Creaking and sing won't go away

Topic: Creaking and sing won't go away (Read 2884 times) previous topic - next topic

Creaking and sing won't go away

July 26, 2010, 09:09:56 PM

I've now had my car at three different places trying to get someone that could find the source of some pretty bad noises I've got up front. I can consistently reproduce a sing noise by slowly going up and down those 3' wide speed bumps (you know - the one normally painted with white stripes or arrows). Also just touching the brake pedel, pushing it harder, or letting off of it makes a creaking noise. Going over very rough roads also makes the same noise. It's coming from the drivers side and gets louder with the window down. Normally sounds like just a bad sing but occasionally sounds like higher pitched worn out suspension noise. On 60 degree mornings, the sound is gone for about 10 minutes into a drive. In the afternoon, the sound's normally there from the second I pull out of a parking space. The sound can come and go but usually comes and stays until the car sits. The sound cannot be reproduced on a lift, weighted on either the frame or suspension.

All front end suspension, steering, and break parts are new. The K-member bolts have been cleaned and re-torqued, all bushings, ball joints, etc lubed up with a ton of extra grease, all suspension bolts loosened and re-torqued, but it's still there. I'm hearing ideas of frame noise since no one can find any problems in the suspension, steering, and brakes. It can't be the k-member or the cross bar down there as they're already been tested. I'm thinking about putting some cheap stock struts in to soften the blows to the strut tower and also to have it tell me whether the strut itself could possibly be bad (less than a year old - SN95 Bilstein). Control arms and bushings in like new condition, ball joints good, tie rid ends and swaybar end links/bushings new and lubed up. I'm using some of Chuck's motor mounts but without grease - I would like to pull these out and grease them but I don't see the small changes from light brake pressure as something that could cause the motor mounts to make noise. Of course, they're tight and shouldn't make the sing noise I hear. There is only like 1/8 clearance between my stock steering shaft and I believe the motor mount(don't remember? Headers maybe?) but they don't show signs of hitting one another.

How should I go about finding the noise? I'm not sure I can get a microphone in there that won't wash out with wind noise. It's very easy to reproduce on those residential-type speed bumps but the closest is about 2 miles away from the house. Is there a set of sensors that can be mounted and what would they be called?

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #1 – July 26, 2010, 09:18:11 PM

I have had that "rusty mattress" noise come from ball joints, and lower control arm bushings. Since you are sure the ball joints are lubed, I'd check the latter.

I found my noise by having a friend put it on a lift, then he pulled down on the sway bar (bouncing the car) while I walked around listening for it.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #2 – July 26, 2010, 09:24:37 PM

Eh, that is the higher pitched I'm referring to but I've only heard it once or twice. With the car sitting, I jump on the car from the door jamb and it's quiet (I also use my damaged fender but I've only got the sound to come from there once or twice in the driveway, on the suspension - drive it and it goes away again). I just don't want to replace the $350 control arms if I don't need to. I've always thought control arm bushings but everyone that checks it out keeps telling me that they're perfect and that I shouldn't need to touch them. That area's probably got 5 different lubes all over it now and I wish it didn't - I like the stuff I use myself.

What's a fool proof way to check the ball joints and control arm bushings for noise when it comes and goes and never there when stationary?

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #3 – July 26, 2010, 11:34:55 PM

A lot of times bushings just get dry and stiff rubbing inside of the componants they are mounted in. This can even happen with upgrade bushings that are stiffer than OE. Sway bar bushings are most noted for this, especially when going over speed bumps. I would at least try some silicone spray first to lube all your bushings up to see if the noise goes away.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #4 – July 27, 2010, 09:21:10 AM

Does it sound similiar to the problem in my old thread? : http://foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=24099&highlight=noise

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #5 – July 27, 2010, 10:26:06 AM

its a long shot.. but have you checked/replaced the steering rack bushings?

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #6 – July 27, 2010, 11:21:31 AM

Quote from: BogusSVO;329651

its a long shot.. but have you checked/replaced the steering rack bushings?

