Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Leaving the car with the local dealership is a PITA, even when they give me a loaner. So I'll probably wait a few months until it's time to swap for snow tires, and give it to them overnight. In the meantime, I'd kind of like to figure out what this is.

Any ideas? Here's a video:

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

Slowly losing your mind eh....

It sounds metallic. Probably best to get it on a lift and start poking around. Since it doesn't take alot of movement to make it happen and the suspension is fairly stiff, should be easy to locate.

Does it happen more so in warmer or cooler temperatures?

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Well... I try not to obsess over it, and yet here I am.

I really can't say. Bought the car this past February with 3,900 miles on the odometer, and barely drove it until winter was over. The noise started in late Spring. It's September now, and there are 9,000 miles on the car.

So far I can't tell for sure if temperature comes into play, although I have a vague sense that the noise is less prevalent after the car's been driven hard. Then again, sometimes after driving the car hard it's still there. Hard to say if there's a relationship.

Personally, I think it's the passenger side end-link on the rear sway bar, however that's just an educated guess based on nothing what-so-ever.

Rad_Slinger

iTrader: (12)

Sway bar bushing? Maybe needs grease. Could also be the shock mount maybe?

honestly, sounds like something rubber rubbing on something metal.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Does the RSB on this car have frame bushings in the middle like the front-sway bar did on my old Maxima? I thought the reason for that was to keep it place for the back-n-forth in the steering. (Not a mechanic, if that isn't obvious, LOL)

I've got lots of free time today, and am going to run the back end up on ramps after lunch. It's about time I got closer to the problem.

Rad_Slinger

iTrader: (12)

Yah, the rear AND the front have little bushings that attach to the frame. They wrap the bar and prevent it from moving around. Those bushings have little grease fittings on them. The bushings use a silicon based grease not petroleum based, this is to help combat moisture contamination and the silicon grease lasts longer. The grease is SUPER sticky.

Your fix may be the simple fix of just putting some grease in the gun and lubing it.

Maybe the previous owner had petroleum grease in there by accident, and when that kind of grease wears out, it creates a rubber on metal squeaking sound.

I would start with that cause it's so simple, and even if you're not a mechanic would be really easy to fix.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Good advice, Mattster.

Just now put the back end up on ramps in the garage, and am checking things out.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

There's a fairly straight stabilizer bar at the back of the car, and the center of that bar is covered by (yet another) large plastic pan. So I removed the pan, only to realize that this is not actually the RSB. Silly me. On the up-side, now I know where the EVAP charcoal tank is located, LOL!

Anyway, obviously the RSB is the kinky, thick bar another 18" inward. My bad. And no, there is no grease fitting on the two frame connectors. Simply by grabbing the RSB and applying even the tiniest bit of pressure, I can make the squeak occur. And even though my hearing sucks (one ear gone), I can tell it's coming from the frame bushings, and not the end-links. At least, I'm mostly sure.

[youtube]ruoKIONV3Eg[/youtube]

So there's my answer: one or both of the frame bushings on the RSB needs to be greased and/or replaced. I could do it myself, wait until the car goes into the shop, or ignore it until I upgrade both sway-bars with Hotchkis sways.

But at least I know what it is now. Thanks for weighing in, guys.

TunerMax

Good on you for digging in and finding your problem!! Nicely done.

Now run off to Autozone or whatever it's called int he states, pick up some "silicon spray". It's in an aerosol can.

Attatch the little nozzle tube onto it, and spray it in and around the bushings in between the bar and the bushing all around. If the noise goes away you're 100% verified of the squeek coming from the bushings.

HOWever, it looks like there's a fair bit of movement going on there, is that correct? That bar shouldnt' move that much that easy, if it is. Grab the bar at the end where the end-link attatches and wiggle it up/down, etc. Watch the sway bar End link and see if it has excessive movement up and down or back and forth.

It's normal for these to pivot, so don't confuse pivoting with up and down/side to side wear. This is a ball-socket style, the link is the socket(receiver) and the ***** are on the sway bar and on the control arm or whatever the rear suspension piece is closest to the tire. Knowledge of the system/style isn't important, you just need to know if there's too much play in the 'connections'.

If there's excessive movement~~ the end links are junk, creating excessive play, and too much movement in the whole bar, creating the bushing sqeak.
Spraying/lubing the bushings we mentioned earlier will onlybe a temporary fix if the links are worn.

If the links are good, take the 2 bolts that hold each bushing in out on both sides, it's super easy, probably a 10mm or 12mm head on the bolts.

Then lower the bushings away and get in there and spray the crap out of them, move them to the side down the bar and spray the bar also. Spray the bracket, spray the outside of the bushing, basically get that silicone spray all over the muth-fuka, lol.

Then reassemble and enjoy.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Well, I do have a can of Jig-a-loo; (which, BTW, you can only buy in Canada now. They stopped selling it in the US about a year ago.) But it doesn't seem to me that there's any movement going on, just that creaking noise when applying pressure to the RSB.

I suppose I could spray silicone all over the outside of the frame bushings and hope it works its way in. Or, since it's off the ramps and tucked away... I could just ignore it, then run the car back up on ramps for you to look at when you come down to the States for your supercharger.

Thanks, Matt.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

Congrats on finding your problem!

I don't know how well silicone spray will hold up. When I installed the eibachs, the grease that came in the packet was a real sticky/gooey substance. I recall from past threads that this is something you'd most likely find in a marine shop as it's used on various boat parts that may be submerged. New bushing fits snugly around the bar with practically no play.

From your video, it appears you have stock bushings there. Stock bushings (rubber) do not come lubed. Mine were dry as a bone when I removed them earlier this spring. If yours are shot or have play in them, performance polyurethane bushings from energy suspension or similar can be obtained relatively cheaply.

Btw, thanks for the video/sound clips. We'll now know exactly what it sounds like when those bushings go dry.

Edit: How noticeable was this noise while driving - windows open? closed?

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I agree with your suspicion about silicone spay. When I bought frame bushings from the FSB on my old Maxima, Energy Suspension included a little packet of very thick, clear-colored silicone grease.

Yeah man, bought the car from an Infiniti dealer with only 3,900 miles on it. It would be weird if those weren't OEM bushings.

ES!!! I don't know why I didn't think about that. Like I said, I'd replaced the frame bushings on the FSB in my last car, and it was a huge improvement. Of course, the OEM bushings were 9 years old at the time.

No problem. Thanks for helping out.

Not at all when driving. You can only hear it with the engine off and the car rocking around... like getting in and out.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

ES doesn't make sway bar bushings for this car. Damn it.

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

ES does make universal ones. Need to measure the stock bracket's center-center dimension, and the bar's OD. Maybe they have something that fits?

energysuspension.com | Sway Bar Bushings

Rad_Slinger

iTrader: (12)

Cool Rochester. Glad u found your problem.

Far as the grease fittings, mine has them....but they're hotchkis. So sorry bud, but I Figured the stock brackets would have them.

You could always just remove the bracket 1 by 1 and lube it by hand. Idk if spray lube would fix your problem. My advice is remove them by hand (theres only 2)and lube them with some silicon based grease. Probably take you all of 20 minutes if you have ramps.