Eric L.

Ok, within the past week, whenever I turn my steering to the right and hit a bump (could be a
small one or a big one), I hear this squeaking noise. It sounds like its coming from either the
interior, directly in front of me or from the center stack behind the radio. Or maybe it's
somewhere under the hood, but it's so loud that I think it's interior.

The funny thing is that the squeak occurs only when I hit a bump and when I'm turning right.
I could be a lane change right, or a hard right turn. Hit a bump...squeak squeak squeak! No
sound when I turn left or going straight ahead.

I was wondering if anyone here had the same problem and how they fixed it. If not, any
suggestions towards finding the source of the noise? I've already retorqued down my FSTB
and jacked up my car and checked the CV boots for cracks (there were none). While the car
was raised, I also crawled underneath and tugged and pulled at every nut and bolt on the
front suspension, but could not duplicate the squeaking noise.

Daniel Martin, if you read this post, I would appreciate if you could post some info on the steering linkage and whether it could cause a squeaking noise.

Daniel B. Martin

Sorry to say, I'm as baffled as you. It's tricky to track down unwanted sounds because they telegraph from one part of the car to another. You think it's coming from one place but it's true origin is some other place.

Professionals use electronic "ears" which are small microphones which can be clipped onto various parts of the car. The home mechanic has to rely on less sophisticated devices such as the vacuum hose listening device. Have an assistant ride with you. Equip him (or her) with a four-foot length of small-diameter rubber vacuum hose. With one end in his ear, and the other end placed near various possible sources of squeak, you may be able to pinpoint the origin of this sound.

The assistant can also experiment with ways to momentarily aggravate or silence the squeak. He can press on the dashboard, then the console, then the glove box door, then the A-pillar trim, etc. etc. until he finds a way to modify the squeak. That is useful information.

Why is this sound noticed only when the car hits bumps AND is turning right? That's a strange symptom. We like to think of the unibody structure as a rigid exoskeleton but that's not really true. It flexes to some degree all the time. That's why a Front Strut Tower Bar is such a popular accessory. There is something in your Maxima which squeaks when the unibody is flexed in one direction but not in the other. Locating the source of the squeak is only half the battle. Silencing it is the other half. You might find a way to improve the stiffness of the unibody. You might lubricate the squeaking part so it becomes silent. You might pad it with sound deadening material which will absorb the squeak. Perhaps you will use a combination of these techniques.

Do not despair if you cannot identify the origin of this squeak. There's a fair chance that it will vanish when the weather turns warm again.

MacGyver

I use to have a problem like this, there was usually a squeek coming from the right front tire. This would happen over a bump, sometime when i turned, and when I first drove it in the morning. I think it was the shock or something, i'm not sure, but some guy in a jeep nailed me on the right fender and I got that fixxed and the problem was gone....i don't think the shop replaced anything else besides the tire and fender though.

PRPmax

When I had that problem it was the bushings in my springs... (think i spelled it wrong)... But check your bushings they might be dry.. if so you'll be surprised on what 10W40 will do for that..
Post your results..

Eric L.

[/I][/QUOTE]
When I had that problem it was the bushings in my springs... (think i spelled it wrong)... But check your bushings they might be dry.. if so you'll be surprised on what 10W40 will do for that..
Post your results.. [/I][/QUOTE]


What do you mean by "bushing in your springs"? The only thing I can think of with the springs is the little rubber sheath that goes over the bottom of the spring on top of the lower strut mount. Or do you mean another bushing, like the bushings on the front sway bar or tie rods?

Also, what should I do if I see a dry bushing? Just put oil on it? Can I just oil all the bushings and see what happens? I've heard that petroleum based lubricants can break down rubber bushings over time (like a very slow dissolving effect). That's what I was told when I installed the bushings on my addco rear sway bar...ended up using a water based lubricant.

PRPmax

When I had that problem it was the bushings in my springs... (think i spelled it wrong)... But check your bushings they might be dry.. if so you'll be surprised on what 10W40 will do for that..
Post your results.. [/I][/QUOTE]


What do you mean by "bushing in your springs"? The only thing I can think of with the springs is the little rubber sheath that goes over the bottom of the spring on top of the lower strut mount. Or do you mean another bushing, like the bushings on the front sway bar or tie rods?

Also, what should I do if I see a dry bushing? Just put oil on it? Can I just oil all the bushings and see what happens? I've heard that petroleum based lubricants can break down rubber bushings over time (like a very slow dissolving effect). That's what I was told when I installed the bushings on my addco rear sway bar...ended up using a water based lubricant.



[/I][/QUOTE]
Yeah the bushings that are over the bottom and top of the springs..... I added 10w40 to them and it got rid of the squeeks.... Also i was told to do this by in crew at BIG 10 TIRES.. I haven't had any problems with the oil eating away at them.. Hopefully that little tip will work for you also, Good luck on them ..

Daniel B. Martin

Petroleum does attack rubber. I would refrain from oiling rubber bushings. Hit them with a safe-for-rubber lubricant. I think dry silicone spray lube would be okay.

Eric L.

What about WD-40? I know it doesn't last long, but is it ok to use it temporarily just to see if the squeaks are coming from the bushings?

Eric L.

What do you mean by "bushing in your springs"? The only thing I can think of with the springs is the little rubber sheath that goes over the bottom of the spring on top of the lower strut mount. Or do you mean another bushing, like the bushings on the front sway bar or tie rods?

Also, what should I do if I see a dry bushing? Just put oil on it? Can I just oil all the bushings and see what happens? I've heard that petroleum based lubricants can break down rubber bushings over time (like a very slow dissolving effect). That's what I was told when I installed the bushings on my addco rear sway bar...ended up using a water based lubricant.



[/I][/QUOTE]
Yeah the bushings that are over the bottom and top of the springs..... I added 10w40 to them and it got rid of the squeeks.... Also i was told to do this by in crew at BIG 10 TIRES.. I haven't had any problems with the oil eating away at them.. Hopefully that little tip will work for you also, Good luck on them .. [/I][/QUOTE]


Thanks, I'll give it a shot. Can't hurt, right?

Daniel B. Martin

WD-40 contains petroleum distillates, so it is not a good choice for this application. If you want something quick, easy, and temporary, lube those bushings with soapy water. Fill an empty spray bottle (e.g. empty Windex bottle) with water. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent (Joy, Dawn, etc.). Spray this all over the rubber bushings which are suspected of squeaking.

gwn

Hey, have you checked your steering stops. They are used to stop the rack when you turn to full lock. The are little half-round thingys that hit the steering knuckle. Put a dab of wheel bearing grease on it and the knuckle!

AznStevie

ok....i think i kinda got the same problem, and it only happens for me when i go over the right side and hit a bump....first i thought it's the intake because it's scratching up my fender paint..but then..hmm..=\ i didn't seem like it....the squeek squeek sound is probably from the bushing on the front sway bar....try pushing down your car when u just cold start hehe...i mean pushing down your car like on the right side.....if you hear that squeek squeek noise...well...ur bushing might be either broken or as the others said....too dry..i had the same problem with squeeking, but after i took care of it....hmm...i still hear sounds...it sounds like a spring....something is loose or boucing when i am going over those bumps...grrrr...but so far..no clue how to figure it out...=\ oh yeah....the bushing should be the one on the sway bar rod....it's a big piece hehe..hopefuly this help...if you take ur tires off..u'll see it directly

Eric L.

Thanks for the tips so far.

I wasn't supposed to do this, but I sprayed WD-40 on all my suspension bushings. It didn't eliminate the squeak. I think the squeaking is coming from the interior somewhere in front the steering wheel or from within the HVAC/radio controls area.