Squeaking Suspension fix

Zoom This · #1 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 08:04 PM

For more than a year I put up with an intermittent suspension squeak in my SPF 1735. I have 18,000 miles on it. This chirping squeak sounded like it was coming from the left front, then the right front, then the rear, and lastly, under the dash. After lubing ball joints, urethane bushings to no avail, I put the car in the air and got out the WD-40 and aersol can of white grease. After lubing any and all rubber contacts points, I sprayed lube on the upper and lower spring perches, front and rear. Problem solved. Hell, I was ready to dip the whole car in WD-40 to get rid of that annoying intermittent squeak!

Pete Munroe · #2 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 10:25 PM

Have to laugh.

My car was silent (except for the exhausts, of course) for the first 5000 ? miles.

I lowered the rear end a little bit to change the rake and picked up a chirp-chirp...chirp chirp...(repeat for as long as you are driving slow enough to hear the noise).

So, other than driving faster so you can't hear it...how do find these suspension squeaks?

I have dropped and lubed the rear sway bar, where I thought the noise was...a passenger said that it in the FRONT...lubed the front bar and anything else short of removing the suspension to lube the bushings...

Have also cleaned the spring mounts and upper and lower shock retainers...etc, etc...

AND, the squeaking sound comes and goes...

Solution better than DRIVE FASTER or get STRAIGHT PIPES would be preferred.

I have pretty much given up finding the source without installing electronic pick-up's all over the car.

Pete

pmfranke · #3 (**permalink**) 08-04-2007, 11:53 PM

sound/heat insulation?

strictlypersonl · #4 (**permalink**) 08-05-2007, 04:42 AM

Pete,

Are you sure that the front lower shock mounts aren't the problem? I've seen the squeak in a couple of cars. The bottom Rose joint had deteriorated. I just ordered some replacements for stock.

Lowell W · #5 (**permalink**) 08-05-2007, 06:46 AM

I chased a similar problem around my car for 20,000 miles, periodically spraying one kind of lube or another at all the rubber bushings. Sometimes the squeak would go away for awhile, sometimes not.

I think SP is onto the right idea but in your case the problem may be at the other end of the car.

When I pulled my rear suspension apart last winter to upgrade the axles, I found the Rose joints in the upper arms were dry and binding. I adjusted out the binding condition as per the SCOF tech article and lubed the joints with some moly-containing machinery lube. I've driven the car 3,000+ miles since then and haven't heard the squeak.

I also replaced the sway bar bushings with poly bushings, so that may have been the problem, although I always gave them a shot of spray lube whenever I sprayed the suspension bushings and it never seemed to help for long. I think when the squeak did go away for awhile it may very well have been because I inadvertently got some oil on the Rose joint.

Please let us know what you find.

Lowell

Pete Munroe · #6 (**permalink**) 08-06-2007, 09:04 PM

Bob, Lowell, etal...

I assume the "rose" joint is the spherical joint at the bottom of the front SPAX shocks, and the UPPER? of the rears...I have not r/r'ed the REAR shocks in recent memory...I didn't even remember there was a spherical joint? at the top. Is that correct...?

I have done the front rose joints some ~5000 miles ago, can't remember when, so I may do it again just to keep the joint clean and lubed. Can't hurt to keep it serviceable, and it may be the current source of the chirping.

Bob...would there be problem with drilling and installing zerk fittings on the sway bars and suspension pieces to preclude complete disassembly to lube the poly bushings with silicon grease?

I occasionally, and sparingly, lube the Jag rear suspension joints...easy to make a mess.

It is amazing how hard it is to tell if the noise is front or rear...but I will check out the shocks front and rear.

Thanks,

Pete

Lowell W · #7 (**permalink**) 09-05-2007, 12:19 PM

Pete,

Haven't revisited this thread for a month or so...

I don't recall exactly what the ERA suspension looks like, but yes, the "Rose" joint is a spherical joint inside of a flat housing. The SPF rear suspension is a little different from yours, in that it uses upper and lower arms with a plunging axle, rather than using the half shaft as the upper arm as ERA does. The (SPF) lower arm has two pivot points for attaching to the upright, one ahead of the axle and one behind, and the upper arm has a single central pivot with a Rose joint.

Unless yours have some provision for greasing, it appears to me that an annual application of the above-mentioned lubricant seems to be the answer.

Lowell

Pete Munroe · #8 (**permalink**) 09-08-2007, 07:27 PM

Lowell, et al,

I never knew the little spherical joint was called a "Rose Joint"...learn something all the time.

The SPAX shocks at the front have a "rose joint" at the bottom, rubber bush at the top.

The rear shocks, all four SPAX, are plain rubber top and bottom...doesn't mean they can't squeak.

I was going to clean them up and give a squirt with LPS or silicone spray, am open to suggestions to rubber bushings.

Pete

Lowell W · #9 (**permalink**) 09-09-2007, 07:35 AM

Pete,

I tried WD-40 and other similar products on the rubber bushings since that's what SPF recommended. Turns out that apparently was a solution to a non-existent problem, although I did replace the sway bar bushings with Poly at the same time I lubed the Rose joints so MAYBE that was part of the problem, too, although when I lubed the old bushings it made no difference.

Someone mentioned using some kind of lube for roller skate or skate board wheels or bushings or something like that... Sorry I can't be more specific but I never tried the stuff.

If you're really curious and really industrious you could try lubing one joint at a time to isolate the problem.

Good luck,

Lowell