Scrunching noise, control arm bushings

[eq1]

FYI: This has been mentioned before, but I thought I'd revive the idea. I've been living with a 'scrunching' noise from my suspension since I bought my car - go over bumps, around turns, etc. and you hear a 'scrunch, scrunch'. I read a thread the other day that mentioned lubing the front aft control arm bushings - so I did that. Scrunching gone. It's better than washing the car in terms of placebo effect making your car feel like it's running better. No scrunch, peace of mind...

Real easy to do - jack up front, take off three bolts per side, stuff some ... non-petroleum based grease in the bushing/mount recesses. I used Superlube, it's probably a little on the thin side. I'd recommend Syl-glide or perhaps marine grease, or one of the more expensive greases you can buy for polyurethane bushings, such as from Prothane or Energy Suspension.

[aisbell]

If you want to try a quick first lube attempt, just stuff some silicone grease into the center of the bushing with your finger without jacking up the car or removing any bolts. This quick lube has prevented my car from scrunching for a couple of years. But if it isn't sufficient in your case, remove the bolts as eq1 instructs.

[Varak]

This worked for me as well.

I reapply it every time I do an oil change since I'm already underneath the car.

[dwrede]

After reading other threads on here, I drove to a grassy area. Used spray silicone and drowned both side without removing anything. That was a year ago and it is still quiet. The thread said to just try this to see if that was the problem. I have been lucky it has stayed quiet this long. Thanks for the write-up for a longer term solution.

[jime]

Nice tips to know and remember.

A bit off thread, but another thing which makes noise on older Insights is worn sway bar link ends. Both were noisy and loose on my silver Insight at 215,000 miles. It is a job for a pro with a lift, take my word I tried. But the good news is that NAPA can get the new links for you

[WRobRich]

Art, would you be a bit more specific about the location of the bushing and the location for the grease? Thanks.

[Varak]

18, 19, and 20 are the 3 bolts you take out to remove the bracket which gives you access to the center of the bushing. The bushing is in the lower control arm (L-shaped piece) where bolt 18 goes in. That is where you need to put the grease.

Alternatively, you can simply spray in lube into the bushing area and not bother removing the bolts or bracket.

[bciesq]

Originally Posted by Varak

18, 19, and 20 are the 3 bolts you take out to remove the bracket which gives you access to the center of the bushing. The bushing is in the lower control arm (L-shaped piece) where bolt 18 goes in. That is where you need to put the grease.

Alternatively, you can simply spray in lube into the bushing area and not bother removing the bolts or bracket.

You can easily reach one of the air gaps with your finger without removing the bolts if you want to use silicone grease. You don't even need to jack up the car. Just feel around until you find gap that a popsicle stick would fit into, the put a pea sized blob of grease on you finger, and pack it in. Repeat a couple of times for good measure if you want.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but folks should just realize we're not talking about the area between the bracket and the arm (lower most nipple shaped portion of the bushing), but the area above the arm where the center bolt ( #18 ) goes through.

[decathlondriver]

I had the same sort of light clunking sound when I would go over a bump, most noticeable at slower speeds. I was reading on this forum, came across this thread and learned about the lower control arm bushing problem. I inspected the bushings on my car and found that the right rear rubbing bushing/mount on the lower control arm had a crack on both 'nubs' of the bushing. The cracks were more than just weather checking, they were signs of a failing mount. I replaced the control arm (wasn't too difficult other than the tapper joint above the ball joint, which was taken apart by applying pressure with a crow bar and hitting the side of the arm by the taper joint with a hammer to get the taper to unlock). I proudly drove it down the road and hit some light bumps that always cause the sound and found that the same sounds occurred.

I happen to have noticed my rear engine mount was also broken(one of the two rubber nubs was complete broken...a typical problem as I've read on this forum) so I replaced it as well. I thought maybe this might be part of the sound I was hearing. It was not. It was the sound I would hear when backing up and not giving enough throttle to the engine so that it starts to vibrate near stall. That sound is now fixed.

So I started shaking all the joints I could find, thinking the next place it could be is the stabilizer joints as noted in this thread and others. I found that the stabilizer link upper ball joint on the right side (where my sound appears to be coming from) is loose and sounds very similar to the sound I'm hearing. This is the link that goes from the stabilizer bar to the strut. I will order this stabilizer link and report back on if the sound is fixed or not.

[eq1]

The "scrunching" sound from the control arm bushing is definitely a scrunch, rather than a clunk. It sounds like the sound effect film makers use for wet rope on a boat - when the boat rocks 'to' it goes "scrunch," and when it rocks 'fro' it goes "scrunch" again, etc... It will be helpful to know that the anti-roll bar end link/s might be making a "clunk". Do report back when you change that out... I just wish someone were making a complete bushing replacement kit for these cars. Sadly, it will likely never happen since there's so few of them...