Those Really Annoying Front End Noises

Dr. Snooz is familiar with my frustrating quest to quiet down the front end. Last week I replaced the bushings at the ends of the front strut rods. That helped with the "clunking" I had been hearing for years. Some time ago, I broke down and bought OEM front UCA's and ordered new pivot hardware from Majestic Honda. After only a few weeks the squeaking was back. I took apart the driver side UCA again and used a lower temp grease (I originally used wheel bearing grease). That one quieted down and the passenger side was still pretty quiet. As soon as the weather fell below 60 degrees the right side started sounding as bad as an old metal bed - I kid you not. I took that one apart over the weekend and changed the grease. There is no way I can torque mine to 40 ft-lb. If I do that they both make horrible noises just moving the UCA's by hand. I literally have to adjust them like an old wheel bearing, making them just tight enough to be snug, but not so tight that they squeak. Knowing my luck, as soon as it warms up again I'll be hearing noises. It is embarrassing to me to try to show off how nice the car is when it sounds like a total bucket-of-bolts. I just don't get why it was quiet for years until the first time the UCA's were replaced. I figured going back with all OEM grade parts would be the fix. Heck, they cost more than twice as much as the aftermarket crap.

I used spray on silicon grease, on EVERYTHING. Bolts, inner metal bushing, outer rubber bushings, and torqued them down properly. Now the only noise i get is from the strut bushings being bad.

I use a product called "syl-glyde". Comes in a metal tube, great for brakes or any rubber component.

http://www.agscompany.com/lubricants/canadian/205

Looks like good stuff. I think my torque wrench may not be that great so I probably made them tighter than I should have, originally. I check the self locking nuts on the UCA mounts periodically to make sure they are not backing off from vibration so they seem to be good right now. If I have to take them apart again I will definitely try the Sil-Glyde.

And, SE-i, replacing the strut rod bushings helped with the clunking. The car actually "feels" better over bumps because of the lack of noise. That may sound strange, but I think you understand. I got KYB brand bushing sets for $10 each (with shipping) from Rock Auto.

I use Energy Suspension 9.11104 Formula 5 Prelube Grease, I like the other suggestions as to some other lubricants to keep on hand.

I just used plain old white lithium grease on everything and I haven't heard a peep. Maybe some slight scrubbing on cold mornings as I'm driving out over the first set of speed bumps. I'm not in a particularly cold area, so that helps.

I wonder if there is a way to convert from bushings to sealed cartridge bearings on those pivots? Those for sure would not squeak.

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Originally Posted by DBMaster

I check the self locking nuts on the UCA mounts periodically to make sure they are not backing off from vibration so they seem to be good right now.

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Didn't Honda also loctite these?

I originally used white lithium grease with no luck. My mechanic said he felt that type of grease was too thin in hot weather. The stuff I am using is a middle of the road lithium chassis grease. It should be just the right stuff and seems to be working (so far). I like the sealed bearing idea! Hmm.

I don't recall loctite on the original nuts. The shop manual specified replacing the nut so that was one of the new parts I ordered from Majestic. It is a self locking design and I have not seen it back off no matter how loose I have made it. It's a fine line. If you leave it too loose you get some clunking when shifting into reverse. I think it's good now, but as I said, the amount of tightness seems to vary with ambient temperature and my experience so far has been that if it is quiet in the cold it's noisy in the heat and vice versa. I think the car is alive and likes to screw with me!

I know the feeling of having front end noise. My right front wheel seems to make what sounds like bad tire noise. Almost how a running on a flat sounds like. I figured it'd go away when I got new tires back in September....nope. My stepdad suggested wheel bearings, but they seem pretty solid. I'm at a loss at trying to figure it out. There is also a slight vibration with it. It seems to be at its worse at about 40 mph.

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Originally Posted by wh1skea

I know the feeling of having front end noise. My right front wheel seems to make what sounds like bad tire noise. Almost how a running on a flat sounds like. I figured it'd go away when I got new tires back in September....nope. My stepdad suggested wheel bearings, but they seem pretty solid. I'm at a loss at trying to figure it out. There is also a slight vibration with it. It seems to be at its worse at about 40 mph.

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I'm having the same issue at the moment, Ive done everything (Upper and Lower ball joints, Upper and lower bushings, inner and outer tie rods, bearings)
Someone on here suggested a bad axle, a friend of mine side he had the same problem with his 4th gen and it was his rack...

I'd say it's a bad wheel bearing. My '76 had a very slight roughness to the RF tire. It was like driving on the freeway when the pavement changes. I took it to the shop and they told me there was no problem. I was too young and poor to do anything more, so I drove on it for another 50k miles. When I finally did the repair, the wheel fell apart when I took the spindle nut off. I had just returned from the mountains the day before, having driven on that bearing down a very long, narrow, winding mountain road with a deep chasm yawning on one side of it. I could have died if it had come apart on the road.

If you're going to change the wheel bearing, you might as well replace the lower ball joints while you have the knuckle off.

I'm planning, once it gets warmer in these parts (Mar or Apr), to replace all the bushings, ball joints, shocks, brakes (front and rear). I'll probably replace all 4 wheel bearings and the passenger CV axle while I'm at it. Front was replaced at the end of summer. Maybe I can get the noise to go away then.