Flo-Flex watts linkage bushes?

Has anyone here had any experience with Flo-Flex bushes for the watts linkage on a Discovery 2?



A member on AULRO < Watts Linkage bushes, Flo-Flex v OEM - Page 3 - Australian Land Rover Owners > purchased and attempted to fit them but found that they crushed when being tightened to the specified torque setting - apparently this occurred at only 100nM when the specified torque setting is 155nM:




When contacted about torque settings for their products Flo-Flex have provided the following vague advice:

If you look at the design of ours, you can see there is a lip that you press the bush to. Therefore it is unnecessary to use these torque settings.

Kind Regards,

Rich.

- flo-flex

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I have done a few searches and the only discussion that I have found on this product is < http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f8/rear-watts-bushes-266066.html > and provides little detail.

I am interested to know if anyone else has had experience with the Flo-Flex watts linkage bushes?

No idea aboutthe Floflex but I fitted these in Feb 2013 and so far so good

Bush Kit Watts Linkage - RGX100960K | Discovery Series 2 | Land Rover | British Parts UK

PS - you might want to reduce the size of your image. its a wee bit big!

I too am half way through replacing the watts linkage bushes with Flo-Flex components. I too have one bush that has collapsed at about half the designated torque. The item is being replaced FOC by the supplier who comments that this problem is not unknown to them. I too have e-mailed Flo_Flex for their advice and will put it here when I get it. I'm presuming that the torque specified is to tension the bolt correctly and ensure that the assembly does not come undone. So the comment on the lip doesn't make much sense. The tension on the bolt is created by the resistance to crushing of the tube, or in our case - not.
As a seperate question; do you know if you are supposed to fill these devices with grease before assembling them?

Hi i have them in my watts linkage seem okay but unsure if they will last a long time as i think i have a knock starting on the linkage again

james1992 said:

Hi i have them in my watts linkage seem okay but unsure if they will last a long time as i think i have a knock starting on the linkage again

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When did you fit them?

I fitted them about september time i think

I've not heard a good word about them. Plenty of bad though.

Orch said:

I've not heard a good word about them. Plenty of bad though.

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Yeah its seems like it might be the centre bush thats gone so mught retighten and see whats happens with the knock

Long time to post a follow up but:-
I fitted the Flowflex bushes using grease to lubricate the steel inserts inside the polyurethane bush. I tightened the nuts to about a quarter of the Landrover specified torque, used new nylocks and applied Loctite blue thread lock to all the nuts. Four years and 30k miles later and it is all still sweet. I recommend the product but not their technical help. They didn't really understand what I was on about at the time. Maybe they are better now.