Now that Willwren is back, he got me thinking about what he said about replacing the front struts on his car and how his My "Orphan" has 93,000 miles on it now. All of my struts were replaced about 40,000 miles ago. My struts don't go Snap, Crackle, or Pop and the handling is still very good and tight. The ONLY thing that is different now is that the front end creaks when I go over a speed bump(or some other bump at slow speed). Is this an indication that the Bearing in the Strut is starting to go?(I don't think it was ever replaced) And, more importantly, how dangerous is this creak that I hear. Could I wait(possibly another year) until I have to replace the front struts to have this remedied? Or does the creak possibly have nothing to do with the struts at all??? I'm pretty meticulous about greasing the ball joints.

I thought I remember hearing that the springs can rub together on top and cause a creaking sound like that.

1992 Pontiac Bonneville V6-3800 3.8L Copyright@ 1997, ALLDATA Corp. 1-888-968-3494 C2.00
Vehicle: All Technical Service Bulletins
Front Coil Spring Noise Over Bumps
Bulletin Number: 93-3-18
Reference Number: 203301R
Publish Date: 8/93
Subject:
FRONT COIL SPRING NOISE (INSTALL SLEEVE ON LOWER COILS/INST ALL NEW DUST SillELD)
Models Affected:
1992-93 BONNEVILLE MODELS
THIS BULLETIN IS BEING REVISED TO INCLUDE THE 1993 MODEL YEAR. THIS BULLETIN CANCELS AND REPLACES BULLETIN 92-3-9A ISSUED 7/92. PLEASE DISCARD BULLETIN 92-3-9A.
CONDITION:
Two conditions may occur in the front strut assemblies that may cause noise to be transmitted to the passenger compartment.
A. Coil Contact Noise -This condition occurs when the two bottom coils of the sprtDgs contact each other as the vehicle is driven over bumps.
This condition is often mistaken as a rattle in the dash and is most predominant on, but not limited to, the following spring codes: CHF, Cllli, CHL, CHM, CHN, CHP.
B. Dust Shield Noise -This condition is a plastic to metal squeak or itching that occurs in cold weather over bumps.
CORRECTION: A
1. Verify that the noise is coil contact noise by spraying tracing powder on the lower two coils of the front springs.
2. Drive or jounce the vehicle and check for contact points between the coils.
3. Once coil contact has been identified, clean the spring, apply Kent Industries 10140 or 3M # 76/77N or equivalent high tack adhesive to the lower two coils and instal1 sleeve PIN 22077538 to cover the contact point.
CORRECTION: B
A new dust tube (GM Part Number 22129001) has been released for service. Follow the service manual for instal1ation instructions.
Parts are currently available from GMSPO.
WARRANTY INFORMATION: (CONDITION A)
Labor Operation No.: T5273
Labor Time: .3 hr. (One or Both)
WARRANTY INFORMATION: (CONDITION B)
Dust Tube Instal1ation See Labor Time Guide

Fud is right on. I had this same problem during the colder weather this winter. I'd look closely at this (the last time he posted that TSB was a big help for me).

As far as the bearing on the strut is concerned, they should have been replaced when the struts were. You might consider pulling the caps off the towers and spraying a good lube down in there to see if it at least temporarily solves your problem. If it does, but it comes back, you know what the problem is.

My new struts are great, other than the hole in my wallet from paying.

Thanks Fuddy and Will. I'll assume, at the moment, that when they install front struts they replaced the strut bearing and that the noise is coming from the Coils. I'll try to verify this over the weekend.

i got the same thing over speed bumps when the front bounces it does it

My car does the same thing but only when i am turning the tires when i am not moving. Does anyone else'* do this?

Very much so, especially when I crank the wheel to get out of a parking spot.

Yup yup, mine is starting to creak too, but only for the first few minutes on a cold morning. After that it is OK.

I know strut mounts are expensive.....

i have replaced the front strut mounts in my '94 lesabre along with the struts, because the mounts were creaking when i turned the steering wheel. it stopped creaking for a few months, but now it'* back! the first time this happened i tried lubricating them, but it looks like the actual rubber portion of the mount is what is squeaking, it looks like it vibrates or slips on something and creaks. does anyone know how to fix this problem for good! apparently brand new mounts are not the solution...

Our Malibu was experiencing creeking in the front end and we were sure we had to change the strut. It turned out that the coating on the spring had rusted off. So we sanded it and wrapped the spring in Teflon tape. Problem solved. Save $140.