General Maintenance & Repairs Leaks | Squeaks | Clunks | Rattles | Grinds

My car feels like it's falling apart.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-28-2007, 10:44 PM
  #1  
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
 
slikrider20's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default My car feels like it's falling apart.

Went for a drive tonight, with the radio off. I have a HUGE pet peeve for squeaks/rattles and any other type of sound you can imagine. Center console, t-top plastic covers, windows, dash, trunk......everything...And i don't see any possible fix for this. Especially when i go over a bump and they all do it at the same time, makes me want to just kill somebody. It's that bad....the car only has 63,000 miles and it didn't seem like it had ANY when i bought it. I always take bumps slowly when i can't avoid it but it just seems like it's getting worse. It's also 23 degrees out, i don't know if that contributes or not. It's so bad the first thing i do when i get in someone else's car is listen for squeaks or rattles, and they all hardly squeak at all compared to mine. When i hit just a little dip in the road it made this sound from the rear almost like the sound of a trampoline when your jumping on it.....Maybe i just need to upgrade the suspension, i don't want to end up lowering it and have it be any worse than it is now. I wish i could drive with the windows down and t-tops off...really can't hear anything then. Anyways i just thought i would get this off my chest i don't think anyone has this peeve as bad as I..... I'm serious. It's killing me..

I also noticed, (depending on the road) the car will sometimes drive perfectly straight, or it will pull hard to the left, or right for that matter when i let go of the steering wheel. It's not consistent though, its almost like a ghost is coming down and grabbing my steering wheel.

Every time i hit save to update this post i think of something else. The sound of the air blowing through the windows at 35 plus also drives me NUTS. I think i am going to get a corvette next. From what i've heard, they don't have these problems and still go fast.

Last edited by slikrider20; 09-18-2012 at 06:34 AM.
Old 11-29-2007, 12:06 AM
  #2  
TECH Senior Member
 
JD_AMG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St.Charles MO
Posts: 5,801
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes on 15 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by slikrider20
Went for a drive tonight, with the radio off. I have a HUGE pet peeve for squeaks/rattles and any other type of sound you can imagine. Center console, t-top plastic covers, windows, dash, trunk......everything...And i don't see any possible fix for this. Especially when i go over a bump and they all do it at the same time, makes me want to just kill somebody. It's that bad....the car only has 63,000 miles and it didn't seem like it had ANY when i bought it. I always take bumps slowly when i can't avoid it but it just seems like it's getting worse. It's also 23 degrees out, i don't know if that contributes or not. It's so bad the first thing i do when i get in someone else's car is listen for squeaks or rattles, and they all hardly squeak at all compared to mine. When i hit just a little dip in the road it made this sound from the rear almost like the sound of a trampoline when your jumping on it.....Maybe i just need to upgrade the suspension, i don't want to end up lowering it and have it be any worse than it is now. I wish i could drive with the windows down and t-tops off...really can't hear anything then. Anyways i just thought i would get this off my chest i don't think anyone has this peeve as bad as I..... I'm serious. It's killing me.
Couple things here.
First off, temperature does matter, the colder it is the harder your rubber suspension parts are, and the more dense the air is in your tires, and the fluid in your shocks. The cheap plastics in the interior also gets more stiff, making it easier to rattle.

What tire pressure are you running? Try somewhere around 32 front, 30 rear, and go lower if needed.
Next up, you are on stock shocks right? Thats a problem in itself. Im on lowering springs, and bigger sway bars and my car has zero rattles, thats right, none. Why? My shocks damper the suspension correctly. The stock ones have too much compression and not enough rebound, bad for ride and handling. I would seriously consider investing in some Koni SAs, you can buy them from Stranoparts.com, and Sam can tell you everything you need to know about them, installing and setup. Yes they are pricey, but worth every penny, no other shock for cheaper will compare.

I also noticed, (depending on the road) the car will sometimes drive perfectly straight, or it will pull hard to the left, or right for that matter when i let go of the steering wheel. It's not consistent though, its almost like a ghost is coming down and grabbing my steering wheel.
Thats called tremeling (sp?), all cars with wide front tires will do this.


Every time i hit save to update this post i think of something else. The sound of the air blowing through the windows at 35 plus also drives me NUTS. I think i am going to get a corvette next. From what i've heard, they don't have these problems and still go fast.
Only 35mph??? Sounds like you need to align your window.
Old 11-29-2007, 12:18 AM
  #3  
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
 
slikrider20's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by JD_AMG
Couple things here.
First off, temperature does matter, the colder it is the harder your rubber suspension parts are, and the more dense the air is in your tires, and the fluid in your shocks. The cheap plastics in the interior also gets more stiff, making it easier to rattle.

What tire pressure are you running? Try somewhere around 32 front, 30 rear, and go lower if needed.
Next up, you are on stock shocks right? Thats a problem in itself. Im on lowering springs, and bigger sway bars and my car has zero rattles, thats right, none. Why? My shocks damper the suspension correctly. The stock ones have too much compression and not enough rebound, bad for ride and handling. I would seriously consider investing in some Koni SAs, you can buy them from Stranoparts.com, and Sam can tell you everything you need to know about them, installing and setup. Yes they are pricey, but worth every penny, no other shock for cheaper will compare.


