Morris Minor Owners Club

Can anyone recommend a lubricant that won't damage rubber?
I have an anti-roll bar fitted and the bush seems more attracted to the bar than the mounting. It's about to pop out and render the bar useless.

Castrol Red Rubber Grease.
Haven't got an anti-roll bar, but should the bush be secured in the mounting as in the suspension?

The only lubricant reccomended for the suspension rubbers is brake fluid but we all know what that can do for paint work, so the Castrol grease looks a better option let us know how you get on.
I thought that the anti roll bars used poly bushes but not having an anti roll bar it shows something else I was not aware of.

The anti-roll bar is held on at its ends by a metal cup bolted in place of the bolt through the rear of the track rod. The cup is open at the front end and a simple cylindrical rubber bush is pressed in. The anti-roll bar fits inside this, and, in an ideal world slides forward and back inside this as the suspension rises and falls. Ideally the metal cup should be closed at both ends to stop the rubber pulling out but that would make fitting/manufacturing more difficult.

You have pinpointed the problem Peetee, bad design!!
Brake fluid is the ideal short term rubber lubricant, the
special brake grease is longer lived but,of course, you shouldn't
need to use it if the thing was properly designed in the first
place. As a matter of interest who's make of anti roll bar
is it??? It would appear that to alleviate the problem you
would need to enlarge the hole in the rubber through which
the anti-roll bar passes(it doesn't have to be a TIGHT fit to
be effective) but I assume that with your design this would
make the rubber even more likely to pop out of its housing?

Titter ye not Missus, but what about using vaseline - isn't that suitable for rubber fittings?

Pete did you mean to say the anti roll bar is attached to the rear of the track rod, or did you mean the tie rod were it fits to the suspension arm

They are fitted like this:

Thanks for that Cam, I wonder if that is the only type available, is it the Owen Burton one, dont you have one of his Willie ? and is it the same

That is the same type that I have (but have not fitted yet), this is the Owen Burton type (and no surprises for their being a design fault!!). I am a bit worried about fitting it now, in case the bushes pop out. Not that it will be dangerous, just irritating.

Well if that`s the Owen Burton type I wonder what type Willie has fitted, that is providing I am not mis-quoting him.

I don't think vasaline is a safe lubricant to use in connection with rubber, you are meant to use something water based with rubber, well...thats the case on very very thin rubber, with high friction. I don't know where you would get that type of situation, so its not that much of a concern to me ;)

Yes, but the water based lubricants don't quite seem to do the job properly (if you get my meaning). The oil based ones are far slippier (is that a word?? - it is now!).

On a car something water based probs wouldn't do the job! anyother time... water based all the way *excuse the pun*

water based all the way *excuse the pun*

I know what you are getting at and I don't personally agree, oil based is more slippy! But each to his (or her) own!

Agreed Cam but at a push if you do not have anything else to hand Fairy Liquid is OK but not other washing up liquids as they will attack rubber, my favorite is the old engineers friend Swarfega for easing a tight rubber but I dont think it works as a lubricant

guys,

this is not the only type, I run a Minor Mania anit roll bar, which is rose jointed at the ends. I.e. no rubber or poly bushes. It is more expensive, but more effective, as the rubber does not create slack in the transmission of energy. If that makes sense. I thought it was a very well designed peice of kit. However, you do need to weld the mounts to the front chassis legs, it is not a bolt on solution.

You could just buy a couple of Rose joints from Demon tweeks and still keep your bolt-on arrangement. However you would want to make some kind of boot round the rose joint or it will wear quickly and give you a constant rattle.

Constant rattle.. That reminds me of the anti roll bar that was on my first Minor. I took it off and threw it away to avoid the hassle
I was only 18 at the time.. ho hum

To the original question
Nitrile based elastomers (rubbers) rubber) should only have mineral based lubricants (engine oil, normal grease etc..)

EPDM rubber, like used in the brakes should only have brake fluid compatable lubricant (like TLX brake fluid which contains lubricant, or a special brake cylinder grease)

Using a non compatible grease will damage the rubber
Most suspension bushes will be Nitrile as it is cheaper.