Front Suspension Squeak / Noise

D

dirtyharry

New Member
hey guys,
have any of you experienced a front suspension noise/squeak when going over those shopping centre speed humps?
My wifes 2.4 Ch seems to have developed a loud noise/squeak each time i drive the car over it. However normal speed, while on the road the noise isnt there.
i had a look around the suspension parts and nothing really stands out, car has 148,000k's. I can say that the sway bar bushing is looking a bit dated, but can that be the noise?
Or could it be something with the shocks? The car doesnt bounce when i do the bounce test?
All i can say is a very annoyhing rubbery noise.
Also has anyone changed the sway bar bushing? is it easy? can it be done just by raising the car and removing the wheels?
and is there a better way of testing the shock without having to take it out and taking the spring out to see if the shock drops?
 
yep or even one of these (blue arrows) i could be wrong but usually suspension noise is caused from these bushes or leaky struts to.. take it to pedders and they do a full suspension check for near to nothing $$

controlarm_zps78682c00.png
 
Not a very accurate description of the noise but i had this awhile ago in my CH, turned out to be front struts. Go to pedders or something and get the free (or cheap) safety check over =)
 
yeah i think i might get pedders to do a check...cost about $28.
i pulled the front right strut off and checked the shock and it seems ok...so it seems its like one of the bushes....

has anyone ever changed the sway/stablizer bush? is it straight forward (jack the front up...unscrew the bush, change and put new one on?)
or is there going to be large amounts oof tension on the bar even if the car is jacked up?
 
Hi Harry, Your post has come at exactly the right time. :D

I've had this noise for a long time and only yesterday when to get it checked out. The mechanic told me it's the bushings so he sprayed some Automotive Grease (non-petroleum based) and after a quick drive around the block for about ten minutes, the noise disappeared slightly. :)

You can get the grease from Supercheap or some other auto store. Remember to get the Synthetic or Silicone based Spray On Grease with the long nozzle. Also make sure it is non-petroleum based.

Good Luck!!!
 
A known problem with the CH's from factory was the short life span of the struts. Mine were shot aswell, they would squeak over speedhumps all the time.

I suggest you go to your local mechanic and look at replacing your struts. I replaced mine with some KYB excel-g gas struts. Very good imo.
 
I had a pretty serious clunky squeak, pretty sure the rear sway was binding from worn bushes. Sprayed the bushes with silicon oil, problem solved.
 
yeah ive finnaly managed to have a look at my squeek...and its coming from the top of the strut somewhere.
so im not sure whether i should replace both front and struts..or maybe just the top rubber parts.
 
Also give the front sway bar bushings a look because they tend to cause similar rubbing sounds as well.
 
sladey121 said:
A known problem with the CH's from factory was the short life span of the struts. Mine were shot aswell, they would squeak over speedhumps all the time.

I suggest you go to your local mechanic and look at replacing your struts. I replaced mine with some KYB excel-g gas struts. Very good imo.
Click to expand...

What is the avg lifespan of these shocks/struts (on the CH)? How many kms?

I'm thinking of getting some used factory VRX springs and struts which are 1-2" lower than the standard CH, however I don't want to buy something that will cause the same problem few months down the track.
 
Depends how they were treated in their previous life.. I'd say generally 125,000kms to be safe.. Its hit and miss with used parts imo
 
you might as well invest in some coilovers rather than forking out for new replacement shocks.

as for the squeek in the bushings, try put some grease in there to quieten it down, and see if it helps.
 
Lemsy said:
you might as well invest in some coilovers rather than forking out for new replacement shocks.

as for the squeek in the bushings, try put some grease in there to quieten it down, and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

True that. Already tried the grease and only saw a slight improvement but now its gotten worse. Like sladey, my mechanic also reckons its the shocks/struts and not the control arm bushings. :/
 
Mit72 said:
sladey121 said:
A known problem with the CH's from factory was the short life span of the struts. Mine were shot aswell, they would squeak over speedhumps all the time.

I suggest you go to your local mechanic and look at replacing your struts. I replaced mine with some KYB excel-g gas struts. Very good imo.
Click to expand...

What is the avg lifespan of these shocks/struts (on the CH)? How many kms?

I'm thinking of getting some used factory VRX springs and struts which are 1-2" lower than the standard CH, however I don't want to buy something that will cause the same problem few months down the track.
Click to expand...

KYB, Gabriel or Monroe??
 
sorry to resurrect a very old thread, but I finally got around to fixing my wifes suspension noise. so for anyone that's interested, heres my 2cents worth

last week I managed to pick up a pair (for $100 bucks) of whole struts/shocks with springs (the whole unit) from picknpayless in blacktown from a lancer ch which has 40,000km on the clock. since my wifes struts/shocks have done 170,000km I thought why not, at least these struts have only done 40,000km.
anyway I changed them, the squeaking was still there...so I though ok..what's next.
so today I got around to changing the sway bar link end point bushes (they come as a whole kit, bushes, bolt and nut from Mitsubishi), and at the same time I sprayed some silicone lubricant in to the top inside part of the strut/spring, where the spring at the top meets the rubber insulator I guess.
and bang the squeaking is now gone.
So moral of the story, it was either the silicone being sprayed or the sway bar end link bushes....now to get a wheel alignment done :p

for anyone that's interested the ch lancer is still available at picknpayless. The engine is like brand new. Its done only 40,000km. So if you need parts for the car, get it while its hot.
 
anyway quick update for anyone thats interested, i managed to work out exactly what was the cause of the squeak.
i was about to change the control arm (or just the bushes), but i did some testing and it turns out the cause of the squeak is the bump stops (with the dust curtain) on the shock/strut.
it turns out that after a while in the same position they start to rub the strut. so a quick fix was to jack the wheel/car up, so you can shove your hands into the spring (make sure you have the car on stands just in case) and then grab the top of the bump stop and rotate it 180 degrees, also pull it down the strut shaft and wipe out and dust/grease that you might see at the top of the shaft.
and thats it.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. Silicone sprayed all my suspension bushes this morning, took the beast for a quick wrap and all noises gone. Like new !

My first "issue" with this car and easy fix (just bought it 3 days ago). Actually it's my first Lancer and so far I'm really impressed.

Cheers
 
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