Who knows their suspension?

[dsjoyce]

Hi guys, asked this in the AW11 thread but didn't get much in the way of a response. Maybe you can help me out?

I've had a creaking coming from the front for the last couple of months, under slow cornering conditions. Finally got the shits with it and took it to pedders. They do a check and it turns out my left hand lower control arm bolt is stripped. $75 later i get that fixed by them yesterday and it's all sweet and i'm superhappy! Today however, go over a speedbump and bam, back to the creaking.

So umm...what's the dealio. I take it they don't usually strip themselves every time you go over a speedbump? Did they just do a dud job or is this an indication of deeper problems?

Thanks for your help guys!

Oh and i had a 28 point safety check done first, and everything else came up good

[celicaboy_2000]

It possibly could be dry or worn sway bar rubbers! Try taking the D bushes of, get some rubber grease and smear the inside where the sway bar sits and refit.

Matt

[dsjoyce]

Thanks Matt, a few people have suggested this. The thing is though, that whatever they fixed seemed to work. There was absolutely no noise and the steering felt much more direct(until it broke that is).

This leads me to think that the rest of the rubbers/bushes etc are all ok. I'm just worried that some other problem may have prompted the break again...can anyone think of any?
Knowing SFA about suspension i don't really have much of a clue what could cause such a problem repeatedly

[TooF]

unfortunantly mystery suspension noises are really hard to diagnoise without seeing the vehicle. it oculd be something as simple as a loose bolt right up to a bend rod causing something to rub.

have you got rubber bushes in there or polyurethane ? if you have poly ones pull everything out and grease everything.

[Negative Boost]

Have you checked to see if the bolt has been stripped again? If it has, i'd take it out yourself and take it down to a nuts n bolts place and ask them to match it upto something really high tensil. They probably wont be able to find one with the same length shank but should get something that'll work. Then see if the high tensil bolt will strip. If not, hey presto, its fixed. If it strips, you got other problems somewhere else...

[TooF]

if the bolt is stripping out again id be asking *why* its stripping. obviously soemhing else is causing the bolt to get play or undue force on it.. replacing with a higher grade bolt is only going to move the weak point to somewhere else. no different to replacing a blow fuse with a 4" nail.

[Javal]

have you got rubber bushes in there or polyurethane ? if you have poly ones pull everything out and grease everything.

Totally agreed.

Polybushes will squeak like a rat in a microwave if not fully and properly greased.

[TooF]

hahaha rat in a microwave

ive never managed to shut up my poly bushes, i seem to have to rip the stupid things out every 6 months or so on regrease them

[Aust162]

I'd be going back to pedder's and telling them that the noise has come back. see what they say??

[Javal]

yus yus yus warranty job!111.

Also with poly bushes, every surface should be greased. even the inside of the crush tube / bolts / where the bush presses into.

They DO stay quiet if you do it right.

[dsjoyce]

if the bolt is stripping out again id be asking *why* its stripping.

That's exactly what i wanted to know. I guess it could be as simple as they did a dodgy job, apparently it had already had some sort of repair work done to it (by the previous owner i assume, he was a mechanic) and that might of stuffed things a little. I'm taking it back to pedders on thursday and we shall see what happens...

Ps - almost certain that the car has normal bushes

[Negative Boost]

So, just to clarify, the thread on the bolt for the LCA is stripping?

If there's been previous repairs to the thread in the past and then again at pedders, i don't like the chances on there being much thread left at all.

[dsjoyce]

I have little idea how it all works, but the dude said that the bolt was stripped and they'd replace it. Safety check sheet says "L/H lower control armbolt stripped".

Does the bolt screw into the actual lower control arm? If this is the case i guess it'd need welding up and retapping or similar? Perhaps they just stuck in a new bolt and thought that'd do the job.

Like i said, i know SFA about suspension, so thanks for your help guys and gals

[Negative Boost]

This is an MA61 but same LCA mounting as the AW11.

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar.../FA/FA_015.gif
(step 4 shows the best pic of the LCA to chassis mounting)

The bolt slides through the whole lot (chassis hole-LCA bush-chassis hole) and has a nut on the other side.

I'd be interested as to what pedders say.

Sam