Thats called tremeling (sp?), all cars with wide front tires will do this.



Only 35mph??? Sounds like you need to align your window.

Okay thanks for the reply, unfortunately from what i saw, the 850$ on just shocks alone, is a little out of my budget. I guess i'll just have to turn the radio up higher. Actually, i have my 245/50/16 stock tires on now, it doesn't even do it as bad as with the 275/40's. And the 35mph is the very start of where you can hear any wind at all. It's reallya bout around 60 and higher. It's not bad enough to leak when i wash it, but you can definitely hear alot of wind coming through.
Old 11-29-2007, 12:25 AM
  #4  
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (19)
 
2002_Z28_Six_Speed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Wash, DC
Posts: 4,539
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

Your car will pull and shimmy because of how the suspension is. A minivan might drive straight on a banked road and your car will fly off of it unless you are holding the wheel.

If your toe-in isn't set right it will effect this. Camaro have 0 degrees and I bet it might be positive under power which will cause darting. There is some movement because of the panhard which causes the rear end to shift left and right.

In the end, you can mod your suspension all you want but nothing short of a different car will stop it all. You can get alot of it to go away with mods. Do realise that your car with a wishbone in front is quieter than a compact with a macpherson but you will have a camber curve with the shorter/upper a arms.
Old 11-29-2007, 12:51 AM
  #5  
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
haacer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

I made the switch for performance moreso than rattles, but I just love the way my car handles. If it squeaks I can't hear it over the exhaust.

I put on Edelbrock shocks with Eibach springs. The difference was night and day. Before the suspension upgrade I didn't even want to drive the car. Now I look forward to driving it.

Edelbrock IAS Shocks run about $80/ea, are a drastic improvement, and are guaranteed for life.

http://www.google.com/products?ie=UT...as+camaro&um=1
Old 11-29-2007, 12:54 AM
  #6  
TECH Senior Member
 
JD_AMG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St.Charles MO
Posts: 5,801
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes on 15 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by slikrider20
Okay thanks for the reply, unfortunately from what i saw, the 850$ on just shocks alone, is a little out of my budget. I guess i'll just have to turn the radio up higher. Actually, i have my 245/50/16 stock tires on now, it doesn't even do it as bad as with the 275/40's. And the 35mph is the very start of where you can hear any wind at all. It's reallya bout around 60 and higher. It's not bad enough to leak when i wash it, but you can definitely hear alot of wind coming through.
You can get the 4/3 package and save about $100:
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...ID=0&ModelID=7

Either way I cannot describe to you how much of a difference these make with ride, handling and feel. If I ever own another fbody, the very first thing I will do is put Konis on it. Have you ever driven a BMW 3 before?
Old 11-29-2007, 01:06 AM
  #7  
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
haacer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 202
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

How about SFCs to minimize body flex? I saw another thread where someone claimed that the dash didn't rattle anymore, t-tops fit perfectly, etc, etc...
Old 11-29-2007, 06:44 AM
  #8  
TECH Senior Member
iTrader: (11)
 
SparkyJJO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,195
Likes: 0
Received 10 Likes on 9 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by slikrider20
I also noticed, (depending on the road) the car will sometimes drive perfectly straight, or it will pull hard to the left, or right for that matter when i let go of the steering wheel. It's not consistent though, its almost like a ghost is coming down and grabbing my steering wheel.
Not sure about the first part, I have my share of rattles and vibrations but compared to my old car it is nothing. It actually sounds pretty good to me But this here sounds familiar, depending on the road my car will want to go left some, right some, or straight. I know it isn't the front end because I just spend a bundle and got that all fixed up there. So I'd venture to say that is normal.
Old 11-29-2007, 12:02 PM
  #9  
TECH Senior Member
 
JD_AMG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St.Charles MO
Posts: 5,801
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes on 15 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by haacer
How about SFCs to minimize body flex? I saw another thread where someone claimed that the dash didn't rattle anymore, t-tops fit perfectly, etc, etc...
That would be a band aid fix. Body flex is not the problem, and generally SFC's make the ride more harsh because they transmit NVH into the cabin.
Old 11-29-2007, 01:08 PM
  #10  
TECH Fanatic
 
FiredUpZ28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Elgin, Il
Posts: 1,287
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

mines starting too. My LCA bushings squeak, theres a rattle in the front somewhere (I think I'm missing a socket too coincidentally), the seat squeaks every time I adjust myself, and the exhaust hits when I go over a decent size bump. I love my Chevys but MAN are they poorly made.

