New top mounts and bearing now I have creaky steering?

[V8Monaro]

Hi everyone,

I have just had all my springs and dampers with the better stuff on my Monaro VXR 6.0, new top mounts and bearing plus a couple of handling packs supplied from MF. I have had creaky steering which gets worse after sitting in the sun for a while. A little annoying as it was creaking before which promted this major overhaul, the springs and dampers have definitely tightened things up but the creak is actually worse now. Would this only be due to bearings alone (hopefully not as they are new) or are there other things that could be the culprits? The noise almost sounds like its coming from the interior of the car when turning the steering wheel at slow speeds ie parking, you can also hear it from outside the car, and it definitely gets worse when hot.

Also this might just be something that has been magnified with the new suspension but there is some play in the steering which I am sure was not there before. The alignment has been set to the recommended settings for road response pack, which I know are not necessarily correct everytime, so I can get this re-adjusted but alignment would not cause play in steering would it?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[TheRealFingers99]

Can only guess -- I don't know that car and don't know your car. I'd suspect a fitting error. Take it back.

[V8Monaro]

Fitting on all the parts I received all seemed fairly straight forward. I suspect the alignment needs re looking at as the car pulls left a little. But I can't see that causing play or creaking, especially since the creaking was there before. Are there any other steering components that can cause creaking?

[arh1a]

I have the exact same problem too which started about a month ago. I also have all the bushes changed, new Pedders top mounts, Pedders shocks, Pedders ARB Drop links, Track rod ends etc which were fitted last year. I get the creaking and sometimes a loudish ping when I do a sharp turn at low speed and is definitely the passenger side. It only happens when the engine bay is hot especially after being stuck in traffic so something is getting affected by heat soak but what that is I do not know. If you park up let the car cool down a bit then when you drive the creaking has gone up until everything is hot again. I've jacked the car up and cant seem to find anything wrong everything is tight and not had any problems since I've had the car since September so it seems related to the hotter weather as well. I know this doesn't help much but your not alone with this problem.

[V8Monaro]

Well atleast I know I'm not the only one! Very annoying this I'm not sure what else to replace really.

[arh1a]

V8Monaro said:

Well atleast I know I'm not the only one! Very annoying this I'm not sure what else to replace really.

Only thing I can think of is the Lower Control Arm but don't think the ball joint would make the noise or get heat soak from the engine as its quite far away. When I checked it there was no play at all and normally when they go they knock not creak. Apart from that everything has been changed like yourself by the sound of it. I agree very annoying indeed!

[vxr2010]

I had this with the road response pack , I sprayed a bit of liquid grease on the new bush parts and noise went away , I had originally greased the new bits too

[monkfish1]

It can often be that the top mounts have got "cocked" a little bit on installation. They are a tapered design which seats into a cup on the top of the mount. If they dont seat square when you drop the car back down, the bearing takes all the load on one side. Then the creak or groan.

A little silicone grease on the tapered parts prior to fitment normally avoids that problem.

[snowwolf]

Like Roger said, I stripped mine down when I changed the springs, put silicone rubber grease like Molycote on the tapered bushes, also popped the ball race apart and packed with good grease, not had any creaking since but I dare say it will need doing again at some point, have done about 10k miles with no creaking.

[VinceM]

Put silicone grease on when I did mine and no creaking since, was nearly a year ago now.

[mailer555]

I've got a VXR8 and just started to notice a creaking sound coming from the passenger front side when turning the steering wheel? any ideas as it sound similar to what your noticing.