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03-17-2003, 02:05 AM
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#1 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast (Somewhere in the 10th Level of Hell)
Posts: 1,809
|  Strut Tower Brace Question
Guys,
Okay, here's the deal... I have my brace bar installed finally. All the bolts are tightened down as much as possible without stripping the threads out. Why is my car creaking now??? It never did before, but after I installed it, the damn thing will creak every now and then... Just to ease my mind, I removed the brace bar and replaced the bolts, then took my car for a drive. It never creaked once. Afterwards, I reinstalled the brace, tightening the bolts down as tight as possible as before, and the creak returned... Any ideas?
Josh
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03-17-2003, 02:31 AM
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#2 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spanaway, WA
Posts: 2,058
| Re: Strut Tower Brace Question
Quote: |
Originally Posted by Wintermute Guys,
Okay, here's the deal... I have my brace bar installed finally. All the bolts are tightened down as much as possible without stripping the threads out. Why is my car creaking now??? It never did before, but after I installed it, the damn thing will creak every now and then... Just to ease my mind, I removed the brace bar and replaced the bolts, then took my car for a drive. It never creaked once. Afterwards, I reinstalled the brace, tightening the bolts down as tight as possible as before, and the creak returned... Any ideas?
Josh | Heh heh. I had a car that did that a few years ago. I was uneasy about it for a while, just like you seem to be.  The best explanation I could come up with was that since the unibody of the car was flexing a little less, but the same forces were being applied, then perhaps the suspension was being forced to move a bit more to counter those forces. Remember, every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
I eventually solved the problem by spraying some silicon lube at my swaybar bushings and other assorted suspension components. That took care of the problem.
I'm sure someone else here knows more about this, though. | |
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03-17-2003, 02:38 AM
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#3 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: North East, Pa
Posts: 362
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try putting some thin rubber matting to the under side of the mounting bracket. The should do the trick. BE VERY CARELFUL NOT TO OVER TIGHTEN THE TOP BOLTS THE BREAK VERY EASY
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03-17-2003, 02:42 AM
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#4 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast (Somewhere in the 10th Level of Hell)
Posts: 1,809
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by TWOLTRSL2 try putting some thin rubber matting to the under side of the mounting bracket. The should do the trick. BE VERY CARELFUL NOT TO OVER TIGHTEN THE TOP BOLTS THE BREAK VERY EASY | TWOLTR,
Should I lossen them up just a bit? I snugged them down pretty tight, and I don't want to have to replace them...
Josh
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Josh Maerker, Vice President, SPOC-South
'94 Saturn SL2<=== FOR SALE $650.00
'87 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R (The new project car...)
'94 Ford Ranger XLT (Support Vehicle) | |
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03-17-2003, 03:03 AM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: FL
Posts: 1,884
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dude tighten the bolts with a torque wrench...
spec is 21 ft lbs but i've been told 19 ft lbs is perfect and is safer.
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03-17-2003, 03:11 AM
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#6 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: North East, Pa
Posts: 362
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I wouldn't loosen them, but if you take the STB off be careful not to overtighten them when reinstalling. Torque wrench is your best best. I don't have a torque whench, so I snug them up and then maybe another 1/4 turn
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To boost or not to boost? What do you think? | |
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03-17-2003, 05:28 AM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 4,683
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I tightened to 22 ft lbs, drove hard, and wound up shredding a bolt right off. I have mine torqued to about 15 ft lbs.
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03-17-2003, 05:49 AM
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#8 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Baltimore, MD
Posts: 4,330
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Yeah, mine creaked too when I first put it on. Wierd, but I guess the car got used to it  | |
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03-17-2003, 06:45 AM
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#9 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Mississippi Gulf Coast (Somewhere in the 10th Level of Hell)
Posts: 1,809
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Ray,
Thank God I'm not the only one then! I'll just have to live with it then and get used to it My best friend told me right off the bat that it'll creak like that when I mounted it, and that it was literally the sound of the brace bar working. I guess this paranoia I'm feeling is the result of not listening to him like I know I should!
Josh
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Josh Maerker, Vice President, SPOC-South
'94 Saturn SL2<=== FOR SALE $650.00
'87 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R (The new project car...)
'94 Ford Ranger XLT (Support Vehicle) | |
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03-17-2003, 07:15 AM
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#10 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: A little town called Nunyagadamnbusiness
Posts: 5,832
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Hmmm. that's weird. I never heard a creaking with mine.  Just turn the stereo up louder, that'll fix it. | |
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