Suspensions issues...

[SDG]

Well since my car is having problems I might as well fix others issues I've been lagging on and get it all done.

Do any of you know a lot about suspension on the Protege5?

My suspension seems totally shot. I just hit 100k miles but its been shot for awhile now. I get creaks, bangs, and this weird woobly noise at certain speeds..sounds like my wheels are bouncing around between a short distance or something...sort of hard to describe. When I hit a pot hole or something its like BANG! I am a bit confused on the suspension on the Protege5, I've read about bushings causing issues so I don't know if its the struts or what. Seems like struts would last longer than 100k miles. Some of the creaks and noises sound unsafe...so it probably is and I should get it fixed.

What is recommended to figure out what work I need on suspension? Its an 02' so of course I am no longer under warranty..

I just want my lil Protege5 to last me till I can afford the GT-R! lol

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Start checking bolts, bushings, strut leaks etc. Tighten whatever is loose, replace whatever is toast & lube those creaking sway bar bushings. Clunking while turning is probably cv joints. Loud wobbliness might be wheel bearings, tires worn funny because of mislignment or just out of balance. Start with crawling under & having look see while checking bolt tightness & see what else you find. It will only get worse.

 

[SDG]

One of the noises I really can't figure out. When I hit a large bump at speed it sounds like something is loose within the suspension setup...that's the wobbly thing I was talking about.

 

[bgibb68]

if you still have the orig struts....def time to replace....i replaced mine at 90k and both fronts were blown (oil leaked out) and the rears were worthless...the creaking and popping could be the bushings on the sway bar being ripped

 

[SDG]

Yeah Im sure its all shot. The back doesnt make noise but the front sounds completely messed up. Unfortunately I dont have the money to fix it now since my alternator needs replacing this week..but I do need to figure out what is wrong with the suspension.

What do struts and sway bar bushings run for price?

 

[bgibb68]

hit ken(from protege garage) up for bushing and you should be good with the sway bar....and you could probaby find a set of struts on here for a hundred or so.....all new struts from autozone(or elsewhere) are like 200+

 

[SDG]

Yeah I took the sway bar off last night to replace the battery...the bar seems ok..but the bushings must be shot. Same for the struts I would guess. I can't do that work though..have to find a mechanic to fix that stuff I think. I am going to take a stab at fixing the alternator myself but suspension might be too much for me to do. Thanks much for the info!

 

[bgibb68]

i replaced mine in like 3 hours....springs and struts....and i had no books andit was before i got on the forums....it's easy

 

[SDG]

Really? What is involved...I figured it would be hard to do.

 

[bgibb68]

nada...pretty easy....put car on jack stand, pull the wheels....remove strut tower bar and the rear trim in the back....

you loosen the nuts on the top of all the strut plates and the linkage bolts that hold the bottom of the strut to the hub.

put spring compressors on, remove the top nut off the strut. replace what you want and then go backwards

 

[bgibb68]

oh and most important if and when you do it....go get the car aligned...front and back

 

[SDG]

Yeah that doesn't sound too hard. Easier than replacing the alternator from what I have read..I am dreading that! ugh

So there is some kind of bushing on the sway bar that goes bad? Man, some of the noises coming from my front end are very odd. Clunks and weird vibrations...

 

[bgibb68]

is it at certain speeds? turning? idle?

 

[SDG]

Hitting any kind of bumps causes a bobbling sound...and a thud if its a big bump. It creaks when turning the wheel sharp at semi slow speeds.

When around 60mph it makes a vibration sound which goes away above 65mph or so.

 

[bgibb68]

the vibes sounds like a wheel is out of balance....creak when turning could damn near be anything.....and yeah replace the struts......good lil cars we have....but as with everything else stuff needs replaced when ya got about 100k on em......mine still runs pretty much like new still and i've only relaced belts, tires, and the suspension

 

[i12drivemyMP5]

Creaking while turning could be the strut hat bushings being all dried out

 

[cantin03]

If the creaking is heard when the car is stopped and slowly turning the wheel, it's the stabilizer control link that are becoming dry. After a while, the creaking sound disappear and the "bouncing" sound appear. It's a very dry sound like walnuts that are bouncing in the wheel well. You could try to shake or turn the links (4) with your hand to see if they are shot. It's a common problem on all protege and it's easy and cheap to replace.

 

[cantin03]

The same creaking sound could also occur if someone sits or get out of the car...

 

[808MP5]

Yeah I took the sway bar off last night to replace the battery...the bar seems ok..but the bushings must be shot. Same for the struts I would guess. I can't do that work though..have to find a mechanic to fix that stuff I think. I am going to take a stab at fixing the alternator myself but suspension might be too much for me to do. Thanks much for the info!

Hmm to keep the confusion to a minimum. The sway bar is on the bottom and the strut tower bar is on the top. I would almost be sure your front struts are blown or completly worn out from your description of a "bang" when u hit pot holes. That bang is your suspension bottoming out.

And yes cracking noises while turning at a stand still or moving slowly could either be your sway bar bushings, endlinks, or strut mount bearings.

 

[eszoom]

at 100k miles that bang could be dead struts or maybe just the strut bushings or stops. if you don't run your car hard and you don't see your struts leaking, look at the bushings on top the struts.