[KalebM]

So my Volt had some worn out front struts & sway bar links, I had the links replaced & the right front strut was replaced but had to wait several weeks for the left strut assembly to arrive. I needed my vehicle so I briefly drove & found out that the new right strut was a defective part and would make a very loud creaking noise when turning the wheel (in any direction), another side effect was the bolt on top of the strut loosen itself when the wheel was turned.

The car went back into the shop a few days ago and the left strut was replaced, along with another new right strut. What I've noticed now a few days later is that when I turn the wheel lock to lock in either direction there is still a creaking noise (however much quieter). I opened the hood and turned the wheel while looking at the left strut since you can see the strut bolt. There was no movement in the bolt itself but I did notice that the entire assembly seemed to push up/down a tiny bit with the turn of the wheel. There is no noise going over bumps & I can only hear the noise at low speeds & when the wheel is turned closer to lock.

I haven't called the dealer back yet to have it looked at- again.. I read a few old forum posts about people having similar issues like this back when the cars were new, but I'll be baffled if something is wrong with the strut assemblies again, or maybe it could possibly be something else? I don't know, just frustrated after spending $1,286 (cad). Replacing worn out parts with new ones has seemed to cause me more issues lol..

 

[ElectricCow15]

Not saying this is the case, but..... when you turn a car's wheels the angle of the tire in relationship to the ground changes to compensate for lateral roll while moving. It possible that the creaking is a sway bar or lower control arm bushing when the suspension compensates for the angle change of the wheel. Its more noticeable when a very small and slow change is taking place verse a fast change like a bump in the road.

 

[KalebM]

I have a video here of what the creaking sounds like:

 

[clublife.peoria]

Kaleb,

I have the exact same problem. I have new front struts and strut mounts, sway bar end links, new ball joints (which were part of the control arms), and tie rods. Putting more parts on the car just seemed to worsen the problem, and I had two dealers and a local Firestone tell me they think it’s the end links. So I went back to the original shop that did those and after a full diagnostic they are telling me it’s not the end links.

I too am frustrated that after $4,000 the issue is worse, but at least it doesn’t feel like the front end is coming apart.

I would’ve done all this myself and gotten an alignment, but this car is much harder to work on than any vehicle I’ve owned, mostly due to it being FWD and having very sensitive wheel speed sensors. On a RWD with some ground clearance everything seems to just come together easier. Plus it has struts vs shocks up front.

 

[Foose]

I've replaced a handful of failed sway bar end links and I've never heard them make sounds like that. When replacing struts or control arms or anything with a rubber bushing, you're supposed to wait on torqueing them down until the weight of the vehicle is on the ground. Not doing this pre-loads the bushings and causing issues, typically a much stiffer ride, but could also be your problem. One thing you can do to at least narrow down where the problem is, is to spray some silcone lube on one bushing, see if that stops it. If it does, you know it's that bushing. If it doesn't fix it, try another one...rinse lather and repeat. Might work, might not, but it's free and you might figure it out without having to pay a mechanic to do the same thing.

Kaleb,

I have the exact same problem. I have new front struts and strut mounts, sway bar end links, new ball joints (which were part of the control arms), and tie rods. Putting more parts on the car just seemed to worsen the problem, and I had two dealers and a local Firestone tell me they think it’s the end links. So I went back to the original shop that did those and after a full diagnostic they are telling me it’s not the end links.

I too am frustrated that after $4,000 the issue is worse, but at least it doesn’t feel like the front end is coming apart.

I would’ve done all this myself and gotten an alignment, but this car is much harder to work on than any vehicle I’ve owned, mostly due to it being FWD and having very sensitive wheel speed sensors. On a RWD with some ground clearance everything seems to just come together easier. Plus it has struts vs shocks up front.

You paid $4000 for struts, control arms and end links? Yikes.

 

[clublife.peoria]

I've replaced a handful of failed sway bar end links and I've never heard them make sounds like that. When replacing struts or control arms or anything with a rubber bushing, you're supposed to wait on torqueing them down until the weight of the vehicle is on the ground. Not doing this pre-loads the bushings and causing issues, typically a much stiffer ride, but could also be your problem. One thing you can do to at least narrow down where the problem is, is to spray some silcone lube on one bushing, see if that stops it. If it does, you know it's that bushing. If it doesn't fix it, try another one...rinse lather and repeat. Might work, might not, but it's free and you might figure it out without having to pay a mechanic to do the same thing.



You paid $4000 for struts, control arms and end links? Yikes.

