Yeah that's what I figured. Thought it seemed a bit early for them to have gone out though. Just bought the car with 103k on it about 2 months ago, not much above 106 now.

 

But have they ever been replaced? At that mileage they can go any time.

 

Hey, I've had this pulsating/tapping sound from 35-65 mph coming out of the front of my car for a while and having trouble figuring it out...only thing I noticed as well as the mechanic was a worn left strut bearing (slight creaking sound while turning the wheel at idle). Did tests for wheel bearings too and found nothing. Sounds different from every other wheel bearing issue I've had before (which had more of a roaring sound). Tires look fine aside from some light feathering on outside edges as I may need an alignment. And this sound is most noticeable with windows closed, when I hold my head high above the steering wheel, not so much which when I lower it or sit in the passenger seat. Sound increases a bit when I swerve to the left, and its frequency is dependent on how fast I'm driving. Suspension/strut-bearing related or something else? The sound I'm talking about cuts through occasionally, e.g. at 7 seconds. The recording seemed to pick up on mostly low-end sound...it doesn't really sound like that in the background. May have to turn up the volume a bit to hear the tapping sound in the mix. thanks

 

The road which you recorded the video on - was it flat?

Doesn't sound suspension related to be honest. I'm leaning towards wheel/tire. Even though the tire looks fine, it could be an issue internally. I've experienced this once before where the steel belt had separated slightly from the inside. Try swapping the left/right wheel and see if the sound jumps to the other side. If it doesn't, then we'll diagnose further.

 

So this may be an unanswerable question, but do you have a mileage guideline you go by where you expect to see certain suspension parts fail? I purchased my 2002 with about 29k and I'm now at about 115k. I haven't touched the suspension at all and I can't imagine anything suspension related was done to the car before I bought it.

Based on the car's age I suspect I'll need to do some suspension work in the near future, just don't know what to expect.

 

Good call on the tire rotation...I should've thought of that before. Swapping the front 2 tires made the sound now go more towards the right, AND the sound now increases when I swerve to the right (not left like before). I made an appointment at Firestone since I have the tire warranty there...not sure how to prove there's slight internal tire separation and it's not wheel-related? The tire/wheel looks normal upon inspection from all sides without any bumps/flat spots also; only half worn-out tread-wise.
I thought usually if I'm swerving to the right it would mean the issue is on the left side but in this case it's the other side...can that happen (or is that only true for wheel bearings/suspension issues)? thanks

 

Reminder that 'suspension' = many parts working together.

I've seen struts go at 30k, and I've seen struts last 200k, so it is very hard to predict. What you can be sure of, is that over time the performance of your suspension parts will definitely degrade.

The decision to replace parts would derive from two parts:
1. The part fails (strut blows, sway bar link breaks)
2. The part degrades so much that it's just not doing it's job well anymore (bushings)

The good news is that there are a finite number of parts, so once they're all replaced, they'll likely outlast your ownership.

 

What would be a common cause for one wheel to stick out further than the other 3 on a 4th gen. Front passenger wheel is
aligned with the fender for a nice fitment look but I'm at stock height, eventually get alignment. Other 3 are tucked in like it should be. + Got new 18x8 wheels
not too long ago. Soon to be replacing some suspension parts.

 

A wheel is just plan metal. Unless it's severly bent (which is unlikely), whirring sound is usually tire.

They should be able to road force test the wheel/tire and identify immediately what's wrong with it. Or it may be visible once the tire is dismounted from the wheel.

 

Are you sure all 4 of your wheels are the same offset? Has the car ever been in an accident?

 

Of course, they are all the same wheel. Many weeks ago it was in a small accident, which may have caused it? Never noticed it until a week ago. It was basically a half to a full car length of an accident from start to end. Basically a bumper ruiner. My car was fine actually. Just some scratches.

 

Yeah, I figured this would be your answer as my question is rather open ended and no two cars are ever driven exactly the same way. I was wishin', whishin' upon a star!

