Suspension Squeak Question (Frankenlift) Now with Video

jmark · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:02 pm

Hello,

Put my frankenlift in over the weekend, put about 200mi on it since i got it in, noticed a squeak on the passenger's side that i can reproduce by compressing the suspension up front.

Any ideas? I was thinking (and hopefully not UBJ) or is this the swaybar?

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:31 pm

odds are swaybar -
1) make sure you tighten bolts when it's down - not with wheels in the air.
2) spray some Silicon lube on the swaybar mounts
(somewhere there's a thread about grease zerks - but that's kinda overkill)

jmark · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:36 pm

ATXKJ wrote:

odds are swaybar -
1) make sure you tighten bolts when it's down - not with wheels in the air.
2) spray some Silicon lube on the swaybar mounts
(somewhere there's a thread about grease zerks - but that's kinda overkill)

I only pulled the upperside of the swaybar when i did the lift, the only thing i torqued on the ground was the lower clevis bolt.
I'll get some silicon lube and nail the swaybar mounts and see if makes a difference. I'm tempted to buy a set of mounts and put zerks on em if that turns out to be the issue.

brettacuff · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:44 pm

You should probably post a picture of it. :wink:

jmark · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:49 pm

brettacuff wrote:

You should probably post a picture of it. :wink:

The franky or the video of the noise? its dark here, so I'll get it in the AM.

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:13 pm

loosen the swaybar end and retorque while it's sitting on the ground - it'll be happier.

jmark · **Posted:** Tue Jun 28, 2011 10:19 pm

i had BIG issues getting the swaybar bolt in on the passenger side, so im thinking thats part of it.

Why it happened 200mi after the lift is the bigger question.

jmark · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:29 pm

Got a video of the noise the best i could:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffSXvgdJgY

Tell me what you think. I hit everything with silicone spray and it made no difference.

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:41 pm

Due to the material that the spacers in the Franky are made from you will have some strange sounds until it gets broke in good.
What you need to do is do a long weekend of 4 wheeling and it will be broke in and no sounds then. I have Franky parts in mine and it did the same thing until I went to the Badlands Off Road Park.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:43 pm

Poly used for spacers or bushings will make noise,no way around it and some get it while others do not.

jmark · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:51 pm

So its NOT ball joint failure? The one side noise scared me... esp considering i have only about 15k on this set of ball joints.

Its a really great upgrade from stock and im happy i spent the $$$$ on it, I was just getting a little panicked considering how similar it sounded to LBJ failure which ive heard all too many times before.

I'm happy you guys are here! if i cant get her off road i'll take her through a hard romp through Manhattan.

Heres a pic of her after the lift (need to pull the side steps off)

And what constitutes breaking it in? 100+mi off road?

infernicus · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:59 pm

I had all different kinds of noises after I lifted my truck.
Everything went away eventually.
Now I have another weird creaking after about 17k, I'm trying to figure it out..

Like Tom said, beat up the suspension a bit and let everything settle.
If you can't get off road speed up a little and hit the brakes to let the nose dive, even hit a couple of those longer speed bumps a little faster, lol. Just don't break anything in the process, lol.

And, like Troy said, rubber makes noise, no way around it.

Yours definitely sounds like a rubber squeak.

Take the sway bar brackets off, one at a time, and wash the rubber bushing. Then spray some more silicone spray and put back on. Hopefully it will go away.

If not spray some silicone spray where the springs sits on the rubber spacer.

Anyway, good luck!

jmark · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:03 pm

i expected some noise, it started after 200 miles hopefully it'll go away after 200 more miles.

Thankfully where i am some of the roads truly suck.

brettacuff · **Posted:** Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:46 pm

The All J website answers a few questions and gives some tips. Some of which were already discussed on here. http://www.boulderbars.com/frankenlift_faq.htm

jmark · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 12:04 am

UPDATE:
:POPCORN:

put about 50mi on it today including hitting every bump i could find and whacking some nice speedbumps at about 40
Now its coming from BOTH sides

Disconnected the swaybar links for a few minutes and compressed it, same noise, so I ruled out the swaybar.
Hit everything with Silicone lube, i'm thinking maybe the stock A-Arms dont like the new angle and are making noise? Thats where it sounds like its coming from, whats the best way to verify/fix?

Zack A · **Posted:** Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:41 am

jmark wrote:

UPDATE:whats the best way to verify/fix?

JBA Arms!

jmark · **Posted:** Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:24 am

Verified it!

Coming from the the bottom of the spring where it touches the spacer. Lubed it up the best i could and the sound got a touch quieter.
next step: a little off roading in the Adirondacks to make it settle in nicely.

jmark · **Posted:** Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:27 pm

Good News!

The sqeaking subsided after about 2000 mi

Thanks for all the help!

tommudd · **Posted:** Tue Sep 06, 2011 3:51 pm

see told ya so :goink:

Suspension Squeak Question (Frankenlift) Now with Video

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