sqweeking suspension after oil change

[snowball1288]

ok im hoping that someone can help me out.
I successfully completed my first home oil change on my lowered civic. Because it was lowered, i had to get some really low floor jacks and jack it from teh front jack points in order to get underneath. being my first home oil change (and cause im 16 and had to learn where everything was located by myself), the car was up, off its wheels for about 3 hours.

ever since that oil change, something in the front right suspension is sqweeking / creaking. ive driven it about 100 miles since then, but its still sqweeking. what could it be? how could i fix it? where do i start?

[BullShifter]

Leaving the car off the ground will not cause problems, we leave cars in the air for days. It's possible you have a bad suspension bushing or joint that was bad and now it's moved a bit more???? I would start by checking all the ball joints, tie rods, & bushings. If nothing is found spray them all with grease and see what happens. I don't suggest spraying grease before inspecting because you could have a safety issue such as a bad tie rod. If one of those break you loose steering. Another thing if the car is lowered so much that spring tension is lost during lifting the springs could have turned. We have a customers car that pops springs every time its lifted and slight turning is needed..

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally Posted by BullShifter

Leaving the car off the ground will not cause problems, we leave cars in the air for days. It's possible you have a bad suspension bushing or joint that was bad and now it's moved a bit more???? I would start by checking all the ball joints, tie rods, & bushings. If nothing is found spray them all with grease and see what happens. I don't suggest spraying grease before inspecting because you could have a safety issue such as a bad tie rod. If one of those break you loose steering. Another thing if the car is lowered so much that spring tension is lost during lifting the springs could have turned. We have a customers car that pops springs every time its lifted and slight turning is needed..

Along the same lines, I'd check to make sure the springs re-seated themselves properly when you put the wheels back onto the ground. My Tein coilovers used to have over 1" of play in the springs when the wheels were off the ground! So I adjusted the perches so there there is NO play in the springs between the spring seat and top hat, but it didn't raise the height any which was nice. Spring play is bad, imaging what happens with them when you have play when going over bumps or having any of the corners of the car at full de-compression...

[snowball1288]

thanks for the help so far.
I took a look, and it was pretty dirty in the wheel well - all those leaves falling and getting stuck everywhere. i took it in for a carwash that had an undercarriage wash.

For the rest of that day, the sqweeking was totally gone. not a peep from the car. i even took it on the rough spots around our driveway to check it. nothing.

now that its all dried out, i hear a little sqweeking again. not as bad as before. i think something in there just needs a little oil or something and it'll be quiet.

still, that doesnt explain how LIFTING it created the sqweeking problem. You guys are probably right about the spring not settling back in properly.

actually, hte car rides a little low on the right side too, maybe two or so millimeters difference from the other side. i wonder about that sometimes. springs dont go bad right?

[SilverY2KCivic]

Yeah, actually not bad, but springs CAN and do settle after time. Good springs like the ones that Tein guarantees should sag no more than 5mm after time. Is it on the passenger or driver's side? If driver's side that is natural as more of the car's weight is on that side since the engine sits more towards the driver's side. If on the passenger side, then I dunno...

[BullShifter]

Originally Posted by snowball1288

still, that doesnt explain how LIFTING it created the sqweeking problem. You guys are probably right about the spring not settling back in properly.

Ball joints & tie rods are basically a ball in a socket, as the socket wears the ball doesn't fit as it should. When the weight is releived there is pressure put in an abnormal direction which could cause it to shift. Same thing goes for bad bushings. Any metal to metal contact can cause noise. I would still check the ball joints, tie rods, & bushings for wear, replace as needed. If nothing is found white lith. spray grease will do the trick. Even though Honda uses sealed type bushings they still should be lubricated as indicated in any factory repair manaul.

[snowball1288]

so i took the car into les schwab the other day. they took a look at the underside and said that i had blown a shock and that the oil from teh shock was dripping onto some suspension bushiing and causing the sqweeking sound...

does that sound possible?
ive been shopping around for new shocks (ive always wanted aftermarket struts to go with my neuspeed springs!). im considering koni yellows or tokicos, but i want to make sure thats the problem before i go ahead and do it.

i still havent actually gotten to look at it myself (i know, i know, im lazy, lots of other things to do. its my project for the weekend.) but does this sound possible?

[BullShifter]

Sure it's possible but I would verify it myself. You should see a damp strut right under the boot.

[snowball1288]

ok.... so i think i do need new struts.

im considering keeping my current Nuespeed springs and adding Koni struts. im also looking at Eibach's sport kit, with springs and struts. those should be tuned to work together properly, even if they're not adjustable, so im wondering if i should use those. I think the price of four koni's is about the same as the full eibach sport kit.

any suggestions?
btw thanks again guys!

[BullShifter]

If you were using Neuspeed's on stock struts they are shot. Another option you may want to consider is H&R's Cup kit, it's matched spring and struts. I've never personally installed the Eibach struts & springs but never heard a complaint. H&R is always my first choice & rec. when it comes to suspension. Check www.modacar.com they have some matched packages.