I have a 2002 GLE and what I would eventually like to end up with is a suspension that feels/handles like an SE. I've read a lot of people suggesting the KYB/HR combo and that all sounds good, but are there other suspension differences between a GLE and SE besides struts/springs?

 

Very strange thing to report. An issue like yours could be a big deal if it was in a more major accident that required suspension/frame work, not just bumper.

 

Front sway bar is 1mm thicker in SE. That's the only other difference in suspension.

 

So follow up question then, how big of an impact does the 1mm thicker sway bar have on the overall suspension? If I went with the KYB/HR combo would that get me far enough or would there still be some lingering GLE softness?

 

The sway bar has nothing to do with how hard or soft the suspension is. It's there to prevent body roll. And I'm guessing that 1mm makes very little difference.

 

The "SE-ness" is in the springs. 1mm makes little difference if any. KYB/HR would be fantastic. Don't forget about the auxiliary parts.

 

I need outer tie rods, inspecition saftey for PA failed due to them.

Does my LTB Stage II have anything to do with the labor invovled with the outer tie rods?

In other words does a LTB Stage II effect the outer tie rods in any way? (the shop said it may, and I wanted to get a consensus)

i would come by to have you do it, but cant drive far without an alignment.
Thanks!

 

The mechanic looked at the tire with it off and noticed it wasn't wearing evenly along the inner side...there's plenty of tread left, but when you spin the tire you could feel it inconsistent so it was sort of "hopping" while I drive. He told me just to ignore it for now...that it will probably even out over time. Says maybe it's strut/shock-related, even though I replaced both the fronts and rears plus the mounts within 40k miles ago, and they all pass the bounce test. Only thing I noticed is a worn front left strut bearing which I hadn't changed (strut shakes a bit when I move the fender side-to-side), but the nut is still dead center in the middle of the strut tower so I don't think the alignment's way off. Agree that I should just ignore it for now, or should I replace front struts and bearings immediately? thanks

Whenever I do replace my front struts in the future I'll probably use those Monroe Strut Assemblies.

 

If the tire spins alone and its off, doesn't it straight up tell you that it's the tire? Especially when you've replaced everything else AND the noise stops when you swap to a different side?

If you don't want to spend, move that wheel to the rear. It will be less noticeable.

 

Yes I know it's the tire, I'm just not sure if it was because of a strut issue...so I don't know if I replace that tire if it will just happen again to the next tire. What I'll do is rotate my tires and if it happens over time to the next front left tire I'll know it's the front left strut. If the symptoms don't come back then I'll replace that one tire next time I rotate it up to the front in 5k miles. Make sense?

 

That type of tire issue occurs over a prolonged time when a strut is bad. More than 10k miles.

Agree with your approach though, to see if you begin to see signs of wear on a 'good' tire.

 

if you have a LTB Stage II does that effect the install of outer tie rods?

 

I rotated all 4 tires and the front-end sound is gone so we'll see if/when the sound comes back in the front left with a currently good tire...I'll take on the front struts R&R if so. I can hear that bad tire in the back just a bit but it's not that noticeable especially with music on so I'll ignore it for now. Is it true that assuming that strut back there is good, that the tire wear should even out over the next 5k-7.5k miles (or is the tire dunzo)?

 

Hey DJ - helluva service you are providing here.
My question,

What exactly is the problem with the aftermarket boot/bumpstops? I ask because of the steadfast assertion to go factory only on these parts.
I'm up in Canada and the dealer prices are just stupid. Like 3 or 4 times what you fellas get your gear for. Hell, even the aftermarket parts if you buy retail.
Are the Moog boots really that crummy? I've read ad nauseam about the KYB version, as in - stay away. Fair enough. How about the Moog's?

 

Djfrestyl,
When you seat the spring back onto the strut, how close is the end of spring supposed to come to the little notch in the bottom hat? Ive got a slight gap and the thing rattles now that its on the car.

 

Fitment+material is the issue. The hole which the strut piston goes through is too small, and the foam which it's made of creaks/groans every time the strut piston moves. It's also nearly impossible to make the hole bigger because of the foam it's made of.

