Undercarriage squeaks driving me crazy

[jv68gt]

ok, my 68 gt has always squeaked a bit for the past few years that i've owned it, but over the past 6 months or so, there are a few annoying high pitched "giggling" undercarriage squeaks that are starting to drive me bats.

the squeaks happen when shifting gears, or going over bumps, and sometimes just from the vibration of the motor idling.

i've crawled under the car with a flashlight looking for anything that looks like it could be tightened, but i just don't know what i'm looking at.

understandably, no one can diagnose a squeak that they can't hear, but maybe there are a few leading contenders of potential squeaks that everybody knows about (except me) that you might be able to point out to me to have a go at with a wrench or lube.

the squeaks seem to be coming from the rear for the most part, but there are some noisy ones up front as well - again, all in the undercarriage.

any comments or help would be appreciated so much.

thanks guys!

-jim

 

[2+2GT]

You don't have those silly urethane bushings in your suspension?

 

[zachfeen]

Hell it really could be anything. If it squeaks from the engine vibration I am going to guess it could be your motor mounts, rear leafs tend to squak likle crazy if the bushings are not lubed well.

 

[jv68gt]

thanks for the replies guys.

my leaf spring bushings appear to be regular black rubber. but they are dry looking, with little cracks in them. what should i lube them with?

the front end suspensions bushings look like some kind of blue rubber - they could be urethane, i don't know. they feel "harder" than the rear bushings, so maybe the fronts are urethane. whatever they are, they were installed by PO.

for the motor mounts - should i lube those, or just try to tighten them?

thanks a lot for your help.

my best,
jim

 

[2+2GT]

Look for loose bolts, tighten any you find.

 

[BarnStang]

One part that will squeak a lot is the upper A arm bushings. THey have grease fittings (usually-if they arn't broken off) and you can try greasing them, but by the time they start squeaking its too late. If you do decide to replace the bushings to see if that's it, buy the whole A arm(s), it's far easier for the money. You have to take the A arms out anyway so it saves the hassel of rebuilding the new bushings into your old A arms...and you will need an alignment afterwards. Save the shims, they can be reused.
Old worn shocks can squeak too, but not that common of a squeak source. If it squeaks at idle, you should be able to track it down. Also, you can try pushing down on the front bumper to see if the suspension is squeaking, but sometimes you can't duplicate the noise manually.

 

[ron67fb]

If your car is lowered the front sway bar can rub against the strut rod. Once the paint wears off and metal is exposed it can cause a squeak under light vibrations and bumps.

 

[gtss]

it certainly could be almost anything, but if it will make the noise while idleing and the vehicle is not in motion, you could probably safely rule out suspension. I would go underneath and tap/bang gently with the palm of your hand or a rubber hammer and see if you can duplicate the nosie. If I understand your desription (giggling) it could be as simple as a loose exhaust clamp, hanger etc. also check the lisence plate as I have seem them vibrate with normal engine harmonics and drive people nuts

good luck
gtss