Recently, over the last month, I have had a noise that sounded like a squawk type noise at the right rear that was loud going in and out of my friends steep uphill driveway with the right front wheel first as I turned in or backed out and when backing straight in at home over some small bumps in the road before getting to the concrete driveway and that noise was much quieter. I first thought it was the track bar or control arms and all those are new and the other source could be the Hellwig rear sway bar, which is also new.
I have stayed busy in my driveway turning tools so I had not looked until this morning. It was mid 60's temp and I threw on my coveralls. Backed up on ramps. Got the correct sockets, wrenches and ratchets. I started out at the top control arms and then the lower arms and then the track bar. All were tight but I nudged them all a little tighter. I then looked at the sway bar frame mounts and were tight. Then the links. Found the right rear sway bar link bottom mount bolt pinch nut had lost it's pinch and was loose. I loosened to inspect and when the tension was off of the washer behind the nut and relaxed back from the poly bushing, it made the squawk noise. When I installed the set, I lubed the poly bushings but they have dried a bit and the nut had backed off and allowed the rub causing the noise. I dismantled both sides and cleaned and lubed and "peened" the pinch nut and it went back on tighter than when I unthreaded off. I could turn it with my fingers then and everyone knows a pinch nut should not be able to do that. I talked to my friend about this and he agrees with me. The collars of metal around the poly bushings are thick enough that we are planning on using a drill to create and tap a hole on the collars and thread on a grease zerk and drill hole in poly bushing, in line with the zerk hole, to allow access to the center and then can lube with a grease gun over time.
I then took the Tahoe out and drove to my friend's driveway and went in and out two times.....no noise. Drove the hell out of it thru town......no noise. No noise when backed in my driveway. FIXED.
I have stayed busy in my driveway turning tools so I had not looked until this morning. It was mid 60's temp and I threw on my coveralls. Backed up on ramps. Got the correct sockets, wrenches and ratchets. I started out at the top control arms and then the lower arms and then the track bar. All were tight but I nudged them all a little tighter. I then looked at the sway bar frame mounts and were tight. Then the links. Found the right rear sway bar link bottom mount bolt pinch nut had lost it's pinch and was loose. I loosened to inspect and when the tension was off of the washer behind the nut and relaxed back from the poly bushing, it made the squawk noise. When I installed the set, I lubed the poly bushings but they have dried a bit and the nut had backed off and allowed the rub causing the noise. I dismantled both sides and cleaned and lubed and "peened" the pinch nut and it went back on tighter than when I unthreaded off. I could turn it with my fingers then and everyone knows a pinch nut should not be able to do that. I talked to my friend about this and he agrees with me. The collars of metal around the poly bushings are thick enough that we are planning on using a drill to create and tap a hole on the collars and thread on a grease zerk and drill hole in poly bushing, in line with the zerk hole, to allow access to the center and then can lube with a grease gun over time.
I then took the Tahoe out and drove to my friend's driveway and went in and out two times.....no noise. Drove the hell out of it thru town......no noise. No noise when backed in my driveway. FIXED.
