SuperDave Posted November 8, 2022 Report Share Posted November 8, 2022 Maybe this may help someone…. I have had a front suspension rattle on my 2011 R/T for years. Tried everything, new struts, sway bar bushings, sway bar stabilizer links (twice, which seemed to help every time initially) and also replaced the lower control arms (that was not a waste of money as they were worn out). Vehicle has 230000 km on it so it doesn’t owe me much but the rattle on rough roads was driving me crazy. Sounds like a strut was broken etc. Most of the work was done at different local mechanics but this week i decided to do the work myself and figure out the problem once and for all. I looked over all the bodywork, fender panels, adding new fasteners and push pins everywhere as they were worn out. Didn’t help. Finally decided to replace the stabilizer sway bar links one more time as they’re inexpensive and it seemed to help initially before but only for a day or two. What i discovered was the strut and the stabilizer cross bar holes to mount the sway bar links are oversized. i inspected the old sway bar links and there was wear on the threads even though they we’re crazy torqued down. The hole on the strut that receives the sway bar link also showed some sign of wear and elongation. Poor manufacturing standards. I was able to fabricate a shim/washer that took up most of the excess slack from the oversized holes and installed the new sway bar links. The car has never been so quiet since. sppmaster and 2late4u 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted November 8, 2022 Report Share Posted November 8, 2022 Interesting post, very helpful info for a common Journey issue, suspension rattles. I wonder if the replacement struts were oem or after market parts. It’s also possible the installation of the second set of struts/links was a rush job. If not torqued properly in place, lots of suspension stuff will start rattling prematurely. Suspension noises can be tricky to trouble shoot. Glad you figured it out, cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sppmaster Posted January 31, 2023 Report Share Posted January 31, 2023 On 8.11.2022 г. at 2:28 AM, SuperDave said: Maybe this may help someone…. I was able to fabricate a shim/washer that took up most of the excess slack from the oversized holes and installed the new sway bar links. The car has never been so quiet since. Thanks for your work but can you please take pictures of the exact oversized holes and put them here. I'm not a native English speaker and just wonder where are those holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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