General Maintenance & Repairs - Help Me Track Down This Squeak!***VIDEO***

im having a bit of an issue that is very hard to diagnose. im having a high pitched squeak (almost sounds like a cricket) sound from the right rear. ive taken everything out of the trunk, spare tire, antenna even. stuck my head back there as my friend drove the car and could not pinpoint this noise. now heres the tricky part, it only makes the noise from 55-70 mph and on very minor cracks in the road. if i drive slow or even drive over rough road and go over bumps it wont make a single sound. its only on highway speeds and on very slight bumps while cruising and its driving me up a wall. i tightened every bolt i can find in the rear including lca's/brackets/panhard, i even greased wherever there was fittings. still the same noise. im running out of options, some guy mentioned it could be my rear sway bar? thats stock. i have 25k miles and everything is original except for the springs/lca/brackets/panhard.
Suspension squeak - YouTube
http://s106.photobucket.com/user/ls1guy/media/20120418-160935-1.mp4.html
I HAVE FOUND SOMEONE WITH A BETTER VIDEO WITH THE EXACT SAME SQUEAK! CAN ANYONE TELL WHAT THIS IS?

are your lca and panhard greased up or tighten

are your lca and panhard greased up or tighten

i greased them up and tightened the bolts, except for the left side of the panhard when i put the grease in it just fell right out of where i put it in from. ive had the panhard on the car for 5k miles with no issues until now.

i have attached a video for help, please turn up your speakers. the squeak is from the back of the car but im driving so its tough to hear

ill throw in a picture of my gf modeling on a trans am if someone can put me in the right direction..

ill throw in a picture of my gf modeling on a trans am if someone can put me in the right direction..


LOL hahaha


im on it

have u checked your sway bar links

have u checked your sway bar links

No, are those rubber bushings?

yea they are

Sway bar links are in the front or back?

Both they are we're the sway bar ends

bump for any other ideas

update : i have bought new fittings so everything was greased up. i have tightened every bolt under the sun. i have tightened my whole exhaust. and it still makes that high pitched metallic squeak. the only thing that is mind boggling me is that if it was suspension related wouldnt it make that noise over most if not all bumps in the road? and also why is it only doing it at highway speeds? ive noticed as the car gets warmer from driving around it tends to make the squeak more frequent

try unbolting your shock(s) from the body,in the rear and let em swing out of the way, or take them off, see if the noise goes away.

try unbolting your shock(s) from the body,in the rear and let em swing out of the way, or take them off, see if the noise goes away.

im not a suspension expert..but i dont think you can just unbolt your shocks and drive..

sure you can, or will it do it if youj ust bounce on the rear of the car?

the ass end of the car will be very bouncy without the shocks, but the car dosent absolutley need shocks to drive.

sure you can, or will it do it if youj ust bounce on the rear of the car?

the ass end of the car will be very bouncy without the shocks, but the car dosent absolutley need shocks to drive.

you can move/shake/push/bounce the car all you want. wont make a peep. only highway speed and over little tiny bumps/dips in the road and it makes a metal squeaking noise

Check your rear exhaust hangers.
Get up under the car and grab everything one at a time and push/pull in every direction, bang on things etc. to try and get the noise to come up.
Put the stock LCA's and PHB back on if you still have them and see if that helps any.

Check your rear exhaust hangers.
Get up under the car and grab everything one at a time and push/pull in every direction, bang on things etc. to try and get the noise to come up.
Put the stock LCA's and PHB back on if you still have them and see if that helps any.

i tried banging on everything and i cant get it to replicate. the only thing i have is my stock panhard

After listening to your video the solution is apparent. Your exhaust is too quiet. :jest:

In all seriousness, it sounds like a loose washer or something jingling once in a while. Like somebody mentioned in an earlier post, removing the shocks is an option for the rear to eliminate a possible source of noise. Shocks are only mandatory in the front.

My experience when it comes to noise in these cars is not to drive yourself crazy about it. My suggestion is to make sure everything suspension related is tight and leave it be. These cars are noisy by nature and will never be like a BMW in that regard. Everytime I go on a crusade to fix a rattle or squeak a new one pops up shortly after. It sucks, but it is what it is.

I had a nasty squeak that dam near drove me crazy. It turned out the be the top mount for the drivers rear shock absorber. The shock shifted in the hole so the metal stem on the top of the shock was touching the body. New rubber shock bushing on the top mount took care of it. Good Luck

update with someone elses video same squeak, can anyone tell what this could be?

