I am trying to identify an annoying "creak" from the front drivers side. Previous posts indicate it could be the upper link arm. Is the ultimate test jacking the car up and trying to rock the wheel from top to bottom ?

Can the link arm still be responsible for the creak even if there is no play ?

 

How hard are the bushes to install ? Do you need a press or can it be done in a heavy duty vise?

 

Thanks

 

 

John

Bushes are not too hard. Did mine in 3 hours on a Saturday morning. Hammer and chisel to bash the old ones out and vice and hammer and drift to get the new ones in.

 

£160 ish the 8 bush NISMO set from Middlehurst.

165 quid delivered to my door for the full set (8bushes) on tuesday in scotland when i ordered them on saturday.....good service i think from middlehurst.

HTH John Crisp

Who is Middlehurst ?

Do you have a link or an address?

 

Thanks

 

John

Hi John,

 

I've got the same sort of noise. I've done the same thing in reading through old posts and it's been suggested that it could be the tension rod bush (I never put the grease inside), so I've bought some white grease to spray around the bush and see if that sorts it.

 

Vijay

Watch out for this :- http://www.300zx.org.uk/nissan_bulletin.htm

Vijay,

 

I have the tension rods with the poly bushes, they dont need any form of lubrication do they?

 

Thanks

 

John

John,

 

Have a read of this old thread - http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=16348&highlight=tension

 

Vijay

Thanks Vijay,

I read your link to the previous posts, I'm still confused I must admit. Is the white grease for the bolt that goes through the centre of the poly bush? What is white grease? and where can I get it?

Was the Halfords silicone spray in the yellow can mainly for the Nissan rubber bushes?

Will it do any good on the poly ones?

 

Thanks

 

John

John

 

...interesting thread you've got going here. On a simple remedy note, I found the silicone spray (Halfords yellow can) most usefull. Spray the shock absorber under the bellows, around the top and bottom mounting points and inside the engine bay where the shocks are bolted. Cured my (cars) creaking and groaning - which incidentally is an NA.

 

On the question of poly bushes and white grease, they are supplied with white grease to aid assembly - as far as I can remember.

 

I'd spray all metal to rubber to polywhatever with the silicone spray a couple of times each year - keeps it all lube'd-up - works with my car...

 

good luck

 

Jack

http://www.commaoil.com/Product%20Pages/Maintenance/whitegrease.htm

 

I bought it from Halfords to try. And yes it's for the bolt/metal sleeve that goes through the actual bush. I also bought some of the "rubber and nylon lubricant" from Halfords, which says it's for protection against hardening and cracking of rubber parts.

 

Vijay

Thanks everyone......some very helpfull information.

 

I have the Halfords rubber & plastic spray, which I will use in all the areas recommended by Jack, and get some of the white lithium grease for the tension rod bolts from Halfords tomorrow.

 

Thanks again,

 

John

Post how you get on John - if the lubricant quietens the upper arm I will invest in some myself until I can afford the proper kit to sort mine from the Z centre.

Have to get it done sooner or later though as it's an MOT failure, and I also have the feeling that when the arm is not working corectly, the A pillars see some stress & strain that they are not designed for (I occasionally get cracking sounds from that side!)

Alex, I will let you know how it works out this weekend. I am not convinced that a creaking of the upper link arm bushes means that they are loose and that there is play in them. I may be wrong but I have a hard time thinking that a loose bushing would creak, would'nt it be more likely to "clunk"? And, if lubrication cures the creaking, does'nt that indicate that something is actually a tight "dry" joint ?

 

Thanks

 

John

Your explanation does make sense Alex, your excessive wheel movement, was this with the car jacked up and by grabbing to top and bottom of the tyre and trying to push and pull ?

 

If so that will be the first thing I check this weekend.

 

Cheers

 

John

John

I replaced my front upper link bushes on both sides of my car, i was getting a creaking noise from my suspension occasionally but there is a big difference with my steering now i did the bushes....the n/s ones were well worn with a lot of lift in them.

 

Here is the link for Middlehurst.. http://www.middlehurst.co.uk/.

The bushes are 16 quid each...4 inner 4 outer. From Courtesy the same Nismo bushes are 21 dollars each...quite a saving.

 

HTH John Crisp

hmmmm.... posted a fairly long reply to John on here and its disappeared! John you refer to it on post #15 but it's vanished!? Was this beacuse a certain someone was mentioned in it moderators?

 

Anyway, yes, when the play was demontsrated to me, car was jacked up and wheel pulled up & down & side to side without the steering moving if you know what I mean. Basically if you can get someone else to do it whilst shining a torch up at the arm, you should be able to see the bit of play in the link (movement is not much but it only takes a bit IMO).