1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Folks, I am getting 2-3 pops and squeaks of metal and plastic when I make a wide turn now forwards or backwards at slow speed. It goes away until I make a direction change. Doesn't happen when I am going straight on. I was wondering if it was my new tires brushing on things but no, I can't see any contact nor can another independent witness. My friends thought that it could be creaking of the UCP. Opinions? Diagnosis? Prognosis?
:confused: :(

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

You didn't say where the sound was coming from, but I would guess its the tires hitting the fender/liner. The UCP shouldn't make any noise. Have another look in the wheel wells. Maybe walk alongside while someone else drives to getter a better look.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Sure Sewie, Thanks. I'll take a look again. If that is the case (why, my tires 285/75R 16 too big?) what's the prognosis? Surgery?

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

But what is the width of the tire? That may be the problem.

On my old truck I switched from GY Wranglers to BFG MT's. Although the same "size" tire, the MT's rubbed on tight turns.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Did I mention that the noise is not present when the vehicle is at regular city speed and turnng.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Dangit. It definitely ain't the tires rubbing. It's metal creaking and groaning at the stress of turning i.e. perhaps the rubber lugs are sticking to pavement and weight shift becomes awkward. This would explain why at higher speed and with less turning there is no problem. Is that bad? or to be expected. Should I take it to the stealership? Maybe I should take it to 40 psi to get less rubber on the road?

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

That kind of sound happened on my old rig when the CV joint was about to go. Or it could be excessive wear on the ball joints if you cranked the torsion bars or do a lot of hard core wheeling.

You said it happens when you're turning ... does it happen when you're going straight over a speed bump? If so, try angling your rig so one wheel goes over the bump first. That'll tell you which side has the problem.

How many miles do you have on your H3? Did you crank the torsion bars ... how long ago?

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

I guess I'll take it to the stealership tomorrow. I will cry if I have to cancel the K'Rock trip:( :(

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

STFU with that crap.

Why don't you just say something is noisy? :rolleyes:

Please, in another thread, explain how the amount of turns the torsion bar has would have anything to do with wear on the ball joints.:confused:

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Groans/creaks are usually indicative of some loose bolt or body flex. Bring it this weekend and we'll figure out where the noise is coming from.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Thanks. That's what I'm thinking. I also figured between you, PhilD, and Fox, one of you would find the problem. However, I did not want to NOT get there and did not want to impose on you all for anything less than a tow out of trouble or changing a tie rod (:D ) so it's at the local stealership at the moment. At least the new "Hummer Advisor" is young and polite. That is worth a lot in my book (the "polite" part). We'll see...:(

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

7 hours in the shop and less than 48 hours until planned departure for KRock and they still don't know what's making the noise....:(

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Dude, relax. It's just a forum.

Cranking the torsion bars creates extra tension on the A-arms, pushing them (and therefore the wheels) down and changing the angle on the CV joints. The CV and ball joints have to withstand the extra force at an out-of-spec angle. This creates extra stress on the joints, especially when steering and flexing off-road. This can cause them to fail early, with creaking and popping noises while steering or going over bumps.

Other issues could cause these sounds, but this is one thing to rule out.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

and giving out bad advice as an AE is cheeseball in it's truest form.

The ball joints don't care how much the torsion bars are or are not cranked. It's akin to saying you'll break your wrist just because you strengthened your pectoralis major.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

such as mental?

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

How long have you had the new tires? when did the noise start? Factory wheels?? I have seen alloy wheels that were not tightened enough creak.

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

It's ok folks. Thanks for contributing to the thread. It's all good now. My truck is fixed using the shotgun technique. The source of the noise could not have been isolated more than the front suspension so "everything" was taken down, relubed and bolted back. The noise is gone. I'll be off to KRock. Thanks.:) :) :)

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Awesome, have a great time!

Re: 1 week before K Rock, now what...
 

Not really. It's more like how it's easier to lift weights with your elbow at 45 degrees than fully extended. The leverage requires more force from your muscle and puts more strain on the joint.

Doesn't matter anyway. It was just an idea, and ETD got it all worked out. :cool: