Wheel squeak/chirp

[LS1Hawk]

May be more of a general question, but the last couple times I took my Firehawk out, I've been hearing a squeaking/chriping sound from the driver's side; I believe it's coming from the rear wheel because it seems the sound is right next to me. Could it be the shocks? I only hear the noise when I hit a bump or I'm driving on poorly paved road. The car has only 31,000 miles on it, so it's not like they're old. But my car isn't a daily driver, so I'm thinking it might be making the noise due to the amount of time it spends sitting. Or is it not the shocks and could it be something else like a bearing or something?

[enRo]

Push the car up and down on the side u think has a bad shock. If it makes the same noise, It could quite well be that.

[Ian]

it could be the rubber shock mount

[camaro2you]

or the rubber in the lca's

[LS1Hawk]

Push the car up and down on the side u think has a bad shock. If it makes the same noise, It could quite well be that.

Yeah, that was the first thing I did when I started noticing it. But just pushing it up and down, it doesn't make any noise.

[Batman]

Probably the bushings in the LCA's

[The Fixer]

I can't imagine any rubber bushings being worn out after just 30K miles. Maybe the brake pad is loose in the caliper? They will rattle over bumps if you're not braking and they haven't been clamped down tight.

[LS1Hawk]

I can't imagine any rubber bushings being worn out after just 30K miles. Maybe the brake pad is loose in the caliper? They will rattle over bumps if you're not braking and they haven't been clamped down tight.

Me either, but I'll check the LCA's anyway. But if it's the pad would it squeak like that? I would think the sound would be little different.

[NLinnear]

I can't imagine any rubber bushings being worn out after just 30K miles. Maybe the brake pad is loose in the caliper? They will rattle over bumps if you're not braking and they haven't been clamped down tight.

My pass. side LCA bushing wore out before 30K. Time has more of an effect than mileage for these things.

[LS1Hawk]

I got my car up on the ramps today and checked it out. Everything looks alright to me. When I say that keep in mind that I don't consider myself a mechanic by any means. I didn't take the LCAs off the car or anything, but from what I could see of the bushings, they looked in good shape. No cracking or anything, and I could see a good amount of the bushings between the arms and where they bolt to the car.

So I'm still left with the question of what's causing the noise. Should I bring it in to get checked out? Maybe I'm not seeing something that someone with a better eye for these things would notice. Or is it really not that big a deal and I should just let it be?

[bad64chevelle]

mine does the same thing, started when I took the LCAs off to do the rear rebuild. I think its most likely the rubber there is showing age.

[Firehawk 526]

John, do you have the lowered Bilstein suspension system? Just curious!
Are your bump stops still in good condition? I can explain why I am asking later, depending on your response.

BTW, I changed over to re-inforced LCA's and panhard (2) years ago, and thought same w/poly bushings. Everything checked out on mine also!

If you race frequently (40-50 passes over time), the bump stops completely eroded placing a hardship on the shock/spring setup, so that is why I asked. In addition, IMO, the pinion angle on my adjustable TA(torque arm) was also impacted. So I replaced the rear level one SLP suspension w/GC perches, 175# springs (b/c of extra 400#), and 4th gen SA Koni's. TO DATE, I have no more issues. Does sound typical of a bushing though! It is a PITA to isolate the problem, I will concur