1987 Chrysler 5th Avenue Suspension creak

PHILNTULSA

MEMBER
1987 CHRYSLER FIFTH AVENUE
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
48,000 MILES

Guys. When pushing up and down on the car driver side front area, it is making this creaking noise that is similar to how the old box spring mattresses sound when you jumped up and down on them as a kid. I had new front shocks put on it which didn't do a thing. My mechanic, who I don't think really wanted to mess with it, told me it was probably the bushings. The bushings look good. Not gone or cracked or anything and I have sprayed them down with silicone spray a couple different times within a few days. In fact, everything that resembles rubber I have sprayed down from front to back to no avail. It's not bad on the highway with the windows up, radio and AC on. But leisurely driving thru a neighborhood w/ the windows down is embarrasing. What am I missing? Could it be a spring issue?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

Hi philntulsa. Welcome to the forum. Look at the pivot for the lower control arm. The nut is visible on the front of the cross member. Two things can happen. The pivot bolt can become loose and the hole in the cross member will elongate causing a weird sensation like the tire and wheel is falling over when going around a corner, and the bushing can deteriorate causing the squeeking you're hearing. It can be hard to reach from above, but if you douse it with Mopar Spray White Lube or possibly Silicone Spray Lube, the squeeking will stop for up to a few days. The only permanent fix is to replace the bushing.

Two things to watch when replacing these bushings are to measure the ride height of each corner of the car because you will have to release the tension on the transverse torsion bars, then readjust them later. Second, it is very important that the bolts for this type of bushing are never tightened until the vehicle is sitting at normal ride height. If the car is jacked up with the suspension hanging down, the bolt will hold the bushing in a permanent twist when the car is lowered to the ground. That will lead to early bushing failure.

Caradiodoc

1987 Chrysler 5th Avenue Suspension creak

1 Reply

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