Hi,

I am getting a metallic creaking/rubbing noise from the rear left when I make a right turn on my 2001 I30-more like a metal wire rubbing against a moving metal part. It's not a loud one, but neither is it a slight one. It looks like it's coming from around the tire, but I can't tell. It's not a constant sound throughout the turn, but comes and goes erratically.

I dropped it off with the dealer and he says there's nothing wrong with it. Anyone have any ideas?

-rattili

 

Interesting. I have the same problem on my 02 I35 that I just purchased but the sound is coming from the front. I noticed that when I make a right turn and the weight of the vehicle transfers to the front end, I get the squeel sound as well. It is definitely not the brakes. Bushing or strut?? I thought there was a TSB on this but I could be wrong. Anyways, I am planning on getting a oil change next week and I'll get the service guys take a look at it since I am still covered under the original warranty. I will let you know what results I get.

If there is anyone else who had/has the same problem, chime in and let us know.

 

Keep me posted on how it goes. I have original warranty till December and I have also purchased extended warranty from Infiniti.

 

Hey Rattili,

Still waiting for my I35 to be taken into the dealership. It looks like the only Infiniti dealership where I live seems to be super busy and won't be able to look at my car until the third week of July. I asked them what the reason was and he mentioned most of their techs are going on holidays. Nice response from an Infiniti dealership.

Anyways, since I cannot wait that long for an oil change, I am going to take it to a nissan dealership for now. I think the sound from my front end it getting worse but I'll see if I can get an earlier appt and keep you posted.

 

When I was working on my brakes this weekend, I noticed that the I30 has the same "steering stop" setup as my Frontier. I dont know if its the sound you are hearing, but if I turn the Fronty steering close to/at full lock and hit a bump, I get a metallic "clanking", almost like a chain smacking a coil spring.

Turns out its actually the bump stop covers rubbing against the subframe. Its correct for them to rub, but what happens is that they have grease on the outside of them from the factory, this grease collects dirt/sand/dust, and then when you turn the sand grinds against the subframe and creates the noise. Eventually the sand/dirt rubbing eats away the bump stop cover itself, and then you REALLY get a metallic noise when at or near full lock.

Im not 100% sure this is the sound you are hearing, but its worth a shot to take a look (I think youd have to remove the wheel, but once the wheel is out of the way its really easy to see the part in question).

-Chris

 

Chris, you just described what I've been experiencing to a T.

I've always figured it was related to my having replaced the suspension.

Now, when you say "bumpstop," do you mean the integrated rubber strut boot/bumpstop or something else? Is it simply a matter of replacing that boot/bumpstop and lubricating the area again?

Once I know what to do and look for, I'll tear the suspension back apart to fix it up. My front dust boots are are torn to hell and need to be replaced anyway.

Thanks!

 

Well, Im not quite sure why the rears would make the noise. The stops in question are actually attached to the front spindles, so they only scrape when you turn left or right (because as the spindle moves, so do the stops). They almost look like the stops they use on doors, that you flip down with your foot when you want a door to stay open. On the end of them is a rubber "cap", with the factory grease on it. I had plenty of sand on mine, so I wiped them down and put a couple dabs of synthetic brake grease on there for now. At least on the I30 they are rubber..........the Fronty uses metal "caps" or no caps at all, so its automatically a metal-on-metal issue. They release an updated part for the Fronty made of nylon so there is no more metal-on-metal.

Check the fronts for this first (sometimes rear noises sound like they are in the rear but are actually up front). If you still have the noise, Ive also heard of the rear springs causing a clanking noise when the body shifts left or right (during a turn). Usually this indicates the coil spring "cushion" is worn, fallen out, or shifted. WHen doing the rear brakes, I noted that the I30 has one of the thickest "cushions" Ive ever seen on the top of the rear coil spring where it meets the upper shock tower. And the cushion where it meets the lower suspension was thinner, and almost looked like it could fall out easily. Perhaps that is what happened to yours.

EDIT: didnt realized you replaced your suspension. I assume with lowered components ? When I had my Neon, it was very common for the lowering coil springs to clank on *themselves*!! The coils were so close/flexible, that it was possible they could compress enough to clank off their own coils. Bunch of different tricks to fix that, the easiest being a garden hose split down the center and placed on the coil sections until you got the noise to go away. Heater hose works too, and its black. Also, the aftermarket suspension components didnt usually have nice thick cushions at the top and/or bottom like OEMs did. Sometimes people modded them to fit back in, sometimes people left them out altogether. Make sure there is something between the suspension mounts and the coil springs, or else you'll definitely get some sort of clank.

Good luck!
-Chris

 

Chris - Thanks for the help.

I do have noise, but *only* from the front. And only when the steering is at lock or near lock and I'm hitting a bump. That's what leads me to believe the rubber cap that you speak of (on the spindle) is my issue.

I don't seem to have noise from contact between the coils and all the rubber parts (save for the boot I mentioned earlier) are pretty snug. That and my Tein springs came with adequate coil isolators.

When I get a chance I'll have to get in there and take a look at what you described. I mentioned it to the dealer last time I was in and they said that they couldn't find the source of the noise (was able to duplicate it for them on the road though) but that everything was mechanically safe and sound. That falls in line with what you said, so that's encouraging.

Thanks again.

John

 

OK, then it definitely sounds like the same thing!

Good luck, be sure to tell us how it works out

-Chris