They were replaced last fall with my reman rack. We used some energy suspension pieces - I believe 4 piece.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #7 – July 27, 2010, 11:33:49 AM

Quote from: jpc647;329649

Does it sound similiar to the problem in my old thread? : http://foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?t=24099&highlight=noise

Kind of - the sing noise I hear is what differs from everything I can find here on the forum. I was initially hoping it was only k-member related but reinstalling those bolts didn't help any.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #8 – July 27, 2010, 11:52:52 AM

Wow - I went to find this information and found that my rearend thread was an incoherent mess :p

Parts:
Steering:
Rebuilt Napa 15:1 steering rack with polyurethane bushings
New ACDelco power steering pump
Turbo Coupe steering wheel
Turbo Coupe 16" rims on 225/60R16 tires

Suspension:
Front
New Moog tie rod ends
New Moog stabilizer bar end links with the Moog bushings
New polyurethane swaybar bushings
New Monroe strut mounts with polyurethane bushings
New Bilstein HD struts for sn95
Reused 15k mile control arms/ball joints
New Moog 8600 springs
New polyurethane spring isolators

Rear
New CHE Tubular control arms with polyurethane bushings
New Bilstein HD shocks for sn95 using Chuck's Mustang shock adapters
New Gabriel "quad shocks"/"steering dampers"
Stock springs
New polyurethane spring isolators

Brakes:
1995 Mustang GT 1 1/16" Master Cylinder
1993 Cobra brake booster
SSBC adjustable proportioning valve

Front
Rebuilt 1991 Lincoln Mark VII 73mm Piston calipers with steel bushings
New Napa "premium" ceramic brake pads
Reused 1988 Turbo Coupe spindles
New 11" vented rotors
New inner/outer wheel bearings
New Stainless steel brake lines

Rear
Reman 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe 45mm "Varga" calipers
New Napa organic brake pads
Surfaced 10" vented rotors
New soft brake lines - left, right, and intermediate
New 1991 Lincoln Mark VII rear parking brake cables with modification to lengthen

Rearend:
Stock driveshaft with <10k mile ujoints
Rebuilt 8.8" TL 3.08 ratio rearend from an 88 Turbo Coupe

Parts to be installed:
2003/04 Cobra steering rack
Maximum Motorsports hybrid steering shaft
Maximum Motorsports CC plates
Moog fox inner tie rods

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #9 – July 27, 2010, 01:13:27 PM

I'm going to send you a picture tonight when I get home, it wouldn't hurt to check, and it appears to be what my noise was. Sorry, my boss wouldn't like it if I went out and jacked my car up at work.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #10 – July 27, 2010, 01:53:41 PM

the poly you installed... was it the grey/black or the red?

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #11 – July 27, 2010, 05:50:41 PM

Quote from: BogusSVO;329667

the poly you installed... was it the grey/black or the red?

Standard red. As far as I previously knew, they were the same other than the color...then I find people mentioning that the color is more than just color - there's like 3 or 4 colors and the red's the softest?

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #12 – July 28, 2010, 10:50:41 AM

the black /grey has graphite in it for lube, the red (other colors) do not...

get some silicon spary and try lubing all your red bushings. That may be all it is

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #13 – July 28, 2010, 11:32:16 PM

I'll go at it myself this weekend - everything really is already all lubed up but I'll get in there myself (I haven't greased it myself in almost a year) and goop/spray some things up. To an extent, the more the merrier. Can almost never have enough lube.

Creaking and sing won't go away

Reply #14 – July 29, 2010, 02:25:19 AM

Quote from: Seek;329708

Standard red. As far as I previously knew, they were the same other than the color...then I find people mentioning that the color is more than just color - there's like 3 or 4 colors and the red's the softest?

Energy Suspension?

Red and black are the same durometer, just the black is graphite impregnated, for less squeaks and whatnot. Or so their website says...

They used to offer more colors, but for the last few years all they've had is red and black. Some stuff you can't even get in black, it's on back order or something.

Hope you find the noise :D