I have heard SFC's help T tops cars a lot though. Tonight I'm getting a can of WD40 and going crazy.
Old 11-29-2007, 01:24 PM
  #11  
TECH Senior Member
 
JD_AMG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St.Charles MO
Posts: 5,801
Likes: 0
Received 16 Likes on 15 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by FiredUpZ28
I have heard SFC's help T tops cars a lot though. Tonight I'm getting a can of WD40 and going crazy.
All these cars start out as t-top cars. A very thin piece of metal is over laid to make the "hard top" cars. If you want to fix interior rattles there is one for sure fix: good shocks. One of the whole purpose of shocks is to absorb impacts from bumps, the stock shocks do not do this (too much compression like drag shocks) and will cause the interior to rattle because of it.
Im telling you strait up, after I had the my shocks installed the few rattles I got over bumps went away (and there was a dramatic increase in handling, road feel, and overall comfort.) Ask anyone who has them, these are hands down the best mod you can do for these cars.
Old 11-29-2007, 09:41 PM
  #12  
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Z Fury's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 1,595
Received 10 Likes on 7 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by JD_AMG
Im telling you strait up, after I had the my shocks installed the few rattles I got over bumps went away (and there was a dramatic increase in handling, road feel, and overall comfort.) Ask anyone who has them, these are hands down the best mod you can do for these cars.
I'll echo this statement. The sub-frame connectors help a lot, but pale in comparison to a good suspension setup. Go with new suspension (and sub-frame connectors, if you can cover it) first though. Night and day different. My '94 ran so smooth, I thought it was a different car!
Old 11-30-2007, 04:55 AM
  #13  
Staging Lane
 
johnnydi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

When I first got my car in April with 14,000 miles on it I noticed the pulling as soon as I got back to New York's wonderful roads. I drove it from Tennessee with no problems. I can fully relate to the ghost pulling at the wheel. It's like JD Amg said with the wide tires. They pick up every imperfection in the road. On top of that being that the car is actually 6 years old even thought it looks brand new, the tires were dry rotted and therefore very stiff which amplified it. One I put on new tires the problem went away. I put on Continental Extreme Contacts. They were a lot cheaper (half the price) of the Goodyears and overall are OK but they do shake slightly until they warm up.
For the T tops I would use a silicone grease on the rubber seals as well as the doors and hatch. That might cut out a lot of the squeaking and also a conditioner on the dash and seats making sure you get it into anything that rubs. Spend a day on it and take things apart if you have to. It will be worth it because if your like me you will eventually get pessed enough to break something
Old 11-30-2007, 07:17 AM
  #14  
On The Tree
 
highwaywonderland's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by johnnydi
For the T tops I would use a silicone grease on the rubber seals as well as the doors and hatch. That might cut out a lot of the squeaking and also a conditioner on the dash and seats making sure you get it into anything that rubs. Spend a day on it and take things apart if you have to. It will be worth it because if your like me you will eventually get pessed enough to break something

My T tops squeaked too and I did like he suggested above and the squeaking stopped. Also my car kept pulling to the left and I checked the tire pressure and it was much lower than the right. I put some air in it and the pulling stopped. It could be something simple like that you could easily fix.
Old 12-01-2007, 08:30 AM
  #15  
TECH Fanatic
 
bricez28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: long island new york
Posts: 1,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

lol i hada thread about this earlier. my whole hatch are rattles and sounds like plastic rubbing. im about to strip the car lol
Old 12-01-2007, 08:38 AM
  #16  
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Splitz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Fort Worth / Crowley / Burleson, Texas
Posts: 1,097
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

I had the same issue and solved it with about a $1400 outlay.

My stock car did the same after I bought it with about 36k miles.

Complete suspension fixed ALL the probles (LCA, TQ Arm, SFC), still stock shocks/struts and the car no longer pulls or squeaks!
Old 12-01-2007, 10:48 AM
  #17  
TECH Veteran
iTrader: (19)
 
2002_Z28_Six_Speed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Wash, DC
Posts: 4,539
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

Originally Posted by Splitz
I had the same issue and solved it with about a $1400 outlay.

My stock car did the same after I bought it with about 36k miles.

Complete suspension fixed ALL the probles (LCA, TQ Arm, SFC), still stock shocks/struts and the car no longer pulls or squeaks!
Do you run some other type of power adders just wondering about that gear selection with the cam and converter in consideration. Exhuast looks really cool there.
Old 12-01-2007, 11:28 AM
  #18  
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
 
Splitz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Fort Worth / Crowley / Burleson, Texas
Posts: 1,097
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

The gear selection is not suggested with my modifications.

I'm currently saving for a new rear (Moser 12 Bolt, Dana 60).

I'm probably going to goto 3.73
Probably going to swap converter with Yank 4000

Then the monster will be complete....well, for now probably....
Old 12-01-2007, 02:51 PM
  #19  
TECH Resident
Thread Starter
iTrader: (9)
 
slikrider20's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 878
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts

Default

Well i'm still living at home (i'm 19) and probably will be moving out up the road 40 miles in Lincoln to go to school so i need to save up money for that, so i will have a good base to go off of. I guess i'll just have to get by for now. I'd really like to get the window leaks fixed. I just can't stand the sound of the air flying through.
Old 12-01-2007, 04:31 PM
  #20  
TECH Fanatic
 
FiredUpZ28's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Elgin, Il
Posts: 1,287
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post

Default

will V8 shocks work with a V6? I know spring rates are different but how about shocks?


Quick Reply: My car feels like it's falling apart.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:57 PM.