Squeaking from front strut tower

Try spraying with a rubber spray, here in Australia, our holdens have the
same problem. Or you could replace the polyurethyne rubber buff that sits on
the top of the strut housing. They wear out and go hard which causes the
squeaking. Damn annoying. Before undoing the top part of the strut, jack up
and use proper clamp, that hold the springs.

Good luck

Peter
Australia
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Tommy, pay special attention to Mike M's WARNING: Do not attempt disassy. or
reassy. of strut w/out specialized equipment. Us diy'ers, including me,
usually don't need it enough to purchase such a setup. Without it, it can
be a dangerous attempt. sdlomi2
 >> Stay informed about: Squeaking from front strut tower 

Mike Marlow wrote:

"tommy" <none RemoveThis @000.com> wrote in message news:1202482_2dd73bd4ddc569b7cad820fe4db5f18e@autoboardz.com... > Our 2003 Cavalier suddenly started to squeak from the passenger front > - it’s more like a squawk - and not just around corners, or bumps, it > squawks loudly going straight ahead even over small pavement cracks! > Jiggling the body with the hood raised, the squawk seems to be coming > from the top of the strut tower. A few months ago, the front "hub > assembly" was replaced on that same side under warranty, although > that may be just coincidental. The car has 60,000 miles and had been > a leased vehicle before we bought it 2 years ago. The warranty lapsed > a couple of months ago! > > What’s most likely the problem? And what is needed to fix it? > End cap bearing on the strut. Common problem. You'll have to remove the strut from the car, and disassemble the strut to replace the bearing. Removing the strut is easy enough for anyone with decent skills and tools, but disassembling the strut requires a really good spring compressor setup, and some understanding of the amount of spring tension you're working with. The hub and the strut bearing failures are purely coincidental.

Thanks guys! So is replacing the "strut mounting plate" the common garage repair? I've read there's a bearing inside that commonly siezes due to GM's poor design. But rather than doing the labour to replace just the bearing, the whole mounting plate assembly is swapped out. Also, I need to keep costs down - so is it reasonable just to replace the mounting plate that's failed (if that's the problem), then reassemble the old strut without replacing it or the mounting plate on the other side that hasn't failed yet? It would save $70 Canadian to have both done now as the cost of one alignment is that amount, but the mounting plates are $80 each and the labour cost would double. How long do the mounting plates last????

Don't worry - I'm a DIY - but unless it's a simple bolt off - bolt on fix - like brake rotors and pads - I'm not going to tackle it.

As for lubricating the rubber mount, I'm tempted to try that. But with the Krown rustproofing, the strut assembly is still dripping oil - and there's plenty of rain in a Canadian spring. In fact, it may have been water getting into the bearing that caused it to seize, again assuming that's the problem.

Thanks again.

Mark
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"tommyhorse" <none DeleteThis @000.com> wrote in message
news:1202595_e4f3ea7feb15fab7d53a5427a2ccdcfa@0000.com...

>
> Thanks guys! So is replacing the "strut mounting plate" the common
> garage repair? I’ve read there’s a bearing inside that commonly
> siezes due to GM’s poor design. But rather than doing the labour to
> replace just the bearing, the whole mounting plate assembly is swapped
> out. Also, I need to keep costs down - so is it reasonable just to
> replace the mounting plate that’s failed (if that’s the problem), then
> reassemble the old strut without replacing it or the mounting plate on
> the other side that hasn’t failed yet? It would save $70 Canadian to
> have both done now as the cost of one alignment is that amount, but
> the mounting plates are $80 each and the labour cost would double.
> How long do the mounting plates last????

All you need to replace is the bearing. No need to replace the cap. Won't
serve any purpose. As far as what you do in total, there is no need to
replace anything but the bearing unless the mileage is upwards of 100,000
miles. At that point it might well be worth changing the struts.

>
> Don’t worry - I’m a DIY - but unless it’s a simple bolt off - bolt on
> fix - like brake rotors and pads - I’m not going to tackle it.

Then you won't want to tacke any more of this than removing the strut
assembly from the car. Take it somewhere to have the strut compressed and
the bearing swapped out.


--

-Mike-
mmarlowREMOVE DeleteThis @alltel.net
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