squeaks, squeaks and more squeaks

[chiangstar]

hi
i drive a mitsubishi fto gpx... and i have a really annoying squeak coming from the front left suspension. i cant really remember when it started but it generally only happens when i turn the wheels to the left, and when the suspension is "bouncing" - for lack of a better word.

i have previously changed my swaybars to whiteline adjustables, along with my swaybar bushes, my castor bushes, lower control arm front bushes, i have king springs on the front and recently i changed my dampers to koni adjustables.... and the squeak still persists....

does anyone know what the problem might be? all of the poly bushes i have put in are satisfactorily greased so im a bit stumped....

i was thinking that maybe its my swaybar droplinks... either theyre too old or they are rubbing on something like my driveshaft when i turn left....

i have no problems with the right hand side...

any ideas?

thanks

simon

[scoobysix]

The grease on the swaybar bushes get squeezed out pretty easily due to how tightly they're clamped and also that the swaybars rotate inside those bushes all the time.

The most common remedy is to remove your swaybars, sand them down where they go inside the bushes until paint is removed and surface is nice and smooth. Refit with plenty of lithium grease. This usually gets rid of creaks from swaybar bushes for quite a while.

Personally, I have had Whiteline swaybars front and rear for 2 years and have never heard a squeak from them. Many others however have had theirs squeaking after a coupla months. Above-mentioned remedy gets rid of it.

Hope that helps :)

PS. Even though I don't have creaking problems, I do the same to my swaybars every few months just to keep the swaybars' movement unrestricted. A sticky swaybar can affect your car's handling characteristics.

[Wojtek]

Hi Simon,
As scoobysix said... make sure the sway bar bushes and any other bushes including lower control arm are well lubricated. But, from your description that the noise is on one side only, there may be more to it then that. I suggest you inspect the suspension arms, struts, sway bar, sway bar links for any sings of wear marks, possibly from hitting other parts and make sure the links are correctly aligned on both sides.

Wojtek.

[chiangstar]

thanks for your replies fellas

this has been stumping me over 6 months now.... ive taken the swaybar etc off so many times to clean and regrease just to see if it does anything but to no avail....

ive also been under the car while it was up on ramps and turned the wheels to the left just to see if anything touches but i cant find a thing.... there isnt any obvious sign of wear either....

one thing that has decreased the occurence of the squeaking was putting in the koni adjustables on the weekend.... it still squeaks every now and then, but it is vastly improved... this leads me to think that it may even be the spring squeaking as it compresses and decompresses (?) .... and since the damper is better matched to the spring now, there is less play in the spring and less cahnce for it to squeak?

what are your thoughts?

simon

[Dave]

Could also be your cv joints or any balljoints.

[Wojtek]

are your caster bushes well lubricated?

Wojtek.

[chiangstar]

i havent looked at the track end ball joint so i guess it could be that...

the castor bushes are smothered in grease....as well as the bushes on the front of the lower control arm...

what i have also noticed is that the castor bushes change the geometry of the suspension and put a lot of strain on the front joint of the lower control arm.... maybe the high pitched squeaking noise is the bolt in that front joint rubbing against the mount? im just trying to identify all of the things that move up and down with the suspension strut when i go over bumps because thats when the noise is most rampant :(

thanks for your suggestions guys

simon

[Wojtek]

Hi Simon,
Yes, the caster bushes do change the alignment of the lower control arm, but I wouldn't think that this alone could be the cause.... but it's definitely worth checking.
Other then that, and the points already discussed, nothing obvious comes to mind.

Wojtek.

[chiangstar]

ok...thanks for your help guys...

ill keep looking and upgrading things until the squeak stops :P

cheers

simon

[scoobysix]

There is a possibility that the squeaking may not be coming from any suspension components.

A mate of mine fitted strut braces and swaybars and after a month or so, he reported squeaking seemingly coming from the rear left of the car. He checked all suspension components, as well as remove, regrease and refit strut brace, swaybar and links, but the squeak was still there.

Nearing the end of his tether, he booked his car into a reputable suspension place to have it checked out. In the end, the squeaking was diagnosed to be caused by a loose bootlid latch!

Apparently they couldn't find anything wrong with the suspension componentry and as a last resort, stuck a mech in the boot while another took it for a drive, and voila - problem solvered. Latch tightened, no more squeaking ;)

I know my front end creaks when go round corners due to a very slight misalignment of the front bar against either fenders, little things like these could result in creaks and squeaks.

[Wojtek]

That's aahhhh... good news I think. At least you have found the actual cause of the noise.

Should use this to illustrale how not all noises are suspension related, as it is generally assumed.

Good investigative work. Well done.

Wojtek.

[chiangstar]

hey all
i think i finally got rid of the squeaking noise...

i got really fed up so i replaced the swaybar droplink (which didnt even look or seem worn) and i sprayed some wd-40 in the bottom of the strut cup where the spring sits... and the noises have gone!

strange that i dont get the same problem on the right hand side.... perhaps my weight on the drivers side has something to do with it...

anyways...cheers and thanks for your help

simon

[Wojtek]

Hi,

that's good news. Also, spray grease works well.

Wojtek.