I take for granted that you checked the over the axle exhaust section where it almost touches the upper panhard bar (unless you have installed a relocated upper bar)??

I take for granted that you checked the over the axle exhaust section where it almost touches the upper panhard bar (unless you have installed a relocated upper bar)??

i checked everything with the exhaust, nothing touches there

bump still looking for more opinions

Take out the rear seat back and seat bottoms and ride back there while someone drives. I've seriously ridden upside down in the passenger seat of a car trying to find a rattle.

Pics of gf and I'll think about helping.

Take out the rear seat back and seat bottoms and ride back there while someone drives. I've seriously ridden upside down in the passenger seat of a car trying to find a rattle.

i took everything out already, had a mechanic sit back there with a stethoscope or however you spell it, it was coming from around the gas tank, but theres nothing up there that would squeak??

Have you checked the UPPER mounting point for your rear shocks? I just replaced mine and the way the two bushings are sandwiched through the hole with washers and then nuts might be a culprit. I'd also check the spring isolators for your rear springs to make sure that there's no issues there.

Remove all the heat shielding around the tank underneath and try it then.

Good points by a couple of people on the rear shock bushings.

i am going to give those two a shot and will report back later on

Have you checked the UPPER mounting point for your rear shocks? I just replaced mine and the way the two bushings are sandwiched through the hole with washers and then nuts might be a culprit. I'd also check the spring isolators for your rear springs to make sure that there's no issues there.

although if this was it, wouldnt it make this noise over all bumps? not just highway speeds and little cracks in the road

although if this was it, wouldnt it make this noise over all bumps? not just highway speeds and little cracks in the road

I don't know, but when it comes to the little irritating squeak that makes you crazy, I would leave no stone unturned.

that kinda of sounds like bolt being loose , i'd want to check my exhaust if it's moving or not if you here the sounds more to the middle of the car check your torque arm's mount and tighten it up (if stock).

other than that i'd say grease one thing at a time till the sound goes then you'll know.

Changed out my rear springs today and have similar. Going to lube everything and I've got some rubber sheet to make an isolator ring for the lower perch. That'll be tomorrow since I'm whooped right now. I can make mine do it by pushing down on the rear end which makes it easier to find.

Just an update...
Mine was exactly what a couple of others mentioned, the top shock mount. The bushings they use are kinda cruddy. Some have a ridge molded into them that help the bushing pop into the hole and keep the edge of the hole isolated. Ours don't. It must've moved some after relieving the pressure on the shock-to-body after dropping the rear down to replace the springs. Weird because it's been fine after putting another rear under it a couple weeks ago.

Anyways, removed the nut and top bushing, dropped the rear to relieve pressure and straighten the shock up, jacked the rear back up, coated the hole with lithium spray grease, reinstalled the bushing/plate/nut, and it's gone....for now. Getting to it on a convertible sux.

Just an update...
Mine was exactly what a couple of others mentioned, the top shock mount. The bushings they use are kinda cruddy. Some have a ridge molded into them that help the bushing pop into the hole and keep the edge of the hole isolated. Ours don't. It must've moved some after relieving the pressure on the shock-to-body after dropping the rear down to replace the springs. Weird because it's been fine after putting another rear under it a couple weeks ago.

Anyways, removed the nut and top bushing, dropped the rear to relieve pressure and straighten the shock up, jacked the rear back up, coated the hole with lithium spray grease, reinstalled the bushing/plate/nut, and it's gone....for now. Getting to it on a convertible sux.

only problem with that is, i wasnt able to replicate the noise by bouncing the car so im not sure if its the same noise but its def worth looking into

Instead of bouncing, grab the fender well and lift up.

only problem with that is, i wasnt able to replicate the noise by bouncing the car so im not sure if its the same noise but its def worth looking into

I'd check what the other folks are saying. Trying diagnose a rattle or squeak while by pushing on the car while parked doesn't always happen. Likewise, I wouldn't get too caught up on the speed in which it happens. It could be that when the air pushes on the car it pre-loads the suspension and then when you hit a bump your particular car wants to make a squeak. As mentioned above....leave no stone unturned. Trust me...after 15+ years of driving semi trucks I hate squeaks and rattles as much as the next guy....but you can't get too focused when hunting them down. Often times it's something way off from what you were thinking. Good luck.....I feel your pain.

im going to hopefully take care of that recall the weekend with the rear backing plate and see if thats the problem and will report back