Constant High Pitched Squeaking...does yours do that?

[robcarync]

I am just curious...does anyone else's Xterra squeak non stop? I have UCAs in the front, but I keep the bushings greased and the upper ball joints. I have a 2" body lift too.

When I am driving down the road, I have a constant high pitched squeaking noise. Sitting still, I can push the truck side to side and it squeaks. Even when I shut the door as I am getting out, the door shutting creates a half second or so of high pitched squeaks.

For the love of all that is great, I can't figure out where exactly it is coming from. It seems to be any slight movement of the suspension... which must be the UCAs, LCAs, or maybe the front sway bar (which I just put back on recently).

Anyway, just curious if anyone else's Xterra squeaks non stop too? I know I am not the only one around here with modded suspension...is it common?

 

[drbandkgb]

Have you checked the rear spring bushings?

But yeah mine squeaks all the time

 

[robcarync]

I have not. It seems to be in the front...but then again I can't really tell, so what do I know. It's just a constant high pitched squeaky noise that is starting to drive me insane. I'm not sure if it has gotten worse or maybe I am just older and more irritable these days...

 

[Cruecible]

Mine does the same thing too. I've narrowed it down to the gas cap door hinge. Seriously is annoying as hell, and makes noise 80% of the time. I still need to fix it

 

[mudchet]

Right now mine squeaks. Worn bushings are probably at least part of the problem.

 

[lbishop]

Mine squeaks too... Can't find it for nothing. Mine even does it getting out of the truck

I know part of mine is worn sway bar bushings

 

[XTorrey]

My '03 had an annoying mystery squeak for awhile before the issue was pinned down to a loose nut on the front bumper. Problem solved after a quick adjustment!

 

[TJTJ]

What you worry about is a shot LCA ball joint, as they're a PITA.

Have you jacked it up by the cross member so the front susp is hanging, and done the routine where you shake the tires in/out as if yanking in left/right turns, then as if you're pulling/pushing the camber in/out...and then just picking UP the tires to see if the LCA joint is moving, etc?

 

[ellisfamilyokc]

I think I have the LCA ball joint job down to a science. If one has aftermarket UCAs then I can have the lower changed in no time flat. I have done 4 now. It really helps to own that huge socket. I did my first one without it.

Chad

 

[Silver dude]

The body metal around the headlights and body mounts was all cracked on mine. Caused a lot of metal on metal squeakiness.

 

[Cameron23]

The body metal around the headlights and body mounts was all cracked on mine. Caused a lot of metal on metal squeakiness.

This ^ is probably the culprit. Mine was where the front fender sheet metal gets folded under the hood and bolted to the body. The sheet metal cracked where it is bolted down, and causes squeaking if the front end moves at all.


Sent via special forces trained carrier gophers

 

[robcarync]

AT LAST!!!!! This squeak has pissed me off for over a year, but I could never pin point where it was coming from. I had removed both fenders, the front bumper, the hood, door panels, intake/air filter housing, replaced the urethane bushings from the UCAs. The high pitched squeak still drove me crazy...constantly when driving, every time I shut the door.

Just an update in case anyone else is being driven INSANE by this constant squeaky sound. I re-torqued all of my body lift mounts, and that got rid of one small creak...but not THE ONE. Under the truck on the driver side, there are 2 heat shields that are bolted to the under side of the body right above the catalytic converter (on the back side of where the gas pedal is). The upper shield is annoying to get to, but it is fastened to the body by 2 threaded studs attached to the body and a 10mm nut. I tried to tighten the nuts but the shield still flexed. Any time it flexed, it squeaked like crazy. I tried bending the shields to increase clearance, but the sound was a squeak, not a rattle...and it had no change. I pumped a bunch of lithium grease between the shield and the body, hoping it would kill the noise, but that didn't work either. I literally couldn't figure out where it was rubbing. I was going to completely remove it, clean it from any debris, and maybe re-install it for good measure... but the access to the nuts was very limited and realized it was going to take me 2 hours of 1/8 turns of the wrench to get both nuts off of the threaded stud.

I then took a length of high temp fuel line I had and wedged it between the heat shield and the body. This just served as a rubber isolator to dampen the vibration, and also put some tension on the shield so it didn't flex.

NO SQUEAKY SQUEAKY!!!!! I can drive the X without having a piercing squeaky sound CONSTANTLY drilling through my head.


I still don't know what the noise was actually caused by. I thought maybe it was rubbing on the lower shield...but increasing clearance didn't do anything. I thought maybe it was rubbing on the body, but increasing clearance and putting grease on it didn't change the sound. I thought maybe it was rubbing between the nut and shield, but tightening or loosening didn't change the sound. I could literally press on the heat shield very slowly, and it would just be a slow high pitched squeak like a tweety bird. I swear, the piece of stamped metal was possessed.

Regardless...it is gone for now. Hopefully the rubber fuel line doesn't melt or fall out...but at least I know the source!