rear struts

[killermrob83]

'94 GP SE......everytime car goes over even the slightest bump, serious rattle from both sides in the back......calipers are not loose, struts are tight, trailing arms are brand spanking new and tight, rear leaf is not broken, can't find anything loose. Any ideas? I have jacked the vehicle up and removed both rear wheels to check for any looseness or something out of the ordinary, used a rubber hammer and smacked on the struts........almost(faintly) sounds like something could be loose internally, but the struts function properly when the vehicle is on the ground, meaning that they rebound normally after being compressed. I suspect that the struts are the problem, but I hate to replace parts until I find the culprit. Your comments/suggestions are appreciated!

[richtazz]

IF your car is equipped with a rear sway bar, the sway bar bushings could be the culprit. The end bushings attach at the rear strut lower mounting bolts (toward the front of the car), and the other two bushings hang from brackets off the rear sub frame. The other famous place for rattles on these cars is where the transverse leaf spring meets the rear spindle. There is a rubber pad there and when it wears out, it will make the rear of the car rattle and squeak.

[jstower]

Originally Posted by richtazz

IF your car is equipped with a rear sway bar, the sway bar bushings could be the culprit. The end bushings attach at the rear strut lower mounting bolts (toward the front of the car), and the other two bushings hang from brackets off the rear sub frame. The other famous place for rattles on these cars is where the transverse leaf spring meets the rear spindle. There is a rubber pad there and when it wears out, it will make the rear of the car rattle and squeak.

I have the same problem with my '94 SE. As a temporary fix I found that you can simply lube the rubber bushings on the sway bars with white lithium grease. It will last for about 1 month depending on road conditions.