C70: C70 front suspension noise

[tony209]

As soon as the weather turns warmer, and especially on a hot day, the front suspension/steering on my T5 cab starts making grinding and clunking noises during slow speed maneuvering - mainly reversing out of car parks. Before I through a load of money and time at replacing all the rubber and possibly dampers, is the problem likely to be just down to worn rubber spring seats and top mounts?

Car has done 132k, new (Moog) drop links fitted recently and inner/outer track rod ends change 18 months and 5k. Car passes MOT without anything being picked up.

Any advice appreciated

[Clan]

Originally Posted by tony209

As soon as the weather turns warmer, and especially on a hot day, the front suspension/steering on my T5 cab starts making grinding and clunking noises during slow speed maneuvering - mainly reversing out of car parks. Before I through a load of money and time at replacing all the rubber and possibly dampers, is the problem likely to be just down to worn rubber spring seats and top mounts?

Car has done 132k, new (Moog) drop links fitted recently and inner/outer track rod ends change 18 months and 5k. Car passes MOT without anything being picked up.

Any advice appreciated

First thing is to grease the nylon lock stop pads on the lower suspension arms 😸

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by Clan

First thing is to grease the nylon lock stop pads on the lower suspension arms 😸

Echo clan's advice - unless mine are greased it sounds horrendous on full lock...oddly turning hard left going forward slightly uphill to reverse into our drive is much worse than the same manoeuvre turning right, probably something to do with weight transfer to the front right stop when turning left.

[ITSv40]

Mine is worse on full left hand lock than right. A regular dab of lube soon sorts it.

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by ITSv40

Mine is worse on full left hand lock than right. A regular dab of lube soon sorts it.

I use copper grease aka copperease, it seems to last about a year before I need to re-grease them.
My C70 has 17" rims on it so hard lock either way rubs the edge of the tyre, though not quite as badly as the 18" efforts on the T5. I'm told you can get thicker stops for the different size rims, apparently they are colour coded - those on the C70 are blue which I think are the thinnest, so the wrong ones for 225 tyres - the V70 T5 has black stops but don't seem to make a lot of difference as the 245s rub too - there again it is quite possible that they have been compressed overtime and just need replacing......another little job for the round'to'it!

[ITSv40]

My car is original and on 17'' comets and has blue stops. I understood blue are standard C70 stops and the black ones S/V70.

[tony209]

Originally Posted by Clan

First thing is to grease the nylon lock stop pads on the lower suspension arms 😸

I do that, it does help, but it does sound like the springs are moving. With it only happening on hot days, I was thinking possibly knackered rubber, mainly the spring seats.

Lock stops aren't overly worn and noise is not always on full lock.

[tony209]

Originally Posted by ASt85

Echo clan's advice - unless mine are greased it sounds horrendous on full lock...oddly turning hard left going forward slightly uphill to reverse into our drive is much worse than the same manoeuvre turning right, probably something to do with weight transfer to the front right stop when turning left.

I have exactly the same issue but turning right slightly up hill to reverse into the drive

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by tony209

I have exactly the same issue but turning right slightly up hill to reverse into the drive

It has to be to do with weight transfer to the outer wheel of the turning arc which must put that stop under increased load and maybe breaks through the grease layer right down to the plastic of the stop or I suppose it could be caused by the inner arc wheel wishbone dropping below the stop causing the noise by grinding along the lower edge of the stop.

Whichever it is, the first time you hear it is quite worrying until you grease the stop.

[ASt85]

Originally Posted by tony209

I was thinking possibly knackered rubber, mainly the spring seats.

You may have something there as rubber tends to shrink as the temperature increases.