 

You mean the lower perch which is on the strut body? The end of the spring can sit right up against it. There should be no movement.

 

Dj, thanks for all your help, this thread is amazing for a complete suspension newb like myself. Took months but I've slowly read the whole thing and learned a ton. I'll be re-doing my suspension soon.... wishing I lived closer to you. Anyhoo, a question I didn't see asked or addressed:

2001 AE with the cattman exhaust setup: It was pretty challenging to position the 3" B-pipe just perfectly where it goes above that rear beam so it doesn't bump it during turns/acceleration/etc etc. If I were to swap out all 4 stock springs for the H&R's, would that negatively affect the tight space between the Bpipe and that rear beam?

Also, do you happen to have any more lca's with moog ball joints and ES bushings for sale?

 

Very good question. Assume the rear beam WILL raise higher, closer to the exhaust. How much clearance do you have now? H&R's lower the rear about 1.4"

Sorry, the control arms were the result of a one-off request from a customer, who backed out.

 

Thanks for that info. Shoot yeah there's not a lot of room..... 1.4" drop would likely kill that space. Others around here have their dropped cars w a 3" Bpipe though. Wonder how they managed?

I've also read that some have kept the stock springs in back and only lowered the front....to avoid the 'saggy back' look. Perhaps I'd be alright just replacing struts in back & no springs? I don't want it to look funny though. Fyi my car is a manual.

 

On second thought, I've installed slammed suspensions on cars with large aftermarket exhausts. I've never experienced an issue where the exhaust touches the rear beam. But I'm not sure why. Logically it would make sense that they would touch. Now you've got me thinking.

If you get a moderate front spring and leave the rear springs OEM, you can get away with it. Definitely change out the rear struts when you do the ronts.

 

I'm trying to pinpoint a squeak in my suspension on the front passenger side. While the car is on the ground, I lift on the wheel well, and it produces the noise. While driving, it occurs only at slow speeds around 20mph or less when hitting bumps/dips in the road. I made a video of it, please help:

 

My guess is control arm bushing.

 

Thanks for the advice, i'll take a closer look...push come to shove i'll get those Moog control arms, the other moog suspension parts I've used before seem to hold up pretty good...the control arm on there now came from NAPA, replaced a year ago but i'm thinking that's not that long for this part to go south right?

 

I recently installed 4 KYB GR-2s and Eibach springs, along with KYB dust boots/bump stops, and KYB rear strut mounts (also had a Moog left control arm installed, too fwiw). At first, the car felt like a pogo stick: I felt every bump in the road, and the rear would bottom out over speed bumps.

So then I cut the bump stops as Eibach recommended, and while it helped a little, it still feels rather bouncy. I'm wondering if I did something wrong or what I should check. I can still feel every bump in the road and while I realize it's going to be a bit of a rougher ride with the new springs, it definitely feels a lot worse than stock. Also, my front end is higher than my rear end. Should that be the case?

 

A year is a short amount of time. But if it's a low quality brand/product then it's very possible.

 

Need specific heights from floor to fender on your car to comment on if your car is sitting at the right height.

Compare the heights to known proper dimensions here:
http://www.shiftice.com/spring_strut_decision.html

And in terms of ride quality, unfortunately you picked a spring setup which is extremely uncomfortable. Eibach's are simply no good. Plus, they're known to rust out and break over time. I've said this many many times.

To gain better ride comfort, you can either:

1. (Recommended option) - switch to a different spring like H&R. They work fantastically with KYB GR-2's.
2. Switch to a softer strut like Tokico Blues. Keep in mind this is more of a bandaid solution. I still recommend #1.

 

The beam that the pipe goes over appears to be bolted directly to the frame of the car. It doesn't look like it moves at all?, although it's connected to the parts that do move back there. I think that space never changes?....

98-117

 

I'm trying to remove the driver side LCA, and I can't fit my socket on the 27mm nut due to the tranny being in the way Which tools has anyone used to access this nut effectively?