unknown rusty gate sound

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

coming from the drivers side front. 5100's on the middle notch less than 10k miles on them. diff drop added just because it was cheep! if i hit a dip in the road going fast enough to cause the front end to compress the shocks i get a sound like the shock is squeeking. i assume it is the shock. any way to tell just by looking at it or what?

[tundra3400]

i think im starting to hear the same thing on my 2000, i have the about 5K on 5100s at the middle notch. it sounds like a bushing of some sort. you could try to lube all the bushing to see if the noise goes away but idk what kind of lube to use.

[oofy15354]

If you can find a place where it happens consistently, bring a can of WD-40 with you and spray down a single bushing and hit the bump. If the noise is gone, there is your culprit. If not, spray something else and repeat until the noise goes away. I did this with U-joints to find which one was failing

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

and then is it a question of a loose bolt in the bushing or what is the actual cause of the squeek? i don't remember there being any lube that came with the shocks.

[Remmy700P]

baja, if it is coming from the strut, then it is a larger issue than lubrication. The strut internals (piston, valve, seal, etc) have failed and the strut needs replacement.

I'd do as oofy suggested... start hitting spots with WD-40 (forward UCA bushing, rearward UCA bushing, LCA bushing(s), etc) one at a time and see if it stops. Don't forget your sway bar bushings.

[tundrunk]

I'm not sure if I'd use WD on bushings, it might dry them out since WD displaces moisture. You might be better with an actual lubricant, perhaps Pro Long or something Teflon based. A squeak could be metal to metal contacting, if that's the case, lubrication is only hiding the issue rather than resolving it.

If it turns out not to be shock related, what you may need to try is, lift your front end up on jack stands, loosen your upper control arm pivot bolt, then set your truck down on the ground and snug it up again. The stock upper arm has a tension effect when it's tightened up, and if you went from stock height to 2-2.5" taller the upper arm may be having a bind in the bushings.

Does the sound seem to happen on compression or on rebound? I know you said it happens when you cause compression but I don't want to assume you meant the noise happens during compression. Noises like this are hard to diagnose through a forum.

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

lemme go hit that damn bump. i'll be back later.

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

broke out the graphite spray and hit the UCA then the LCA and the squeek is still there. if i pull up and down on the grill guard i can replicate it all day long. was graphite not the right lube or is the offending squeek somewhere else like the steering rack?

[tundra3400]

you said you lubricated the UCA/LCA bushings. that only leaves the upper and lower shock bushings. maybe it has something to do with the rack.

[tundrunk]

I don't think the steering rack can make that kind of noise. Just as a refresher, do you have any modifications to your front suspension other than the 5100s?

[2003bajatundra4x4ac]

no other mods to the front. i'll keep spraying and see what happens.