^ don't jinx me, Pascal

p.s. thanks for your emails and info. That really helped.

 

Ok update... went for a few drives since the last tightening and greasing. I think I "still" hear the squeak but very very faint. It's hard to hear when I have a full catback and maggie lol. I almost have to be cruising and off the gas and hope for a bumpy road.

My next thing to try is probably loosen and retighten the panhard bar. 129 ft lbs to retighten right? all under load for loosening and tightening right? I usually jack the car up on the 2" boards, and that's enough for me to get under.

My last thoughts are that, I know, some squeaks are inevitable. The tighter I make my car, the more prone it is that it will squeak. But I tell you what, my cornering stabiliy now has increased significantly, esp with those Konis. It's just so flat. I can't imagine once I get my full coilover set. It will be stiffer still, but will probably be on rails.

 

My 03 in Bilstein/Maximum Motorsports coilovers doesn't ride that bad. As stiff as it is, and as good as it corners, the ride is pretty good actually. It's only really around town/over railroad tracks where it feels stuff. On the freeway, it rides amazing. It's just the crap SN95 interior rattles and squeaks that ruin the experience...

 

^ Iowa roads are TERRIBLE, man. That's also the only time I feel all the stiff ride. Cornering stability is amazing though.

 

Ours are pretty bad too. Not Midwest bad, but close. I've driven through parts of Iowa and most of the rest of the Midwest, and yeah they do suck haha.

 

Good thread.

The cold temp squeaking in my car developed into rattling and clunking. Had it replaced under waranty. But like you, I keep thinking that I am hearing it.

I am following with great interest.

 

Has anyone tried wrapping some Teflon tape around the away bar where the urethane bushing wraps around it?no squeak and you don't have to keep re greasing.

 

Part of me thinks, maybe it's not the sway or panhard. Maybe it's the shock bolts or the exhaust somewhere... hmmm...

good thought, but with the bushing sliding over the sway very tightly, I think it would be to too tight and thus push the tape off instead of going over it?

 

I just had another thought, and almost like a light bulb.

Could it be from the Koni Shock lower bushings? I never greased them. Was I supposed to??? All the install vids and discussion I came across didn't say to grease them. I'm talking about the lower bolt that goes through the 2 through holes (chassis and shock), then gets tightened to 129 ft lbs. That's a rubber bushing there too right? hmmmmmmmmmm

thoughts?

 

I don't remember greasing the shock mounts either, but I honestly thought about mentioning that exact location to you, just thinking outside the box…

 

Right...

What I'm deducing is, I've had the same suspension for 2 years, and it's been perfect. So what did I "change"?

a) installed Koni's
b) unbolted then re-bolted the upper sway bar end links

that's it.

Then squeak happened.

Chances of panhard bar or anything else moving or squeaking has to be pretty slim right? I mean, those are the only 2 things I "touched".

 

Is your panhard bar stock or did you upgrade it to an adjustable one?

 

Bmr adjustable one. But I've had it on for 2 years and no issues or squeaks. Only things I touched were shock and sway. Bizaare

 

When you say: "I usually jack the car up on the 2" boards, and that's enough for me to get under."

I'm not sure what that means?
When you work on the sway bar, you need to make sure the suspension is loaded. What you need to do, either place the car's axle on axle stands, or put the rear of your car on wheel ramps, so you can work under the car. So when you tighten the end links, they are basically in the neutral position the car would be in, when you drive it. (and don't forget to put a wheel chock in front of the front wheel!)

If this is what you said... I'm sorry for misunderstanding (English is not my mother tongue... at work it's not so much of a problem. I work in Silicon Valley, and most of the talk is Geek, which I do understand :-) )

 

Exactly. No one in Silicon Valley speaks English anyways...

 

Pull the sway bar end links off. Push the sway bar ends up so they don't hit anything and go drive it. If it still squeaks, it's not your sway bar. Easy enough to cancel out. These cars all like to squeak. The more aftermarket bushings you use, the more squeaks you may get. Also certain types of grease will deteriorate your bushings so be careful. Graphite lubricant may be your best bet. Dirt can build up around the seating surface of your coil springs and also cause squeaks. My rear suspension squeaks like an old hoopty on really rough roads but I've accepted it for now. Lol. It really could be anything though. Control arm bushing could also cause it. Be careful what you take off and reinstall because you can affect your alignment. Good luck.

 

My 03 doesn't have any squeaks from the suspension, just clunks from the tierods that need to be replaced.

And mine is on MM coilovers (IRS swapped too) with poly bushings out back/delrin up front, solid steering rack, offset steering rack bushings, etc. It has more noise from the plastic interior than suspension noise...not to mention is has about 105k on it, probably 70k on coilovers.

 

Hi Pascal... when I say jack the car up on 2" boards, I really mean jack the car up, then slide 2" boards under the rear tires, then set the car back down on those boards. It fully loads the suspension, but gives me access underneath. I'm tiny, so I can squeeze in there. It's almost like a pseudo ramp, if you will...poor man's version

So given that, when I removed and reinstalled the sway bar after cleaning and greasing everything, yes, I did all that when the suspension was loaded, but I think I still hear the squeak, though faint.

Yeah that's an option. I should have done that, but at least now I think the squeak is still there lol. So hard to hear, it's faint. Almost like I shouldn't bother. My exhaust and blower will drown it anyways, so it's more so annoying since I'm OCD... lol. Do you guys think it's worth removing the shock lower bolt and greasing the shock bushing?

 

I think the bushings fit pretty tight so I doubt you can get grease in them. Unless they are aftermarket and came with the bushings not already installed.

 

When chasing squeaks in my undercarriage I use a spray can of silicone lubricant. It really gets into tight places fast but doesn't last very long. Just spray different parts one at a time, then shake or drive the car until you locate the squeaky component.