Mechanic says bushings are bad in my car. What are bushings?

Question

This could explain the grinding/vibrating noise I hear when I accelearte. I've had this problem since this morning when I went to work. Mechanic also says my muffler belt broke too.

What are bushings? I'm pretty car savvy for a girl, but I've never heard of these before.

1996 Chevy Corsica, 180,000 miles. Have had it less than a year. Water pump and serpentine belt went out last year. Both replaced. Have not had a problem since.

Grinding noise is coming from front end of the car on the right side, near the serpentine belt and radiator.

Answer 1

Bushings are heavy rubber grommets that go between two metal gizmos, so that you won't hear any noise while in use on the road. A common place for these to be used is in the front steering linkage. If your bushings are bad, your steering will be sloppy. Get down on your knees and look under the front of your vehicle, and you'll see some of these bushings.
Now....about this muffler belt....I think he's pulling your krellman.

Answer 2

doesn't sound serious, just annoying. it could be that after the alignment things are rubbing in a little different spot. the big thing is that the car handles properly, if on an open stretch of good pavement, (with no cars around), you can take your hands of the wheel and it stays on the road or slowly veres to rt for a good length of time, this is sign of good alignment. if at a standstill you turn the wheel only slightly before the wheels turn, this is also good. if the steering wheel vibrates, not good. if the front wheels do not follow in the same track as the back, (have a friend follow and watch), this is a problem too. keep an eye on the tire wear, if they are worn unevenly on the edge of the tread, or if they have a chopped look, this is bad . these are basics and will usually only show severe to moderate problems, but its a start. actually, if the bushings are bad, it would be difficult for them to do a decent alignment, they should have been replaced before the alignment..

Answer 3

I wish you would have included the make, model and year of your car therefore it would have been easire to point you to easy to find bushings. In genneral all cars have bushings which can be made of plastic, rubber or fiber or combinations of all three. If you can visualize a sewing thimble for a moment there are four of these insurted inside each lower A frame on your car, two on each side. They are tough round rectangular shaped "spools" that are pressed inside the innner two attaching points of each lower A frame. The A frame goes from the bottom of each front wheel to the sub frame of your car. Bushings are pressed in the two inside attaching points of the lower A-frame The bushings have steel sleeves pressed in the center where bolts slide through the car frame frist, lowar A-frame second, then through the cars'sub frame.
Other bushings are shaped like a doughnut. They seperate the frame of your car from the body to isolate road, engine and transmission noise. Astually your motor and transmission mounts are a type of bushing. Although there's threaded steel inside the motor and transmission is cradled by bushings but positevily bolted from the motor to the subframe and from the transmission tailshaft to a cross sub frame. All your rear suspension arms and forward bracing have bushings to isolate shock and noise.

Mufflers have clamps and hangers, ocassionally they are hung with fiber/ rubber belts. They are suspended by bushings benieth your car

Have a good day

Answer 4

bushings are used to connect the various moving arms and pivot points to the chassis and other parts of the suspension. In order to minimise vibration, wear and transmission of noise, they often incorporate flexible material such as rubber or polyurethane. These bushings often take the form of an annular cylinder of flexible material inside a metallic casing or outer tube. They might also feature an internal crush tube that protects the bushing from being crushed by the fixings which hold it on to a threaded spigot. Many different types of bushing designs exist

Answer 5

there are many bushings.... body mount bushings, steering gear bushings, suspension bushings, etc.. any where that require a cushion between a component that may move or transmit vibration to a body/frame structure,, just like your backbone or knees for example.. the muffler belt may just be a broken hanger

Answer 6

A bushing is a rubber ring used to keep to metal parts from grinding on each other. Unless he's referring to a strap that wraps around your muffler he's prolly goofin ya.

Answer 7

he's messing with you there is no such thing as a muffler belt. and car bushing usely last for ever. exsaple i have an 86 suburban and the bushings have never been replaced

Answer 8

bushings are usually covers for frame/suspension parts that help keep them from rusting/corroding. some can be patched, others must be replaced like the ones on a 1977 mercury comet (i have one that has bad bushings, but cant find anyone that can fabricate them)