bracket bushings are for a 1" rod. Why the discrepancy? I thought, if anything, the ends of the rod taper off a bit, which would require a slightly smaller diameter bushing. Can you guys provide any info on this?

I've looked for polyurethane bushings at a few places, and I can't find the parts for a 2002 durango, 4wd, 4.7L V8. Am I searching in the wrong place? Thanks,

J.

 

Check around online for the polyurethane bushings. You woun't have any problems with them, the rubber ones will dry rot again.

 

Chris, I looked under the dodge again, and I don't see any larger bumbers on the lower control arm or even a place where they maight have once been. There are only the ones I replaced, located on the upper arms pointing down. Am I going blind?

Mean Green, I've looked online for poly bushings and am having a hard time. Energysuspension.com, springworks,and performancesuspension.com only have bushings for up to 2001 durangos. JC Whitney may have the right ones, but the site doesn't have a product finder formy vehicle. Autozone only has black rubber for the front sway bar. I need a site that will tell me exactly what bushings to get. Is there a store you would recommend? Thanks,

J.

 

Try www.summitracing.com I'm sure they'll have the polyurethane bushings you need. They are a bit on the expensive side but you can trust what you get from them.