Creaking Front Suspension

[SoCalDMC12]

Greetings Folks,

Whilst driving home last night, I noticed a slight creaking sound coming from my right-front suspension when going over bumps, or accelerating/decelerating hard.

When I got home I tried pressing down on the right fender to compress the shock/spring, and the suspension definitely creaking. I'm guessing that the shock is going... is this a good assumption? If so, I suppose it's safe to drive for a while, as the spring is what holds up the weight, correct?

Any input would be appreciated!

[SIMid]

Mine squeaks a fair bit on the front end. I was told that the bushes need to be changed as they have gone hard and dried up (due to Alex's lack of driving). The only way to resolve it is to replace them.

I thought it could had been the sway bar bushes or shocks, but it wasn't. I had all the shocks replaced with Spax and she still squeaks.

[DMCMW Dave]

Sway bar end bushings are a huge contributor to this. I'd replace the end bushings and the clamp bushings.

[Mark D]

I had a really annoying squeak up front a while back and it turned out the lower ball joint was dry due to a failed rubber boot. Just one more thing to check if it doesn't end up being the sway bar end bushings or the shocks.

On a related note, my DeLorean club UK lower ball joints showed up today and they look AWESOME.

[bkntym]

99% i would say its the upper and lower ball joints. they have grease nipples. grease em up good and the squeek will go away. have them checked by a mechanic to be sure they are not worn out.....but the grease will fix ya up. mine squeaked and that fixed it..

[David T]

Get a grease gun and pump the tie rod ends and the ball joints. If that doesn't fix it get a spray bottle and fill it with water. Spray it at all of the pivot points one-at-a-time while moving the car up and down till you find the spot that is squeaking and then stops once it gets wet. Common culprits are the upper shock mounts, upper and lower spring perches, sway bar bushings, and control arm bushings. It *could* be a bad shock. If you see any sign of wetness it is leaking and is bad. If it is a ball joint creaking it is NOT safe to drive, it could break. BTW when was the last time the car was greased?
David Teitelbaum

[DMCTek]

[QUOTE=David T;34237]Get a grease gun and pump the tie rod ends and the ball joints.

Stock Delorean tie rod ends (rarely need replaced) don't have grease fittings.

We have fixed 90% of front end squeaks with new sway bar rubber (bushing on control arm and shackles as Dave mentioned) the only other source we have found is the lower ball joints (dry), and this was cured with a few pumps of grease.

[David T]

You can add grease fittings or use a needle and go under the rubber seal to grease the tie rod end. It should be greased. If you want you can always remove it, lift the seal and grease it by hand. Most, by now, need to have the dust seal replaced anyway. On my car I drilled and tapped the back plate and screwed a grease fitting in. Don't forget, a service bulletin added that during servicing you must also lubricate the angle drive. Also on my car, I removed the sway bar bushings on the crumple zone, cleaned and lubricated the bar and the bushings with silicone grease, and reinstalled them. Now they move smoothly and quietly.
David Teitelbaum

[SoCalDMC12]

Thanks for all of the input!

I had the 30k service done a few months ago, I believe the ball joint are checked/greased as part of that job. Assuming this is the case, that leaves the bushings and the shocks as the leading suspects for the creaking, no?

I'll post an update as soon as I know anything more.

[jmettee]

Mine creaks quite a bit just in the driveway speeds when hitting the brakes, but if I bounce the front up & down, it's silent. I believe this points to the ARB bushings as the culprit on my car & not the LCA or UCA bushings (in other words, the fore/aft flex due to braking yanks on the ARB bushings). I know my ball joints are lubed.

Might be another quick test to help pinpoint which bushings are making noise on your car.