*crossing fingers* and *knock on wood* -- i think the problem is solved. Please see post #19

https://www.myg37.com/forums/3580424-post19.html

Thanks to all for the tips, offers to help and suggestions!

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Can anyone provide some insight on what else i should look into, or have a better idea of what's causing a squeak on the front-end of my sedan?

The squeak is there going over slow bumps. With the car parked i can push the fender and/or radiator support slowly and you'll hear the squeak. If you push harder, it won't squeak, it's really only when the suspension moves up/down slower.

I've sprayed silicone grease on the control arm bushings, endlinks and even the spring mounts. The swaybar bushings have just been packed heavily with grease not a week ago.

The squeak started after i swapped the springs on my coilovers, also not a week ago.

All bolts have been torqued to spec.

I know my endlinks are bad, and even then it should be more of a clunk, not a squeak. Right? New ones are on the way.

I can't torque down the topbolt on the coilover, but tightened it as much as i can. I have half a mind to run a quick burst on the impact, but that risks damaging the strut internals.

Could not enough preload, or too much, cause a squeak?

Thanks guys.

 

Check your sway bushings and make sure they're greased up

Other than that, the springs just may have to settle.

 

If its jacked up, can you move the spring on its mounts? If its a bit light on preload, it could possibly be that. Most of the other things i've ran into are clunks vs squeaks, can you get someone to do the pushing while you can try to listen in there? One thing you could do (but be very, very careful) is to jack that corner up, put it on a stand, pull the wheel, and then use the jack under the suspension to support it so that you can hear/see better whats going on with the weight on the suspension. But be very, very careful..

 

Mike do you still have the thin orange gasket that goes between the chassis and the top of the upper strut mount? Is it in good condition? That's my guess. Have someone push down on the front of car and put your ear very close to the top of the strut tower and listen, you may be able to isolate it. Also you may want to spray some silicone lube on top and bottom of it when putting it in.

 

Mike, might want to take a look at this. I've noticed the slow speed squeak when going slowly over speed bumps or up my steep driveway on occasion. All my preloads and bolts are torqued per spec.
Megan Racing

 

Thanks everyone!

Not even a week ago. It's packed, oozing grease. The springs aren't supposed to settle, but will re-check preload.

It's fairly tight on there, really. Too much maybe? Incidentally, i met a friend for lunch today and we did the push while parked test and it didn't squeak. Of course, the moment we drove off the lot it started again.

Never had the gasket on there, but i'll throw the OEM's on and see if that helps solve the problem, or at least narrow down the culprit.

As i was testing it last night, it sounded like the squeak was at the top of the tower, but when i moved elsewhere or pushed on a different part, it sounded like it was coming from deeper inside --- anywhere from top of tower, the spc camber arms, lower in the wheel well. I guess jacking it up and removing the wheel would help more. Just have to be very careful doing so.

Have you determined where the squeak is coming from? Interesting how Megan suggests quick bursts of the impact after hand tightening. I guess it's not such a bad idea?

Thanks again, guys.

 

Sway bar bushing needs to be regreased. 100% sure.

 

 

Doesnt matter...if its not silicon based grease it will squeak within days depending on temps...you can put 5 gallons of the wrong type of grease in the bushings and it will still do it.

 

I thought someone had a similar squeak and it was the e-brake rubbing somewhere by the rear driver's side wheel???

 

AMSOIL Synthetic Multi-Purpose Grease NLGI #2 + Teflon tape. I've been using this combo for a few years now and though it lasts fairly long, i still make it a habit to re-grease and put on new tape at least once a year.

 

I know that if you lubricated them, you did it right Mike. I guess that's because I know you and I know that you know what you're doing, so I can 100% guarantee that it's not the sway bar bushings if you say that you just lubed them.

I have to work tomorrow but if you want help trying to isolate it on Sunday I'm game.

 

^ Thanks for the vote and offer to help, J -- that's very kind of you (especially considering you're well opposite of where i live in Houston!)

Don't worry about it for now, i have been and am going to test a couple more things. The car was on stands yesterday -- rechecked all bolts, redid the preload and spray lubed every single thing i can find that would even remotely need lubing. My oem top gaskets were in bad shape, so as a temporary solution i just put some of the Amsoil stuff in its place. Messy, but good enough for testing.

... to no avail.

Here's the kicker though, from the afternoon of Friday 'till before i put the car back on stands, the passenger side stopped squeaking. When it went back down, it started to squeak again.

I've read that the dust boots could be the culprit. Not sure how feasible that is, but it's worth diagnosing, too, i guess. Would you or anyone know if the red part circled in the image below is supposed to have the dust boot attached to that flat metal above it? (to keep it from moving).

And for the blue part circled, it's pretty loose now, zip-tie?


p.s. I know it's dirty. Those threads were very well cleaned before i even loosened the collars.

 

I don't know about that dust boot attachment at the top. As far as the bottom, I believe it's supposed to hang freely and just slide over the threads. If you zip tie it, the bellows can't fully expand on full extension of the rod and I'd guess it may tear it or pull it off of the top or bottom.

Maybe lube the pillowballs if you haven't?

 

K...that woulda been my first guess for your squeak.

What about the rest of the grease points in the car? Do you grease those regularly too?