(SOLVED) Help finding creaking / groaning

[roushed_daily]

SOLVED - Quick thing, it eventually started happening on both sides.

After going out in the 70+ degree and sunny day, I waited for it to start making the noise. Rushed home, jacked it up, took the wheels off and loosened the vertical links. Pushing stuff around I could faintly hear the creaking / groaning. I'm using one hand to move stuff around and the other to feel around for the vibration. Turned out to the be the damn BMR Adjustable Rear Toe Links. Specifically the open ball joint at the top connected to the subframe. (Picture should show up under here.) I had a can of white lithium grease, sprayed it all around, wiggled the joint around, sprayed some more, wiggled it around and dropped it.

I ended up spraying the vertical links too because they're straight spherical bushings. (See 2nd picture)

And then nothing but silence as I tore around the back roads. Holy hell is it a beautiful thing.

Unless I missed something in the instructions for those toe links, having to keep greasing them myself could turn out to be a little annoying, but I'm just happy I found it.

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Now that it's warmer out something that I probably installed is causing a pretty irritating creak / groan. It's definitely in the rear and I want to say it's almost exclusively coming from the passenger side.

And it only seems to happen when the car has been out driving for a little while and it's warmer than 70 degrees with direct sunlight.

But I have not done yet is going back over everything to re-torque the bolts which I plan on doing some time this evening. But out of all these parts does anyone have experience or a good guess what the main culprit might be?

Jacking Rails
Ford Performance Knuckle to Toe Link Bearing Assembly
Ford Performance Lowering Springs
Ford Performance Sway Bar Kit
BMR Billet Aluminum Vertical Links - Spherical Bushings
BMR Adjustable Rear Toe Links
Steeda IRS Subframe Braces - Fastback
Steeda IRS Subframe Alignment Kit
Steeda IRS Subframe Bushing Support System

All things I was told to grease, I greased the hell out of.

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[roushed_daily]

Or maybe it's not metal on metal. Maybe it could be the boot sitting on top of the spring?

 

[jbailer]

I'm pretty sure Ford Performance uses progressive springs right? If so, you may want to check and see if there are isolators on the springs and that they are in the correct place. With progressive springs, the softer spring section will compress before the stiffer section. So that the spring coils don't rub on each other, most manufacturers have spring isolators they put on the softer coils. It's like a thin rubber or plastic sleeve.

 

[roushed_daily]

I really wanted to say it was the Springs also. Because once the car comes to a stop I can open the trunk and push down really hard on the car and it will still squeak for a couple times but it seems like after it cools down the squeak goes away and then takes another 15 minutes of driving for it to come back. I don't recall seeing any plastic sleeves on the springs. Here's the link.

https://lmr.com/item/M5300X/2015-Mustang-Ford-Racing-Lowering-Springs

I'm pretty sure Ford Performance uses progressive springs right? If so, you may want to check and see if there are isolators on the springs and that they are in the correct place. With progressive springs, the softer spring section will compress before the stiffer section. So that the spring coils don't rub on each other, most manufacturers have spring isolators they put on the softer coils. It's like a thin rubber or plastic sleeve.

 

[roushed_daily]

I'm pretty sure Ford Performance uses progressive springs right? If so, you may want to check and see if there are isolators on the springs and that they are in the correct place. With progressive springs, the softer spring section will compress before the stiffer section. So that the spring coils don't rub on each other, most manufacturers have spring isolators they put on the softer coils. It's like a thin rubber or plastic sleeve.

All it has is the stock isolator at the top. instruction said to take that off the stock Springs and put them on the new ones.

 

[jbailer]

I was talking about like this. They go on the coils themselves.

 

[roushed_daily]

I was talking about like this. They go on the coils themselves.

Mine definitely did not come with those. Any idea where I could get them?

 

[jbailer]

I'm not sure if Steeda sells them separately or not. I was trying to find the post but either [MENTION=7748]tj@steeda[/MENTION] or [MENTION=25806]SteedaTech[/MENTION] mentioned isolators in a post within the past month. I don't even know if they are universal or not. You could also try FP but my experience is they will be less helpful.

 

[Jared_J]

Subscribed. My car's suspension is fully stock and I have almost identical issue. Only difference is I do not notice a correlation with temperature.

 

[Stripler]

Did you torque your suspension bolts with the suspension at ride height, or with the suspension loaded? If not, that could cause some creaking. Although it doesn't look like you touched the rear sway bar (depending on if you did for some of your installs) you may want to make sure it is torqued - it can cause some real creaking noises.

To torque your suspension bolts with it under load, you could use a drive on lift, put a jack under the suspension and jack it up, or use wheel cribs/ramps.

 

[Jon|3.7]

Mine definitely did not come with those. Any idea where I could get them?

mine didnt either :/

 

[roushed_daily]

Did you torque your suspension bolts with the suspension at ride height, or with the suspension loaded? If not, that could cause some creaking. Although it doesn't look like you touched the rear sway bar (depending on if you did for some of your installs) you may want to make sure it is torqued - it can cause some real creaking noises.

To torque your suspension bolts with it under load, you could use a drive on lift, put a jack under the suspension and jack it up, or use wheel cribs/ramps.

Good call because I think almost everything was torqued while the car was up on jacks.

 

[roushed_daily]

So I got under the car while it was sitting full weight on the ground, no jacks, and started torquing down bolts. Torqued one of the bolts on the rear passenger side sway bar bracket then went to the other, get it a quarter turn and SNAP. MOTHER EFF'IN MOTHER EFFER. :frusty:

Was able to get to the top of the bolt, brought it down enough to get the dremel on it and then impact drilled it all the way back through.

Me being a master Googler I was able to find the bolts right away.

http://www.tascaparts.com/oe-ford/w717732s439

Worst part is all that work and I have no idea if that was what was making my noise of not.

I'll get the bolts, grease everything up and try again. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Stripler]

Is that a rear stabilizer bar bolt? I think those are torqued to 52 ft lb. At what torque level did it snap?

 

[Ronstar]

I have a sound coming from the rear passenger side as well and also a noise and feel as if I'm running over a large pebble with the tire when taking left turns. I am trying to figure out the noise as well. My suspension guy torqued everything to spec on BMR's site for the parts.

I have BMR and stead parts installed as well as a 3.73 Torsen diff:

BMR TR005 - Adjustable Toe Rods
BMR TCA045 - Vertical Links
BMR BK005 - Bearing Kit, Lower Control Arm, Rear

Steeda 555 4443 - Adjustable Diff Bushing Insert Kit, using red inserts
Steeda 555 4438 - IRS Subfram Alignment kit
Steeda 555 4437 - IRS Subfram Bushing Support System

I have talked to Kelly at BMR about this and that's when he recommended making sure my tech tightened everything down to torque specs which we did and I'm still getting the noise.

From inside the car it sounds like its coming from rear passenger side upper corner panel area when it makes the rubbing noise and only does that when I go over bumps while in the road, and the rolling over rock - pebble noise (like a little thunk/pop) happens mainly when I take left turns.

still trying to find the cause of the noise. Wondering if its caused by the adjustable toe rods and knuckle bearing, but the OP here says he replaced that with the ford performance knuckle bearing. I have these bearings as well but haven't installed them yet.

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