When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
most likely source of squishy sound from rear suspension?
'94 SC400. I've got new OEM replacement KYB struts on the original (191k miles) springs. Probably all original bushings, but I don't know that for a fact. Suspension and handling are great, but when I go over a decent sized bump there's a squishy sound from the rear suspension. It's most noticeable when the rear of the car is thrown off-level, like if turning into a driveway. It doesn't appear to be the tire hitting on anything. That would be more of a scuffing noise, anyway. The alignment is freshly done and it doesn't pull to either side at all.
The off-level part makes me think it could be the rear sway bar bushings. I took a look under the car and didn't see any obvious signs of deterioration, but that's likely not very meaningful. The Energy Suspension poly bushing (7/8" universal = 22.2mm) could well be worth a try for sub-$20. Then again, you can buy the vehicle-specific 24mm Prothane #18-1122-BL for $12 and just re-use the stock brackets. (How often do people really re-grease via the grease port, anyway? I assume the ~22mm universal fit is the reason why the Energy bushings are such a tight squeeze on the bigger OEM bar.)
I started thinking it might be worth upgrading to a Supra TT rear sway bar as long as I'm doing bushings, to improve the handling without compromising the plush ride, and to cut some weight. But having spent some time researching it, the negatives seem dicey: difficulty of locating mounts and end links, tail-happy nature unless also upgrading the front, can't upgrade the front without being dangerously close to the oil filter...
I did notice after doing the struts that both rear sides don't have the rubber boot properly seated up at the top of the wheel well. I believe it's what is referred to as the Insulator on pg SA-107 of the factory service manual.
Left Rear strut insulator. It's a bit tough to tell, but see how the back (right side in the pic) edge isn't quite tucked in?
Could that explain the squishy noise? It wouldn't really explain it being more pronounced when off-level, however. And you'd think it would be pressed in there so tight as currently situated, it would have a tough time compressing and creaking.
Hey, I just replaced the bushing and endlinks 140k miles. They are not really worn that much but they are not tight either, I removed the endlinks the bar rotated down loosely.
Also see if endlinks being loose.. loose endlinks , bushing not holding tight-> Sloppy handling.
So, I just ordered the 2 front sway bushing from prothane, good price if you don't mind possibly needing regreasing.
my 93 has 24mm rear bar so that's what they make the 24mm bushing for.. I am fairly sure many later SC owners has found the 24mm bushing too big for their 22mm bar. 94 might still be 24mm. but double check.
For the strut rubber "insulator", they are like that after some age. expensive to replace unless they are torn.
I have yet to find good support that the supra front sway being worth the swap, I think they have a different bend for the side mount intercooler, but both SC and Supra bars are 30mm.
Did you have any noises that replacing the bushings and end links quieted down? I don't feel any sloppiness in the handling, which makes it hard to pinpoint the culprit. Could you feel the bar's looseness in the bushings before removing them, or only when they were freed of the mounting brackets? I'm wondering if I were to crawl back under the car if I could do some pull-ups on the rear bar and watch for play in the bushings.
I believe the SC rear sway bars are all 24mm and the MKIV Supra rears are 20mm or 22mm, depending on year and model. I could be wrong about the SC size, though... That's what Prothane lists as the correct fit, and I think I read somewhere that the SC bar is thicker than the Supra bar because of the less direct route it takes. My comment about the 7/8" Energy Suspension bushings being very snug is a reference to the linked thread talking about that, which I figure is because our bars are actually 2mm bigger than that universal size.
So, it's normal for the strut insulator to not sit in the hole properly? Or did you mean it's normal for that to create a squishy noise like I'm experiencing? They're only $32 ea through Sewell with the CL discount. Mine don't appear to be torn, however. I'd hate to pull the struts again only to find the insulators can't be seated any better than they already are...
I assume from your handle that you have a SC300? If so, the Supra front bar is a good upgrade. It's supposedly 2+ lbs (20%) lighter and somewhat stiffer. It's just that all the threads prior to a couple months ago had info about them being identical until someone compared them side by side. Unfortunately, on the SC400 it sounds like it mounts to close to the oil filter, which could be challenging for maintenance and dangerous when the suspension compresses.
I was removing the original rear sway bar and putting in the whiteline sway bar with a pair of new endlinks I bought. It wasn't for a particular noise issue.
I do have a thud or 2 in the morning (front end) before the car "warms up", or going over huge dips too fast on cold nights, tho think it's ball joints or control arm bushing. I don't know if your problem is the sway bushing but it's easy and cheap to replace / upgrade.
Your insulator look to be in good shape and centered to me, overtime they get more squished out. When I put in my supra struts and springs, I bought from Toyota, it costed me $29 per side. OK, so not hugely expensive but it did add $120.
