Squeeks - Struts?
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Squeeks - Struts?
Hello Folks. I'm pretty new to the corvette world and would like to get some input from you. I'm hearing some pretty excessive sqeeking (especially when it's cold) every time I hit the slightest bump. I'm thinking that it could be my struts because it sounds a lot like it did when the struts went out in my old Cavalier. My Corvette Car is a 2000 year model with only 25K miles, but I guess the age alone could mean it's time for new struts? What do you guys think? Can replacing the struts be a DIY job? It seems like it'd be a pretty big pain in the ***, but since my Vette is not a daily driver, I might consider DIM if it's doable. How much money would I be looking at in parts?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,799
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
St. Jude Donor '08
Corvettes don't have struts. They have shocks and composite springs, along with anti-sway bars.
I would look to see if anything is loose first and also make sure all the rubber bushings look okay. Since you have a 2000 the end links on your anti-sway bars are plastic and you should look into buying some metal ones. They go for about $100.
I would look to see if anything is loose first and also make sure all the rubber bushings look okay. Since you have a 2000 the end links on your anti-sway bars are plastic and you should look into buying some metal ones. They go for about $100.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,707
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles
Corvettes don't have struts. They have shocks and composite springs, along with anti-sway bars.
I would look to see if anything is loose first and also make sure all the rubber bushings look okay. Since you have a 2000 the end links on your anti-sway bars are plastic and you should look into buying some metal ones. They go for about $100.
I would look to see if anything is loose first and also make sure all the rubber bushings look okay. Since you have a 2000 the end links on your anti-sway bars are plastic and you should look into buying some metal ones. They go for about $100.
In the event that you ever need new shocks, they are DIY's. About 2 hours with basic tools.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,937
Likes: 21
From: Waldorf MD
I would bet it is your swaybar bushings. Use silicone grease (diaelectric grease). I lubed all surfaces that touch metal, not just the inside diameter.
You can jack up car, use ramps, or leave it on the ground.
Torques are:
Front 43 ft-lbs
Rear lower nuts 70 ft-lbs
Rear upper bolts 49 ft-lbs
Be careful with rear, do not cross thread or you will have major problems.
You can jack up car, use ramps, or leave it on the ground.
Torques are:
Front 43 ft-lbs
Rear lower nuts 70 ft-lbs
Rear upper bolts 49 ft-lbs
Be careful with rear, do not cross thread or you will have major problems.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 1,660
Likes: 9
From: Charlotte, NC
No disrespect to anyone, but Silicon grease did nothing for me.
I used White Lithium Grease and it worked like a charm. It seems to be much thicker whereas the Silicon spray was a lot like WD-40.
I second the notion of the two rubber bushings on your sway bar. If that is not the problem, then replace the endlinks with metal ones.
You can get a set of new metal endlinks from Gene Culley for about $84.
Oh yeah. A strut is when you have a spring wrapped around a shock. Corvettes don't have the typical spring your accusomted to seeing on cars. They have leaf springs, similar to what you often see on the back of pickup trucks, except laterally mounted and not stacked. Just one big black beam in the back and another in the front.
I used White Lithium Grease and it worked like a charm. It seems to be much thicker whereas the Silicon spray was a lot like WD-40.
I second the notion of the two rubber bushings on your sway bar. If that is not the problem, then replace the endlinks with metal ones.
You can get a set of new metal endlinks from Gene Culley for about $84.
Oh yeah. A strut is when you have a spring wrapped around a shock. Corvettes don't have the typical spring your accusomted to seeing on cars. They have leaf springs, similar to what you often see on the back of pickup trucks, except laterally mounted and not stacked. Just one big black beam in the back and another in the front.
Last edited by FASST LN; Feb 6, 2008 at 06:53 PM.
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Drifting
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,523
Likes: 5
From: Holly, Michigan
Oldvetter is referring to dielectric grease, not silicone spray. Dielectric grease is the stuff you use when you are lubing the spark plug boots or electrical connections. By the way, GM recommends it for lubricating the weatherstripping on the Corvette as well. It's thick stuff. I'd go with the dielectric grease...
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Safety Car
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,799
Likes: 1
From: Northern Virginia
St. Jude Donor '08
^^The end links on your sway bars are probably plastic unless the previous owner upgraded to metal end links. Metal end links did not become standard until 2002. So there should be some play. Also, since you have the stock rubber bushings that will also result in greater deflection (play).
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 9,369
Likes: 4
From: Zephyrhills, Florida
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13
Won't work!! Been There,Done That!! I took the 2 centers out(4 bolts and the bar will drop down) and spread the thick rubber bushings open and took a dremmel and cut 6 very small slits about 1/2 inch long and 1/32 deep in the middle of the bushing crosswise not to the edge around the bushing,this made a small place that would hold Molly wheel bearing grease!! Put it back together and it's been fine for 18,000 miles!!! Chevrolet replaced them twice before under warranty and they started squeaking within 3,000 miles!!Spray lube cant penetrate to the inside and they are very tight so they squeak!!When or if they start again,I'll pull it down and grease it again, it will take about 10 min.!!!
Thread Starter
7th Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
From: Houston Texas
Oh Yeah, while I'm down there, is there anything else I should lube? Will there be any grease fittings to squirt? It looks like I'm going to have to lift it up because I tried looking under it yesterday to get at the end links and I can't see s*#t in there without lifting it up. I saved some instructions about building these wooden cross members etc, so I'll probably get to work on that this weekend.
Racer
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: Monterrey, Mexico Nuevo Leon
I have some Camaros before my Vettes an always had a rear sawy sweak... I always used grease and the problem was solved..
Today, I have a 98 coupé with 6K miles and starts to hear the sweak, tooked of the bushings and use some oil like transmission but didnt stoped the noise, I tought that might be the leaf spring bushings and when I lifted the car, hears the noise from the sway´s bushings... I used graphited (or something like that) grease, and works 99.9%, so perfect I tought!!!
The next week, used again the car and now I hear a noise more like a tap just like the ends of the sway but when looked at that, looks nothing loose, you know?, I mean, has only 6K and are thight, so.. the question is: Might be the leaf spring bushing that could be loose?, Do I need to replace the bushings??
Today, I have a 98 coupé with 6K miles and starts to hear the sweak, tooked of the bushings and use some oil like transmission but didnt stoped the noise, I tought that might be the leaf spring bushings and when I lifted the car, hears the noise from the sway´s bushings... I used graphited (or something like that) grease, and works 99.9%, so perfect I tought!!!
The next week, used again the car and now I hear a noise more like a tap just like the ends of the sway but when looked at that, looks nothing loose, you know?, I mean, has only 6K and are thight, so.. the question is: Might be the leaf spring bushing that could be loose?, Do I need to replace the bushings??