Yes, having done this stuff enough in my life I don’t want to be bothered anymore and doing it on the ground is just miserable. The mechanic charged me around $1850 for the front control arms, CV joints, tie rods, and an alignment. Then I ended up having a bad wheel bearing so that was around $550-600 per bearing. They were going to make a deal to do all of them but I declined. Next I did struts for around $1100, which needed another alignment, end links for around $250, and finally another alignment about a month ago as every time they tweaked something the car would pull to a side. I think there were 3x alignments at $100-130 IIRC. Well worth it, last time I did a ball joint and wheel bearing on my gas car, it took 20+ hours (it’s a PITA on C6 Corvettes, and I kept having to go to the parts store for tools)…

 

[Foose]

Yes, having done this stuff enough in my life I don’t want to be bothered anymore and doing it on the ground is just miserable. The mechanic charged me around $1850 for the front control arms, CV joints, tie rods, and an alignment. Then I ended up having a bad wheel bearing so that was around $550-600 per bearing. They were going to make a deal to do all of them but I declined. Next I did struts for around $1100, which needed another alignment, end links for around $250, and finally another alignment about a month ago as every time they tweaked something the car would pull to a side. I think there were 3x alignments at $100-130 IIRC. Well worth it, last time I did a ball joint and wheel bearing on my gas car, it took 20+ hours (it’s a PITA on C6 Corvettes, and I kept having to go to the parts store for tools)…

You really need a new mechanic. You're getting ripped off big time.

 

[KalebM]

Update: Car was looked at, it needs yet another new right front strut. Third one in a row now.. at least it's under warranty.

 

[clublife.peoria]

You really need a new mechanic. You're getting ripped off big time.

At least the shops are getting the stuff done for me without causing additional problems. That last wheel bearing I did, caused me to have to change a ball joint because it split upon removal. I used a pickle fork and then later found out I needed a special tool. Next was the ball joint press, another $100+ tool. I agree the shop rates are high but I literally gave prices from 3 shops (that work was done at an Indy, dealer, and then Firestone) and all were $99 minimum to look at the car and $100-130 for an alignment. I’ve stopped DIYing because of all the bad experiences I’ve had.

Maybe others have had better luck but out of say 10 DIY repairs, at least 1-2 go south simply due to working on the ground and with limited light, limited tools, and not enough room. If I had a lift and proper tools I may be more confident.

 

[clublife.peoria]

Update: Car was looked at, it needs yet another new right front strut. Third one in a row now.. at least it's under warranty.

Glad to hear that it was something simple, and covered by warranty!

 

[KalebM]

Another update: There must be something else wrong with the car because I just got it back with another new strut and it's still making the noise.

 

[Foose]

I'm starting to think maybe it's not the strut, lol

 

[leppard3]

I want to know what mechanic is going to replace a strut three times before they think it's something else?

 

[KalebM]

The 1st strut was definitely defective but with the last one & this one I didn't really think it was the strut, but the mechanic said they had looked over all the other components and "nothing was out of the ordinary or making noise."

Friend of mine heard it & suggested maybe it's a bad bushing. I put my phone under the car & recorded me turning the wheel & I also have a video of me driving over bumps and you can also hear a metallic clinking noise, will post shortly for those interested.

 

[KalebM]

Combined both clips here. First clip I turn my steering wheel left/right (phone is under the car) and you can hear it creaking, second clip you can hear on certain bumps the clinky metallic noise. Sway bar links were already replaced so it isn't those.

 

[clublife.peoria]

Kaleb, sorry to hear about your ongoing issue.

I have that exact noise when turning the wheel left/right, although not as loud as yours. I’m out of options, even Volt forum recommended mechanic Jaryd Carvell out of Chicago said it was loose control arm bolts and end link bolts, but he’s tightened those about a month ago and the noise is still there. A flight back from Chicago is $300 + a diagnostic fee, I’m almost hesitant to go back if the issue persists…

Those saying I need a better mechanic, are we sure this isnt a Volt-specific issue that has some specific torque value for something that when over tightened, causes this?

 

[Tricoat_beauty2014]

Normally when struts are replaced it's a good idea to replace the mounts as well. There is a rubber bushing that's part of the mount that'll get worn out and allow metal to metal contact.

I had a 1998 Monte Carlo that had a strut mount go bad at only 20k miles. It was on the passenger side, and when I would make a left turn, the weight would shift to that side and it would grind and pop.

 

[SpinUp]

Reviving this thread as this seems to be a fairly common issue. I think Tricoat might have been on the right path implicating mounts/bushings.

Background: My Volt had major work done and the engine was re-installed without a proper engine mount/bushing and it was blatantly obvious that something was terribly wrong, the car drove horrbly and was very loud going over any bump. But dealer/service dept. insisted it was fine and normal. After months of back and forth, we got it on a special lift that loads the suspension and it was obvious that the engine was sitting on the frame. Once the engine was reinstalled with the proper engine mount/bushing, the problem was solved. Though I wonder if other bushings were dameaged during this months long misconfiguration.

Using an Indy mechanic, like others here, they can't seem to locate the creaking/clunking issue on accel/deccel. I bet it's a bushing/mount. like Tricoat suggests.

 

[marcusm]

For us in our 16s the moaning/creaking only went away after replacing part of the Axles. I think it’s due to stress of regenerative braking.


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