ebnub

I put new Monroe struts in the front which came with the lower bearings already installed, on my 94 ES300. They seemed to be working great for the first week then all of a sudden today there is this creaking noise coming from the front right wheel which you can only hear while the wheel is turning whether its stopped or moving. It's like the sound of a floor creaking but louder I guess.

Does this sound like a bad strut bearing to anyone? The only reason I even thought about it being a strut bearing is because when the strut arrived the lower seal that is right below the lower spring seat was bent up a bit. I put it back into shape the best I could with my hands but it wasn't like new really.

Anything else I should maybe check first before thinking about putting a whole new strut in?

LeX2K

I would raise both front wheels off the ground (safely!) and have someone turn the steering wheel while you investigate the noise. BTW, are these the Monroe complete units?

JTS06Z06

Well if it makes the noise while the steering wheel is not turning then I dont think it would be the bearing. Ofcourse I could be wrong, but to me if the bearing is not doing anything and your still hearing stuff its time to look elsewhere.

James

TOYOLEX

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ebnub

JTS, it does in fact make noise only when the steering wheel is turning whether or not if the car is moving.

They are not complete Monroe units (quick strut I assume you're talking about). I bought the two struts which came with the bearings installed, and had to buy new mounts and strut boots. From the old struts I swapped over the bumper, coil spring, and the little bit of rubber that the coil spring sets onto on the lower seat.

ebnub

Here are a couple videos of what I have happening:

Right Strut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHyZKRDtMyc
Left Strut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrbV4r1ixKA

The wheels are completely off the ground so you aren't hearing the rubber of the tires at all. Both sides seem to be making a rubber noise but the right side is more pronounced and you can even hear the right side in the background of the left strut video.

JTS06Z06

The way those parts are moving just doesnt look right to me. I could be wrong since I havent had my ES that long, but that lower insulator moving without the lower spring seat is whats making the noise. You almost got me tempted to go jack the front of my car up and make a video to so we can compare. If I do

James

ebnub

You're probably right about that being the cause of the noise, but I'm pretty certain that the lower spring seat isn't supposed to move since the bearing is located beneath that insulator. Looking at general strut exploded view diagrams it seems that most struts have the bearing located up near the upper mount which would mean the coil and lower seat would rotate with the wheels, but these Toyota/Lexus struts seem to be just the opposite.

When I was assembling the strut with the upper mount and spring I tried to hold that insulator still while rotating the strut but the insulator would start to move upward out of position. This is frustrating to say the least. I attached a couple pictures to show what the strut looked like as I received it, and also what is below the insulator

LeX2K

It looks like the strut is not assembled correctly, either the upper mount is not aligned properly, or something is binding/rubbing on the spring seat.

Unfortunately you will probably have to pull both struts and check them. BTW, you should be able to twist the strut and make it turn by hand when it's out of the car. It will take a bit of effort but it will move.

ebnub

It's just hard to believe that they're not assembled correctly because the lower bearing/seal/etc were already installed when I bought them and the boxes were sealed. All I had to do was transfer the old coil over and put the new mount on.

The struts did in fact twist freely, and with a little bit of effort like you said.

LeX2K

I was thinking about this step:



If the top mount is not aligned close enough to the spring seat, the spring will twist and bind. If that is not the case, then the only thing left is the units are defective, assuming they are installed correctly. (I think it's basically impossible to put them in wrong)

Whatever the case may be, the bearing is not moving freely, especially on the one side. But I do see your point, all you did was put the lower insulator on the seat, then the coil, then the upper mount. You didn't do anything to the spring seat or bearing or anything like that.

ebnub

Thanks for that diagram Lexus 2000, I just verified that they are installed exactly as that diagram describes. I just went out there and removed the circular sprint clamp that keeps the rubber bearing insulator tight with the strut and the noise continued, so I am certain it's coming from the bearing now. I sent Monroe an email on Sunday with a direct link to this thread and have yet to get any type of response. So I guess the next step is to call. This is strange though that they are both doing this since they are different model numbers, though just one model number apart (#71955, #71956).

LeX2K

Different part# because of left vs. right side I presume? It is strange that both sides do pretty much the same thing though, both are defective? A bit hard to believe. But it looks exactly like the bearing is binding.

Hope you get it worked out, pulling struts out is a pain, plus the car needs an alignment after. Is there any way you can get a refund? Not sure what you paid for those, but you can get an original Lexus part for $130/side.

edit - if the rubber insulator was binding, it would just twist and not make that kind of noise. But on the one side, why is your rubber boot twisting like that? I watched it a few times but can't see why it would be doing that. I know someone with a Camry (same basic suspension as you) that somehow assembled the strut wrong, and the entire spring was forced to twist as he turned the wheel.

ebnub

I'm sure its just because it's zip tied at the bottom to the strut, probably a little too tightly.

Yeah, left/right part numbers. I think I'm going to be taking these apart in the next couple days and hopefully figure this out without having to figure out a way to return them without a box. The car itself drives just fine though, smooth, the steering seems fine, it's just the noise.

donbryce

I checked the service manual and the stock Lexus strut assemblies are not blown apart in the diagrams to show what the individual pieces are or how they should work together. Like the rear struts, which I've done, aftermarket units are built differently I guess, so it's unfortunate Monroe hasn't gotten back to you on what could be wrong.
I wondered about those 2 small screws which are pictured in the assembly blow-up. They appear to go through the (rubber?) ring and into the steel spring perch, from opposite sides. They look like they are meant to join these 2 parts together so that the perch piece won't twist....maybe. Am I close (I haven't had experience with the fronts yet), or do you recall putting those screws in during assembly? Did they break off a week later? Just a thought...
Edit: OK, re-read your post and it looks like the picture of the assembled strut, below the parts, is what you got, which would've had those screws installed.