Squeaky Coilover

[srirachapenguin]

I got a set of ST Suspensions XTA coilovers installed on my car yesterday. When I drove it last night and this morning I noticed some squeaking coming from the rear when I first set off but it stopped after just a minute or so of driving. However, on my drive home from work this afternoon the passenger side rear was squeaking constantly when the car was in motion. 40 minutes of that was enough to make me almost lose my sanity. Anyone have ideas of what it could be?

 

[ridinVINTAGE]

Lube the spring seats


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[jeffreylyon]

The nuts on the top of the rear shocks are too big for the holes. This is a known issue. Open the holes up with a stepper bit and the squeak will disappear.

 

[srirachapenguin]

Thanks for the advice. I hope to get something done about it today. I'll check out those two possibilities.

 

[Jesse]

I will have to try that my Bilsteins do the same thing super annoying!

 

[srirachapenguin]

The nuts on the top of the rear shocks are too big for the holes. This is a known issue. Open the holes up with a stepper bit and the squeak will disappear.

This turned out to be the issue. Opened the holes so there is enough clearance and there is no more squeaking at all.

 

[deepthinker22]

Oh man I can't wait to check this when I get home. Just put some Koni yellows on the rear and they do the same thing. First time the search tool has worked and found a potentially useful thread.

 

[idealsociety]

Can also confirm that the holes being too small were causing squeaking on my bilstein rear shocks. Opened them up a little bit, reinstalled and the squeak is gone!

 

[N44RP]

Can also confirm that the holes being too small were causing squeaking on my bilstein rear shocks. Opened them up a little bit, reinstalled and the squeak is gone!

Which holes are being referenced here?
could you post a photo or show me somewhere?

 

[LilPartyBox]

There is a hole where the shock mount meets the body. It can only be seen with the shock removed.

 

[N44RP]

Can you access the hole from the inside of the car?
Im only noticing it on one side of the rear

Fixed the issue thanks to your comment, no real access from inside the hatch. Went from the bottom of the car

 

[idealsociety]

Fixed the issue thanks to your comment, no real access from inside the hatch. Went from the bottom of the car

I used a uni-bit from the bottom to open it up just one step. Seems the nut on the top is just big enough of an OD that it touches the edges of the stock opening. Didnt do it on my 2015 but did on my 17 when i moved everything over.

glad you got it figured out!

 

[Sam4]

You guys won't believe this discovery. Squeaking/chirping like a f^cking canary from the rear, every bump and wiggle. This was where I lubed the bejesus out of the poly rear shock mounts, and went looking for that proverbial parrot. The rear floor/spare tire cover has (had, in my case) strips of felt, glued to the 'tabs' where it is placed into the brackets. They wore/smeared off over time - it took some time to figure out what that sticky piece of tape debris was from. Craft shop for felt and - bingo! Well, not silence of course, its the ST! Killed Tweety though!

 

[akiraproject24]

Is this the same issue where one can also use the factory hardware at the top mounting points instead of the supplied nuts from the aftermarket strut/coilover?

 

[idealsociety]

Is this the same issue where one can also use the factory hardware at the top mounting points instead of the supplied nuts from the aftermarket strut/coilover?

Probably, I just used the stuff that the bilstein setup came with since it was used and already assembled.

 

[Orange14FiST]

Any chance someone could post a picture of this? Just had a local shop install Bilstein B6's on the rear, and now the rear right is squeaking on every shake. They tried lubing everything but are claiming the shock is defective. If I can show them which hole needs to be widened, they should be more inclined to try this out for me

 

[Sam4]

Are you on poly spring mounts? Are your OE mounts shot? The poly require lubrication and hate the cold (ok san diego..). I just swapped back to the oe - blessed silence. Yes - my repair above was also effective. Bilstein's are not defective from the factory.....

 

[awwjayzin]

I'm having this same issue after installing Bilstein coilovers. When I got my wheels aligned and balanced, they said I should look at the shocks to see if something is rubbing and that it isn't the springs. He suspected that it's the rubber where the shocks touch the body.

The holes that are being referred to in this thread, are we just talking about where the shocks get installed and the bolts are tightened? The holes that would be opened up is where the shock goes through, not the holes where the bolt goes, correct? Previous coilovers didn't have this issue so I'm wondering what gives.

Now to find a way to open up those holes, if they are the issue...

 

[awwjayzin]

I took a picture. I think this is where the squeaking is coming from. On the passenger side, rear, the nut seems to be touching. The driver's side touches too, but just ever so slightly.

I'm assuming this is the hole people are drilling into? Could I just get a thinner nut? Anyone know what size nut that would be?

 

[runun]

Yes, I can confirm it’s the top bolts rubbing against the body! Ugh, did ST not test fit these before sending them out?