worn struts? loose? tight?

5 years ago

my new too me 06 equinox has a weird front end shimmy?buzz when i hit bumps. it is not a clang or metallic sound. i changed 1 ball joint and control arm bushing for giggles and no difference. the other side seems fine. the nox has 140k miles and original struts. what is the theory on worn struts affecting the ride? does it seem soft? mushy? wallowy? i have jacked up front and struts extend fully. i lower nox and ride height looks normal. i can make front end go up/down with my body weight. so, struts are not locked/frozen which i hear can happen when you lift body by frame and let wheels drop. i would say the whole front end quivers when i hit a road irregularity. no better way to describe it. i even changed the steering column U-joint intermediate shaft to fix the odd steering feel that nox's are known for. it has the odd GM elec boost steering design. the elec motor is under the dash. we own a saturn vue with exact same steering setup and it is rock solid. no noise, quiver/ or buzz

Comments (9)

stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
had nox on a lift. tech looked at everything and his conclusion is to try new struts and mounts and see if it helps rattle. we checked motor and trans mounts. and subframe bushings. and steering rack bushings. cannot find anything that would explain the LOUD rattle/looseness feeling on road cracks. on a smooth road car is fine
300ft_anin
5 years ago
hi, i checked you tube and found this, might help. good luck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTciRkZeh1s
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stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
2nd tech just shrugged. i ordered new struts. going to reuse my springs as they look very nice. zero rust as the struts are very rusted. both are painted steel. hmm, maybe the springs were replaced? i figure new struts of any quality will fix an issue with worn old struts?
stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
1 strut was mush. blown. zero compression/rebound. just like in the car care videos of a blown strut. 2nd was not as bad but it was for sure not good. so, the suv feels quite a bit better. but the caliper pin bushing is pretty worn on 1 caliper and sorta worn on the other. so i think the remaining knock sound is from the caliper. got a bushing kit on order. they do sell a bushing/pin kit but i am hoping the pins are ok. the big kit is $66 at GM. the bushing alone is $6 at NAPA. and the pins are <$10 online from rockauto.
300ft_anin
5 years ago
it ought to be nice to drive without all those annoying clicks and clacks!
stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
looseness seems to be gone. ride is better. but, the light knock remains. it is not hard to hear. i inspected both strut mounts. they look fine. do i have to replace them to fix this issue? 2 different techs had my nox on lift. both said my wheel bearings are fine. i drove sisters 08 nox 100 miles to lake yesterday zero knock sound. yes i can feel the road bumps in her nox so its not like i am expecting perfection. her nox has 105k miles. mine has 145k. she has 6 month old tires. mine are not new. 2yrs old. maybe 80% tread. but they were swapped from another vehicle. so they may have some road wiggles?
stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
replaced the strut mount and noise is gone. thats life. do the strut alone and noise remains. i went cheap route. $40 for 2 struts delivered. and $18 for 1 mount delivered. so i have 58 into it. i think the mount on pass side is ok as i dont hear noise. get a 2nd one? pulling the strut is pretty easy. if you are into that stuff. which it seems i am
stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
the original mount has a rubber layer on the spring seat. but the mount itself is plastic. the new mount does not have the rubber layer. also plastic. the old mount rubber is bonded to the seat and i cannot peel it off. do i need to get a rubber layer "piece" for this setup?
stoveguyy
Original Author
5 years ago
they sent me a 2nd mount for free after i asked if the rubber layer is a big deal. so i took off 2nd old mount and put in new mount and reused the rubber bonded part. now the front end seems quiet

worn struts? loose? tight?

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worn struts? loose? tight?

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