I Need Help With An Odd Creaking Noise...

[lebhead]

i just bought a 99 V6 stick shift used, and it is in pretty good condition, with the exception of 74K miles on it (which i was told mostly were freeway). the car is completely stock - not dropped or anything, and the CARFAX came back clean when i had a check run before i bought the car, so it doesn't seem to have been in any accidents. however, after buying the car and driving it for a week, i've noticed an odd creaking noise coming from the rear of the car. at first i thought it was the shocks, but a bounce test seemed to indicate they were fine, and i haven't noticed any extra "springiness" in the ride, although i have only owned it for a week so i'm not sure what normal is.

the odd thing is that the creaking sound isn't constant. it almost always occurs only when i am starting from a dead stop, and it only last for a second or two at the most. once in a while i'll hear it when i'm cornering, but usually it's just when i start from a dead stop. the noise doesn't happen everytime when i start from stop, but usually. i'd say about 70% of the time.

i took it in to Sears today to have them see if they could confirm it was a broken/leaking shock, but of course the noise didn't happen when they tested it, so they found nothing wrong with the car. but the service guy did throw out the suggestion it could be a frame problem. of course that's probably a lot more expensive than broken shocks!

so my question to you is, what do you think could be the problem? should i go ahead and change the shocks and see if anything changes? or should i take it into a frame shop and see what they come up with? and if anybody knows of a good frame shop in the CA Bay Area, please let me know.

thanks in advance.

[mustangII460]

I probably would not worry to much about it.

It could be any number of things. I would look things like exhaust rubbers, or any other rubber bushings.

Start by taking WD-40 and squirting the shocks. Then maybe control arm rubbers. Exhaust rubbers, etc. Each time you try something different, take it for a ride.

I kinda doubt anything serious is wrong. Especially frame wise.

Hope this helps

[lebhead]

thanks.

i think i'll start by replacing the shocks. i was planning on doing it anyway, so hopefully i'll hit the jackpot. if not, i'll try what doing what you said. and i think you're right - it doesn't seem to be serious, but rather more of an annoyance. hopefully i'll figure it out though. it's kind of embarassing to be cruising along looking cool, and then creaking everytime you start driving.

[mustangII460]

Creaking ain't so bad, as you get older you will creak more and more. Of course now that I think of, being called a "Creaky old man" ain't so cool either