Trialsin26 Posted July 1, 2005 Share Posted July 1, 2005 (edited) Just wondering if anyone else has the same thing going on after they lift there Pathfinder. I have about 3,000 miles on my OME suspension upgrade. Recently I have notice after my pf sits for long periods of time, usual over night or after 9 hours at work, when I turn the wheel for the first time it make this noise almost like rubber on metal or rubber on rubber. The best way to describe the sound would be if something sat for a long time and then you moved it, like a stiff sound. It only does it when I turn the wheel to the left or right for the first time then its ok. Does anyone else notice the same sound with a suspension upgrade? Any idea on what it could be? Is it just the springs settling or is something I need to look into further? I really don’t feel like taking the front end apart again. Thanks Edited July 1, 2005 by Trialsin26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted July 2, 2005 Author Share Posted July 2, 2005 (edited) OK, I think I figured out what the noise is. I took my PF to the local alignment shop to get the tires rotated and balanced. They are pretty cool down there and I asked if they would take a look at my strut installation and see if there was anything I did while installing that might cause the noise. From what they could see everything looked good. They said the noise could be the strut mount bearings but since it only happens the first time I turn the wheel and not after, more then likely that’s not it. More then likely he said it was the gaskets around the shaft of the struts making the noise when I turn the wheel. So I’m going to try an spray some silicon lube up under the strut boot a lube it up a bit. Eventually I guess it will wear in. Edited July 2, 2005 by Trialsin26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_andrew Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 i have the same noise going on with my 01. i "lifted" it last fall, and it just started making that noise about a month ago. it is especially loud when i turn the tires while not rolling. i think it may be more than just gaskets rubbing, but i havent taken the time to really check it out. hopefully this weekend i will get a chance to investigate it more. also, i get a large "clunk" when i uncompress the front springs whenever i go over a pothole or something like that. it sounds really bad. for the life of me, i cant figure out what the heck that is. anyone else with that problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted July 3, 2005 Author Share Posted July 3, 2005 I don't get any kind cluncking sound, and the noise I hear only happens once when i turn the wheel for the first time. I have looked at it as close as I can without taking it apart. In your case it sounds like the strut bearing might be bad. Did you replase these when you installed your new springs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snosnk Posted July 3, 2005 Share Posted July 3, 2005 also, i get a large "clunk" when i uncompress the front springs whenever i go over a pothole or something like that. I'll bet the clunk you hear is your struts topping out. When your front tire falls into a hole the springs will push your strut to full extension. Thus the clucnk. Just slow down a little when you hit a bump. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marc_andrew Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 that makes sense. i did have the struts replaced when i swapped in the new coils, which are much stronger and taller than the stock coils. its probably much easier to top the struts out than when stock. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herm Posted July 4, 2005 Share Posted July 4, 2005 Mine had a rubber on rubber (or steel) type squeak after the Emu coils were installed on the KYB struts. Also seemed to happen when turning - we sprayed the strut towers and everything suspension related with a basic aerosol lube and it went away. That was a couple years ago and it never returned. That's the easy place to start anyway. A worn strut bearing noise is not a squeak, it's more of a creak. The topping out noise is a clunk, and it doesn't happen on Emu coils - only on the 2inch lift coils. Methinks you just have a dry spot somewhere in the coil/strut relationship. m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted July 5, 2005 Author Share Posted July 5, 2005 Thank Herm, that's what i figure. I'm going to try an lift it next weekend and get everything sprayed down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted July 8, 2005 Author Share Posted July 8, 2005 Ok, sprayed everything down but that is not the problem. Looks like it's the new brake pads I installed a couple of months ago. They tend to rub a little when I turn the wheel for the first time. I can't figure out why they would rub but I think that's the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 You should probably be aware that spraying the area around the strut mount won't actually have much, if any, affect on the strut bearing. Because of the labor to replace the spring and/or strut, it's usually a good idea to also replace the strut bearings (which are relatively cheap) while you're at it. Here's an example of a strut bearing that's toast: Notice that (1) any grease that used to be inside the bearing has long dried out, and (2) the bearing material (some kind of plastic) has been badly grooved. There is a lot of pressure on that little plastic piece. If it's worn or dry at all, it will stick, causing the "popping" noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trialsin26 Posted July 9, 2005 Author Share Posted July 9, 2005 X - thanks for the info. i did replace the strut bearing when I installed the new struts. There is no popping noise just a rubbing sound. I'm just going to leave it alone for now since it only happens once when I turn the wheel for the first time. This might be what marc is hearing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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