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Conscript

Creaking when turning - strut top bearing?

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This evening I noticed a new noise from my car. 7 years old / about 85K miles, stock suspension.

When stationary, turning the wheel, there's a kind of creaking noise coming from the front end, mainly right hand side I think, and in the engine bay area. Audible clearly from within the car and also when stood outside it. The noise only appears to be when the steering wheel is turned - I can't detect any noise when driving, going over bumps etc (side note....a couple of weeks ago, I did notice a rather off sort of creak when going over some of those ridiculously harsh speed bumps you get in car parks and such - but over most normal bumps, there's no noise, so I've just been keeping an ear out, but I guess it's possible it could be related to this).

I am 95% sure this is the strut top bearing, but I wanted to post here in case anyone had any other opinions. I've never heard one before, so although it's the most likely culprit, it would be handy to get confirmation from someone who has had it.

A few months ago, as per another thread on here, I had an issue with creaking noises on uneven ground which was cured when the droplinks and ARB bushes were replaced, so I don't think the noise is those - besides, this noise is much more noticeable.

I've taken a couple of videos, one from inside the car, the other with the phone propped up on the strut mount. The sound isn't great, but hopefully it gives you an idea.

Assuming it is the strut tops, I think replacement is fairly straightforward - jack up car, unbolt drop links/ABS sensor/brake line from the strut, unbolt the two bolts at the bottom and the three bolts holding the strut top, withdraw the whole lot, compress spring and then undo the nut holding the strut top to the shock. That last step actually looks to the be trickiest (as I think you also need a hex key to stop the shock from turning - can you do without this if you just whizz the nut off with an impact wrench?). Then reassemble in reverse. Again though - I'd like to know if anyone has done this before. Suspension upgrades are common for this car, so I'm hoping there's others with experience!

Posted this on the Facebook group and the Owners Club too.

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1 hour ago, Lauren said:

It will be one of your drop link boots that has split or water has got into it corroding it I had exactly this on mine. It's not the top mount. 

Did you only get the noise when turning? I'm skeptical about it being drop links because they are less than 6 months old, and I'm not getting any other noise over bumps, etc. When they failed before (and on every car I've had with failed links), they've made a right racket while driving, but never when stationary. 

I will check them out though. They would be less of a hassle to replace, so here's hoping!

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13 hours ago, Conscript said:

Did you only get the noise when turning? I'm skeptical about it being drop links because they are less than 6 months old, and I'm not getting any other noise over bumps, etc. When they failed before (and on every car I've had with failed links), they've made a right racket while driving, but never when stationary. 

I will check them out though. They would be less of a hassle to replace, so here's hoping!

I expect one of the boots on your drop links has been damaged whilst being installed. It got diabolical when turning, the creaking noise was just awful. But it was quiet otherwise. It was a tiny split in the boot on the offside where the rose joint bolted into the strut. No way could you see it really without removing it. Once it was off though you could see the rose joint had gone rusty. 

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25 minutes ago, Lauren said:

I expect one of the boots on your drop links has been damaged whilst being installed. It got diabolical when turning, the creaking noise was just awful. But it was quiet otherwise. It was a tiny split in the boot on the offside where the rose joint bolted into the strut. No way could you see it really without removing it. Once it was off though you could see the rose joint had gone rusty. 

Thanks Lauren, that's good to hear, as I can check and change the links easily myself. The car has been checked twice since the link was installed (inspected after the recall and a video sent to me where they mentioned the drop links looking fine, funnily enough) and also went through the MOT. But if it's only a tiny split, then it could easily be missed. And the car has been driven in some torrential weather lately...so water ingress is likely I guess. 

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Update for future reference: Lauren was right, it was the drop links. On inspection they looked fine, but as I had the car in the air anyway, I replaced them, and the noise has gone.

Surprised (and annoyed), as the old links looked and felt fine after removal...no splits in the boot that I can see, and they didn't feel too loose. I may cut the boots open later and check the rose joints.

And they are a pain in the arse to remove, even after only 6 months on the car. Still, preferable to having the strut assembly out. 

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