'92 GTP, Why is it making this noise?

[crazyd]

I greased the outer tie rod and ball joint, why is it still making this noise?

 

 

[55trucker]

How long has it been since the strut bearings were lubricated or replaced?

[GnatGoSplat]

Yep, strut bearing can make that sound.  Does it make that sound on the ground too?  I feel like I remember them being noisier with no load.

[crazyd]

Never, I didn't know there were strut bearings, and nowhere in the FSM does it mention lubricating them as part of regular maintenance.   In fact, it says there is nothing that needs lubrication in the suspension at all.

[crazyd]

It's making some weird groaning noises when turning the wheel on the ground, and that's what it does in the air.  Been doing this ever since I swapped to the 96s for the upgraded brakes.

[55trucker]

The bearings were never intended to go unattended for periods this long.

they are located in the centre of the lower spring seat, in a steel encased raceway, I can't remember precisely but there is approx 60 maybe 70 small ball bearings in the race.

One has to disassemble the strut off the car to get at them. I've done them twice now in the time I've owned the car. Even tho you can hear the groaning you may still be able to salvage them, one has to remove the race from the spring seat, remove the upper cap, drop them all out into a pan & clean them all, clean out the raceway, reapply a healthy amount of EP grease and set them back into the race, press the cap back down on & reinsert the race back into the spring seat.

It is time consuming....and one needs a spring compressor.