[Bobright1!]

Does anyone know what would cause creaking/ticking coming from under front-end on take off? Dealer says it must be struts, strut mounts, and sway bar end-links both sides but it seamed like they were guessing and wanted $2K!. Anyone have TSB 00303 which refers to creaking noise. It's not the sunroof, or brake calipers, and it's not intermittent. I have sprayed silicon lube under front end on swaybar bushings, endlinks, control arm chassis bushings, motor mounts (front hydraulic mount and dogbone mounts are new) but nothing changes the noise! Can anyone steer me in the right direction?

 

[mcgowaw]

how many miles?
maintenance history?
last time you replaced struts, strut mounts, and sway bar end-links both sides?
tony

 

[Bobright1!]

Purchased it new in 2002; 205K miles; always garaged; no accidents; looks and runs like new except for creaking noise that started 6 months ago. Original struts and sway bar bushings and end-links.
Bobright1!

 

[Bobright1!]

Purchased it new in 2002; 205K miles; always garaged; no accidents; looks and runs like new except for creaking noise that started 6 months ago. Original struts and sway bar bushings and end-links.
Bobright1!

 

[mcgowaw]

i think you've found the problem. that's alot of miles on those components. replace them and your creak will probably be fixed. if not, you'll have a much better riding and handling car anyways.
tony

 

[Bobright1!]

Thanks Tony for your insight I think you might be right. I will put in new Autozone Gabriel Quickstruts and end-links in come springtime and hopefully things stay together until then!

 

[Kingdom934]

Brake caliber sliding pins (those rubber thing) can cause the creaking noise/ticking noise if your on the brakes at a stop.

If your all on original suspension at 202K, that is pretty long for them. Struts usually will cause a clunking when bad over bumps. End links will sound like marbles dropping on a table that can be felt thru the steering wheel and make a consistent 'thump thump thump' in different sound patterns depending on the road. Sway bar bushings can also do the same thing, but not as bad as the bad end links. O
ne way to determind if the end links or sway bar bushing are bad is you can get a helper to open your car door and shake the car left and right as hard as they can. If you hear the clunking noise, it's the end links. The bushings I think wouldn't cause a knocking noise since most of the components under load now will be the end links (left to right sway)

 

[scubacat]

It could be a bad end link joint. Does it make the noise if you bounce the front end up and down by pushing on the bumper? If so, get an assistant so one person can bounce and the other can try to pinpoint the source.

You're definitely due for new struts at any rate.

 

[Bobright1!]

Thanks Kingdom934.
I do the brakes every year or so and most recently a few months ago and the slider pins were free so I re-lubed them except for one on the rear right where the pin with the rubber tip was jammed but finally came off with a hammer so I put on a new caliper bracket and new slide pins, but it didn't effect the noise. The front where the noise comes from both sides were good but of course I re-lubed the pins anyway.

Can't really hear any of the same noise while driving, maybe a little thump over a bump or bad road but nothing severe and certainly not the same creaking/ticking noise. I've tried the bouncing both sides of vehicle and can barely move it up/down and there is no noise at all. Even though 205K miles the shocks seem tight and they are dry as well. I've also jacked up each side and tugged on the wheel by hand (and with a prybar), end-links, struts, ball joints and nothing seams to have any play and no noise.

The only time noise in on take-off, easy or fast it's there all the time. I could alternately at a stand-still go Drive to Reverse and re-create the noise. I've also unloaded a can of Silicon spray on anything that moves like the strut top and bottom and coil spring, end-links, sway-bar chassis bushings, control arm chassis bushings, and ball joints and nothing effects the noise at all! I would think if it was one of those components it should subdue the noise at least short-term but no effect at all.

So I'm ready the start replacing parts like the dealers do and will start with quick struts and end-links. Not sure I can due the swaybar chassis bushings because I read the bolts are difficult to access and I've look down under there and things are tight. I'm planning on doing Autozone Gabriel Quick Struts and Autozone endlinks. Any opinion?

 

[Bobright1!]

Thanks scubacat, I just replied to Kingdom934 with the following so my response is the same to you:

I do the brakes every year or so and most recently a few months ago and the slider pins were free so I re-lubed them except for one on the rear right where the pin with the rubber tip was jammed but finally came off with a hammer so I put on a new caliper bracket and new slide pins, but it didn't effect the noise. The front where the noise comes from both sides were good but of course I re-lubed the pins anyway.

Can't really hear any of the same noise while driving, maybe a little thump over a bump or bad road but nothing severe and certainly not the same creaking/ticking noise. I've tried the bouncing both sides of vehicle and can barely move it up/down and there is no noise at all. Even though 205K miles the shocks seem tight and they are dry as well. I've also jacked up each side and tugged on the wheel by hand (and with a prybar), end-links, struts, ball joints and nothing seams to have any play and no noise.

The only time noise in on take-off, easy or fast it's there all the time. I could alternately be at a stand-still and go Drive to Reverse and re-create the noise. I've also unloaded a can of Silicon spray on anything that moves like the strut top and bottom and coil spring, end-links, sway-bar chassis bushings, control arm chassis bushings, and ball joints and nothing effects the noise at all! I would think if it was one of those components it should subdue the noise at least short-term but no effect at all.

So I'm ready the start replacing parts like the dealers do and will start with quick struts and end-links. Not sure I can due the swaybar chassis bushings because I read the bolts are difficult to access and I've look down under there and things are tight. I'm planning on doing Autozone Gabriel Quick Struts and Autozone end-links. Any opinion?

 

[kitacamry]

Check the rubber at the top of the vertical stabilizer links behind each front wheel....if perished they could reflect a worn connection to the frame, causing the clunk you're hearing....only solution to THAT is replacing the entire link bar....cheap to replace though.

 

[Bobright1!]

Thanks will look again and report back if I find something.