Creaking and knocking around front shocks

[leojharris]

hey there ...

 

i just bought a 95 XE with 140k on it.

 

as i've been driving, on the slow starts

and stops, i hear a regular low frequency

creaking/popping sound from the corner

post areas, just beneath the floor board.

sort of muffled and dull, not real violent

or severe or anything. also, hear a more

pronounced, dull knocking when going

over bumps.

 

my thinking is that it's probably some

kind of bushing? or maybe the shocks

need changing? i think the shocks are

original ... the rubber bushings on them

look ancient, anyway.

 

one more question ...

 

is there available any cheap, easly installed

methods of leveling the body from back to

front? the back seems to be quite a bit higher

than the front of my truck.

 

so, first questions of many to come.

 

thanks for any assistance ..

.joel.

[SC88Pathy]

Can't help you with the noise other than to just say that my pathy makes a lotta suspension noises just driving around.

However getting the front to sit level with the back requires no money, just a little bit of time and some wrench work. Just adjust the torsion bars to the point where everything is even (when I got my upper ball joints replaced the shop adjusted mine free of charge).

Here are instrustions on how to adjust your torsion bars: http://www.geocities.com/pathfinderoffroad/techtbarlift.html

[Newton]

Hi leojharris,

I had a knocking sound in the front of my Pathfinder. Could really hear it on rough roads.

It was the sway bar link. On the R-50 Pathy it connects the sway bar to the strut, it's about 7-8 inches long.

You could allso check the struts for leaks.

This is about the extent of my knowledge.

[RedPath88]

Check your shocks to see if any oil has leaded out of them... are they coated in old oil, or wet dirt and road grim?

 

Mine did mush of the same thing and in my case it was the shocks that were bad and in need of replacement.

 

If you happen to have the chance, have someone drive next to you on a higher speed limit road, like a hwy and have them watch your tires for excessive bounce. When mine first started doing that, it was noticeable from outside but did not "really" change the ride all that much.

 

Another way to check would be to remove the shocks and compress/extend them by hand.. no or little resistance indicates that they need replaced

[glenn]

Another thing it could be is the bushings at the the control arms, especially if you had them replaced with poly. Also use the search engine; in one of the pinned posts there is reference to other causes as well. Good luck it took me a long time to narrow it down to the uppper control arms---glenn

[Mr. Pickles]

Hi leojharris,

I had a knocking sound in the front of my Pathfinder. Could really hear it on rough roads.

It was the sway bar link. On the R-50 Pathy it connects the sway bar to the strut, it's about 7-8 inches long.

You could allso check the struts for leaks.

This is about the extent of my knowledge.

He's driving a 95, hence not an R-50, no struts, etc.

[zonianbrat]

:confused: I too have this weird creeking noise in my 97 pathy. especially when i am going under ten mph and turning and when it is cold summer time i hardly notice it. it is rather annoying so if anyone know's what this is please tell me i want the problem fixed. thanks....

[leojharris]

i figured it out today.

 

was rocking the truck from the outside

and could here it quite clearly just beneath

the corner posts and, as it turns out, it

was a screw (looks like it connects body

to frame) that was pointing down and making

contact with the smitty bars that are installed

as a step up. the smitty bars look like somewhat

of a hack job as they had to spot weld the front

sections to the frame ... don't know.

 

i cut the bolts clean on both sides and

it worked like a charm. totally quiet. which

now leads me to believe i might not need

shocks after all. but then again, it's got

gabriels on it and i think those are kinda

cheap.

 

anyway. thanks for the assist.

 

.joel.

[mws]

Good detective work! And the best part was the repair cost!

 

And yeah, Gabriels are kind of cheap. But if they work, use 'em! And use the money on something else...

 

I'm using..... SEARS ROADTAMERS! 'Cuz that's what was on it when I bought it. I saw them and said, "Ugh - those are gonna suck - might as well plan on replacing immediately."

 

But lo and behold, they ride great! And offroad? Just dandy! I even LOOKED for reasons to hate them so I could justify replacing them. But I can't. So they remain. I just hope no image conscious critics look up my pathy's skirt and think any less of her.

 

 

Oh, wait a minute, I couldn't care less what they think!

 

After all, it's not how they look, it's how they perform! sly

Edited January 10, 2006 by mws

[Precise1]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it !!" I follow this as much as possible and find it rarely steers me wrong ! Well, ok, the project VW I fix when I can regardless, and the Pathy I break, then wonder how I'm going to fix it... But you know what I mean !!

 

B

[vidro]

CREAKs, POPs, BANGs, CLICKs, and KAPOWs have always bothered me when I've encountered them on my vehicles.

These really frustrate me on vehicles less than 3 years old or newer.

That being said I do not buy new and most of MY cars, not my wife's, are purchased knowing that something is wrong with them and are 10 years or older. I hope not to hear such noises but when I do I figure it's expected.

I heard a noise the first week I got my pathie on the street. I made a hard right turn and the sound that emanated from the back half of the vehicle was such I thought she snapped into.

I've heard it one other time since then, it seems to be some how associate with a hard right turn

[leojharris]

if it ain't broke, don't fix it ... yes ... true.

 

however, i had a full set of bilsteins once

and ... well ... it just sort of lingers is all.

never quite the same after. <sigh>

 

anyway, i spend a fair amount of time offroad

on the weekends during the summer and the

extra support is nice; mostly hard pack sand

with lots of trenches on the beach, sometimes

at 40 or 50mph + (depending on how good

the surf is and where we want to go). :-)

 

will most likely spend 230 for an ebay set

of bilsteins anyway.

 

next, however is fixing the speedometer and

new left cv axle.

 

thanks for the input.

.joel.