It seems like I should go ahead and do the rear sway bar bushings just in case. Cost is negligible and it isn't a huge job, in case it turns out to have been for nothing. I'm just hesitant to start with that in case there's something else I should be looking at at the same time... And if I'd be happier sourcing parts for switching to the Supra rear bar...
Cold weather could definitely be part of what I'm hearing. I don't remember exactly when it started or if it's been there all along and just concealed by other stuff I've since taken care of. Most of my driving is short jaunts around town, never fully warming the car up. (Sucks for mpg with the V8!) It would be interesting to take it out for an hour on the highway and see if the noise subsides.
That link is exactly the one I was looking for! I don't know where the SC300 oil filter is located, but comments suggest the Supra bar is very, very close to it on the SC400.
I mentioned in another thread last week, when my rack & pinion was replaced at ~190k miles, the mechanic said its bushings still had lots of life left in them. That makes me think the easier access bushings (i.e., sway bars) may have been replaced by a previous owner at some point.
there is a groove on the insulator that the edge of the spring sits in, looks right to me ( a little old but that's ok its just there to stop metal on metal noises).
I'd get a pop noise when I'd go over bumps and the like with my SC in the rear. Turns out these insulators on my SC had fallen off and was floating around in the spring itself, wasn't even connected on all 4 edges. That's where coilovers come in... Your's look fine IMO.
Sounds like insulators aren't a prime suspect, then.
Following the suggestion in a similar thread, I bounced up and down a few times (full body weight sitting on the trunk) and couldn't get any noise from either side, so I'm thinking it's not control arm bushings, either. That sort of brings me back to suspecting sway bars.
I noticed Energy Suspension also has a re-greaseable 24mm sway bar bushing set designed for Pontiac Solstice / Saturn Sky, same price as the 7/8" (22mm) one discussed elsewhere. Part #9.5160R (red) or 9.5160G (black). If I'm right about the stock rear bar being 24mm, that could be a good option.
Edit: This thread explains the 22mm vs 24mm confusion. I checked mine and it's definitely 24mm. (The crescent wrench idea is a lot better than what I had planned on doing: wrapping string around the bar as precisely as possible and calculating circumference!) So, the 24mm Energy Suspension options should work well with some trimming of the universal bracket's bolt hole extensions.
It looks exactly like the one from my car, no need to mess with other universal ones.
I ordered the front one in the prothane brand also, and it comes with grease.
If anyone is reading and have the 22mm sway bar, whiteline makes the 22mm one with similar material (poly)
as to the "wrapping string around the bar as precisely as possible and calculating circumference" It works if you love math and have time, but you can pick up a caliper from harbor freight or something for like $10-$20 would be good enough to measure your rotors, bolts, stuff like this.
I thought Whiteline only makes a 20mm rear sway bushing, but maybe I'm thinking of their Supra bars. I've got too many 20mm, 22mm, and 24mm figures bouncing around in my head.
The one you linked on Amazon is the same one I mentioned in the first post being the simplest replacement. I just need to decide if it's worth a couple bucks more to have the grease port on the Energy Suspension version. I did get under the car yesterday and tug on the rear sway bar and couldn't detect any movement in the bushings, so there's a good chance swapping them out won't do anything, anyway.
Is it just me or in the picture there is like a large crack forming right above the strut... its either just the coating flaking off or a real crack, I would take a closer look at the least. also check the bottom bushing on the strut.
Is it just me or in the picture there is like a large crack forming right above the strut... its either just the coating flaking off or a real crack, I would take a closer look at the least. also check the bottom bushing on the strut.
Do you mean the circular shape outlining it? I know there's factory green paint visible through some of the undercoat flaking, but I hadn't considered the possibility of metal failure underneath it. Obviously I'll need to remove the wheel for a closer look, but how would I determine if anything is sketchy underneath the coating? Everything looks fine from within the trunk, but I imagine there are multiple layers of metal and it would have to be really bad to show up inside.
Yeah I mean that circular outline right around the top. I would try and take a fingernail or screwdriver to it lightly and see if anything flakes off might help figure out if its coating just cracking or the metal itself. If it was bad enough to go through that would not be good, I would probably get a bright flashlight and shine it on that spot from on top, and then go under and see if you can see light shining through, if you can then that would not be good. *edit* I looked at mine and it has a similar sort of line where the coating seems to stop, still probably worth a check.
"I looked at mine and it has a similar sort of line where the coating seems to stop, still probably worth a check."
Glad you added that, because I was just thinking, the car has been hit on that side in its early years, so who knows how much damage their was (not enough for a salvage title) and how good the repairs were. The skies decided to open up today, making it a bit unpleasant to do trunk and wheel well work, but I'll definitely take a closer look at it to make sure I'm not driving on anything dangerous. I think it's okay, based on yours looking similar and the noise being rubbery in nature, not metallic.
02-01-15, 04:30 PM
most likely source of squishy sound from rear suspension?
Your's look fine IMO.
