suspension making noise after strut replacement

[Windstartled]

Originally Posted by northern piper

if you aren't doing any tie rods than the alignment isn't necessary really. If you're doing the sway bar bushings and end links, the next thing is your lower control arms and tie rods. You may be looking at doing the whole thing. That's what I did last year and then got the alignment done. I was of the impression that within 6 months I'd be likely doing the rest anyway so while I had things apart..

How the f... did you manage to push the rear segment of the control arm into the bracket on the subframe? I just spent 4 hours trying to push, coax, kick, pry, hammer the dang bushing into the bracket but it just won't go and I'm just about to blow up!

It looks as if one end of the bolt tunnel inside the bushing is protruding slightly on the left side. My first thought was to grind off the offending protrusion but thought I'd check in here first in case I'm missing something obvious, wouldn't be the first time. They are Moog units in case that's relevant.

BTW I just mailed your DVD, my memory was already lousy when I was 20 so imagine at 49

[northern piper]

thinking back about when I did my LCAs I know the fitment issue did come up. I recall installing the rear attachment point first, then hauling on it to get the front lined up. Then it was the "simple" task of attaching to hub area. I know it's a bit of a struggle but it does go, assuming the bracket hasn't been bent in some way..


oh, thanks for the dvd! I"ll keep my eyes open!

np

[Windstartled]

Originally Posted by northern piper

thinking back about when I did my LCAs I know the fitment issue did come up. I recall installing the rear attachment point first, then hauling on it to get the front lined up. Then it was the "simple" task of attaching to hub area. I know it's a bit of a struggle but it does go, assuming the bracket hasn't been bent in some way..

I got the bastard

Took me all day, working in stifling heat and guzzling about 14 bottles of water (they were small bottles), not exactly the type of vacation I had in mind. Turns out that the best method of doing this is to partially engage the rear bushing in its bracket, then insert the big front bushing and insert the pin, which can only be pushed from the back. Not that easy having to poke around in that small opening in the subframe. Once the front bushing is securely pinned I noticed that the rear one seemed to be much more willing to enter the bracket when I lifted the arm from the balljoint end. In order to have both hands free I went to CT and bought a tiny hydraulic jack for ten bucks, put it on a block underneath the arm and pushed it up very gradually while tapping lightly on the arm with a dwarf hammer. When the height was right it popped in by itself.

[northern piper]

I've always been of the impression that if you can't swear for 15 minutes straight without repeating yourself then you shouldn't be doing auto repairs...


glad you got it done!

[Windstartled]

Originally Posted by northern piper

I've always been of the impression that if you can't swear for 15 minutes straight without repeating yourself then you shouldn't be doing auto repairs...


glad you got it done!

The upgrade yielded interesting results. Visually the most obvious change is that the front of the van now rides a full 5 inches higher than it used to and the vehicle is now perfectly horizontal. Goodbye low-rider and good riddance Since the strut assembly is the same height as the old one I can only surmise that the front springs on the old ones were terminally sagging under load. Another major improvement: that annoying camber is also gone, front wheels are now perfectly vertical. This is a widespread issue with 99-03 Winnies and now I'm convinced that the culprits are the lower arm assembly and more specifically the ball joint, both of mine were shot

Road test #1 was dissapointing, as soon as I hit about 10 mph a horrible grinding noise emanating from the right front wheel became apparent (the whole street could hear it). Back to my driveway, jack up the passenger corner, put the van in neutral, spinned the wheel by hand and sure enough chirp....chirp....chirp every second or so. Turns out the soft metal rotor shield had been slightly bent at the bottom during my project and was dragging against the rotor's edge. Pushed the shield back with a screwdriver, problem gone.

Road test #2 was much better. Just saying that the van handles better would be quite an understatement. I would say the handling is what Ford meant it to be when they redesigned the platform in '99 around a light truck frame instead of a car like the 95-98 models were. The result not surprisingly is that it handles like a mid-size SUV. You sit higher and the suspension is a bit on the firm side (when compared with a car or first-generation Winnie) but very stable on bumpy roads.

Gone are the metal clunks so now at last I can hear the mysterious muffled thuds many minivan owners complain about regardless of which brand/model they are driving. I am 99% convinced these come from the strut mount bushings and that the reason we minivan owners complain more about it is because we are almost sitting on the dang front wheels and there is not enough distance between the strut tower and the passenger cabin to dampen them properly. This low-level noise is not accompanied by any harshness so most people don't noticed them anymore, but me' I now hear them in almost any car I happen to be riding in.

[northern piper]

5 inches!!??

wow that's a ton of height (or loss thereof) I'm sure your van rides much better now. Good job!!

[Windstartled]

Originally Posted by northern piper

5 inches!!??

wow that's a ton of height (or loss thereof) I'm sure your van rides much better now. Good job!!

Yes, 5 inches. I knew front end was riding low so I took measurements before and after, but no measurements were needed to notice that spectacular growth. The ride is stellarly improved and with the center of gravity pushed further back it handles very well, even though I haven't had the alignment done yet. Just waiting 'til after I fix the brakes tomorrow if it's not too hot. I noticed one of the front brakes was dragging slightly but when I took the caliper apart I saw that the pistons' boots had disintegrated. Depressing the brake pedal caused one one of the pistons to pop out and brake fluid came out gushing, not good.

[sexy2014]

yes was trying to find out once you put on your new struts, why will it be making the squeeking noise? it wasn't making noise while the old ones was on there

[scubacat]

When do you hear the squeak? Over bumps or when you turn the steering wheel?

[sexy2014]

both, it even make noise like when you slow down to turn in driveway and also it squeeks when you get out of car from the passenger side

[scubacat]

It could just be a bad strut. One of the ones I replaced on my car squeak and make some noise when I first start out driving but it goes away after a little while. There's probably a seal inside that's not properly lubricated and maybe some of the oil gets on it after some movement.

If you bounce that corner of the van manually does it still do it? If so, it's probably the strut.

[phil-l]

It might not be the strut. I've seen the squeak problem in my Windstar - it ended up being the passenger side ball joint. Yes, just bouncing the van slightly by hand could make it squeak.

The ball joint doesn't have a grease fitting (few vehicles do this these days) - but working a grease gun needle under the boot worked fine for me - no more squeak.

[sexy2014]

ok thanks but its a monte carlo but I can check the ball joint or like you said it could be just a bad strut and yes it squeaks when you bounce that side, someone said it could be my tires, is that so

[scubacat]

I would suggest reposting your question to the monte carlo forum. This forum is for the Ford Windstar minivan, and any advice we give here would probably be irrelevant.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...play.php?f=114

[smata67]

It is so inexpensive (about $60), easy to accomplish, and so compelling the results that both the sway bar links and bushings should be replaced whenever any front end work is performed or about every 50K. I have had both Moog and Mevotech product there and, quite frankly, the Mevotech product is the way to go. If you go to their parts selector, they actually have two different sized bushings depending on your sway bar diameter, so mike your bar and get the exact size needed. Their sway bar link, like the Moog, has a grease fitting. But the Mevotech's superiority rests in how the joint itself is protected. The Moog has a rubber "skirt" that you can flip the other way and expose the joint. It is not sealed. The Mevo's boot, if you look closely at the pictures, is sealed at both ends (on the rod side with a wire spring), protecting the joint from water and dirt that can get into it. There is a small hole in that blue rubber skirt that begins to bleed out the grease as the boot swells when you fill it. I have an Avalon I just put these on which also has this design. The Mevo bushings for that vehicle were also made in the USA by RAMCOA or something like that, which also makes the Moog bushings.