Cgamboa

I drive a 1995 nissan 200sx with about 131k miles...REcently, I've been hearing these chirps at the front passenger side of my car...The chirps only occur when I go up on a speed bump or when I hit a gap in the streets. I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. I've checked my springs, axles...they're both looking dandy. Recently my friend and I was messing around with my car and found out that the passenger side spring bolt was loose. (NOT THE BOLTS HOLDING THE STRUT IN PLACE...BUT THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE)So we tightened that puppy up...It went good for about 2 days, and then I heard it again...IT IS SO ANNOYING!!! Can someone help me with this problem please? I also noticed that when I"m in a stop position, and I turn the wheel, I can hear creaking noises at that same place...WTF!!!?? PLEASE, CAN SOMEONEHELP ME!!??? THANKS

ReVerm

From what you're saying, it sounds like that creaking noise is the top bolt loosening. The reason it's doing this when you turn the wheel is because in a macpherson strut suspension system, the steering system "twists" the front struts to change the direction of the wheels.

It's bizzare (and scary) that your top bolt is coming off though. I'd torque it the best you can (if you can get it off the car before you torque, all the better), then drip some Loctite green threadlocker into the bolt (If I remember correctly, loctite green is the one you apply after you assemble the parts). If you need to disassemble the strut afterwards, you can heat it to break the loctite.

Good luck!

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Captain Slow.

Cgamboa

WOw, thanks man...YEAh it is the top lock nut...it ALWAYS screws off no matter how tight i tighten it...BUT Im going to try your idea with that Loctite green threadlocker...My other wuestion is...HOW DO I TAKE OFF THE WHOLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM. I know you're probably gonna flare at me cuz I'm newb, but bare with me...Everyone was a noob at one point. Can you give me detail instructions /pics to how to take off the whole suspension. AND will i need to re-align my car if I DO take them off? Thank you...Sorry about all the questions though... =)

ReVerm

Haha. I'm not going to flare back at you. This is a perfectly valid question, and it deserves a proper answer. By "the whole suspension system", you do mean the spring/strut assembly, right (comes off as one piece in our cars)?

If that's the case, and if you have hand tools (you'll need a socket set which goes up to 17mm, a rachet, a few box wrenches, and a breaker bar or a rachet with a long handle), you can take the strut assembly off your car. If you want to take the spring off your strut or take the top mount off the assembly, you will also need a spring compressor. It's a good idea to get an alignment after you put your strut assembly back on, as you can slightly change your alignment in the process of taking everything off and putting it back on.

The procedure for strut/spring assembly removal looks something like this:
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1. Open up the hood, put the e-brake up, and put wheel chocks (or a block of wood) behind your rear wheels so the car doesn't roll. I'd tighten your strut top nut again, just in case.

2. Jack up the front end of the car and put it on jack stands. Take off the wheel(s) of the sides you want to get the struts off of.

3. If you look into the wheel well, you'll see the strut right behind the brake disc/caliper. You should see a rubber hose (the brake line) connected to the bottom perch of the strut by a square metal clip. Pull it off with pliers or vise grips (it should slide off).

4. Now if you follow the strut straight down, you'll see that it's connected to the control arm by two bolts (one bolt if you're working on the rear of the car) and two nuts. Undo the two bolts with the breaker bar/long rachet while holding the nut with a box wrench. Once you get these off (might take a bit of force), the control arm/brake assembly should slide downwards a bit, but your strut will stay attached to the chassis by the top nuts.

5. Go under the hood of your car, and undo the three nuts holding the strut assembly to the car (they are the ones around the strut top nut). Don't touch the strut top lock nut in the middle. Undoing this now will cause the strut to shoot downwards and put a hole in the ground/your foot.

6. Once you remove the three nuts holding the strut to the chassis, you should be able to slide the strut assembly downwards and out of the wheel well. Be very careful when removing/handling the assembly, especially since you said that the top lock nut was coming off by itself. Keep the top mount pointed away from you and anything you don't want damaged at all times.

7. If you need to take the top mount off the strut assembly or take the spring off the strut, you will need a spring compressor. Instructions should come with the spring compressor, but basically what you would do is undo the top nut after compressing the spring with the spring compressor.

Assembly is basically the exact opposite of removal. You put the assembly back into the wheel well, put the three top nuts back on (it helps to have someone hold the strut while you put the nuts on. That thing gets heavy after a while), then install the two bolts to attach it to the control arm, and clip the brake line back on the strut.

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Unfortunately I don't have pictures to go with this procedure. I can, however, give you access to my server space with the B14 Factory Service Manual on it. It is about 45 megs in size so you will need a download manager or a broadband connection, but it will have the most accurate information available when it comes to performing repairs on your car. PM me if you want it and I'll get you access.

Good luck, and if you decide to attempt the strut removal, be careful!

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Captain Slow.

Cgamboa

thanks man...i really appreciate it