I have a 95 Concours with about 87K miles on it. The front end rattles when going over bumps. I took it to a local shop. The mechanic put the car on the lift and looked around. He said eveything looked fine and said it was probably the struts. He said the were air struts and quoted me a price of 2500.

So what's really going on here? Can someone help please. I am not about to spend that kind of money!

Thanks,
Ralph

The noise you describe is often the stablizer bar bushings they will look good and still rattle low cost to replace, check also the stablizer bar end links higher cost to replace.
been there done that. LOL sts96

Damn, I just looked up the price on your struts, and they do come out to about $2500. Like, sts96 said, it's probably something like the stabilizer bar. When the bushings go on those, they tend to rattle over bumps as you describe. I was unable to find a price on the bushings, but the links are $91.40.

You can look them up here- http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=213761

Good Luck.

I have had the exact same problem with Front End rattling noises.

Did you get the stabilizer bushings replaced yet and did it work??

What if I do nothing and just live with the noise? Will this cause any damage?

Noise caused by friction says that the part is worn, loose, and/or damaged... The more you live with it, the worse its going to get untill something gives... if its the shocks then you will experience nose diving when you break to a stop... if it is the sway bar then it will not make the noise while turning and going over bumps because this is when it is under load... If its part of the steering linkages you should put the key in (do not start the engine) and try to turn the wheel back an forth while someone else is listening to it for a loose conection (you should also do this and listen to the sway bar)... If it is indeed the shocks you can live with it because it is not the shocks that hold the car up, its the springs, the shocks just get rid of the bouncyness of the springs.

Any resolution to this problem?

Adam

I have the same problem right now every time i go over a bump something rattles and i dont know what it is so someone please help me out!!!!

I was unable to find a price on the bushings, but the links are $91.40.

The bushings and isolators should total about $20. That may be per side though.
newgmparts.com

I recently did the bushings, I dropped the subframe down a bit to get better access the bolts. The job is technically simple, but it took a long time as I could only turn the bolts 10-50 degrees at a time.

The replacement parts did not appear to fit, but then I realized why the bolts were so long in the first place. They squish and compress around the bar.

It took me ~3 hours to do both, the second went much quicker than the first. My car is silent over bumps now.

Hi:

My experience is the noise is from the stabilizer links check them first. Then check the strut bearing plate. Usually if the struts are worn they will rattle like the devil because there is no more suction left in them. Checking the top bearing plates is hard unless the strut is apart, because there is pressure on it all the time, from the spring. I would say these are all of the causes in a nut shell. My experience has been with 2 of these cars which I have bought new after market parts to aliveate the problem, runs perfect now.

TOM

I recently did the bushings, I dropped the subframe down a bit to get better access the bolts. The job is technically simple, but it took a long time as I could only turn the bolts 10-50 degrees at a time.

The replacement parts did not appear to fit, but then I realized why the bolts were so long in the first place. They squish and compress around the bar.

It took me ~3 hours to do both, the second went much quicker than the first. My car is silent over bumps now.

What exactly did you replace, i would like to do this as cheaply as possible and not purchase anything unnecessary. Also where did you purchase the parts? Thanks for your help!

I purchased the bushings at rockauto.com. Looking at a 95 concours in their suearch engine does not show sway bar bushings. Your suspension setup may be different.

I do see a stabilizer bar link kit for $55. It is interesting that the 95 sts uses the same link kit. Maybe the bushings are not listed by accident.

To see if your suspension does have the bushings, put the car up on a ramp or jack one end up. The sway / stabilizer bar should attach via stabilizer link to the strut (off the arm from the main strut body). Follow this bar back from the suspension to the frame. The bushing, if it exists, sandwiches between the bar and the frame and is held in place by a bracket and 2 bolts.

There are 2 bushing kits

MOOG #K6674 - 21mm bar
MOOG #K6673 - 19 mm bar

I used the xx74 kit on the sts.

Thanks for that info! I did check my car for the bushings and they are there, they felt dried out, not really brittle, falling apart, or loose. The car (96 SLS) only has 55K on it and was garaged its entire life up until 3 weeks ago, but i suppose. Does the $8.32 kit come with both bushings? Thanks again!

I have a 95 Concours with about 87K miles on it. The front end rattles when going over bumps. I took it to a local shop. The mechanic put the car on the lift and looked around. He said eveything looked fine and said it was probably the struts. He said the were air struts and quoted me a price of 2500.

So what's really going on here? Can someone help please. I am not about to spend that kind of money!

Thanks,
Ralph

Ralph,

If you need struts, check out Arnott on the web. I just replaced the front struts only on my '96 Deville (base model, not Concours). Did the job myself with help from my grown son, then took it to tire shop for alignment. The whole job cost just under $400 including the alignment... much less than the $2400 I was quoted by the local Cad dealer. I also posted a new thread here yesterday with some details/tips on installation.

Lee

The kit comes with two bushings. I could not tell that the bushings were worn until i got underneath the car and really cranked on the bar. It seemed to move a little. Once I got the old ones off, then I could tell they were worn.

The new ones did not seem to fit right away. You really have to crank the bolts down far and hard to get them to squish into shape.

Sounds like a plan, and $9 plus shipping and a little labor to get rid of an annoying rattle and possibly slightly improved ride/handling, sounds too good to be true. Ill give it a whirl. Thanks again!

Hello Everyone. In reference to the front end Rattleing noise. I have the same on going problem. I have a 99 Deville Concourse with approximately 39k On it . I have been getting a rattleing noise / or the noise that you would here going over traintracks in the right front wheel. The car has been to the dealer numerous times for this problem and of course the dealer says no problem found.
Go Figure. ! The Car has an extended warrantly to 100k bumper. I just purchased the car in October, with the extended warranty..

Im guessing that the noise is the stablizer bar/ bushings. Taking the car back in again today.. Maybe the dealer can get it right this time.

Hello:

I just wanted to comment about the problem your describing. When Cadillac struts lose their suction (oil, gas) they will rattle until the cows come home. I'ts bad,(the sound I mean,) it really sounds worse then it is. This is the reason the mech can't find the problem, becuse everything is tight and there is no obvious problem they can see. I hear from quite a few people weekly about this rattle. To fix it, change your struts and don't forget to change the strut mounts or strut bushings, if needed or if you have over 70K on the strut mounts change them.

Regards,

Dennis
Boston Suspension

Hi Boston:

Thanks for the nice kit, it's working fine. I had the same problem my struts, they were rattling like crazy. The new struts fixed the problem, along with new strut bearing plates.

Cal

Any progress on the bushings? If your ride is compliant and the car does not bounce, I would try the cheaper fixes before blindly changing the struts. There are several ways / symptoms to test and diagnose bad struts if you search the threads.

To check the bushings and links, jack up the front end of the car and unload the wheels. Use a few jackstands before going underneath the car. Get under the sway bar and with a firm grip shake it up and down. If there is Any play, replace the bushings. Then check the links, try to shake them to look for play as well.

While the car is jacked up, might as well hit/shake/push and pull on other suspension components to check for wear play. This includes tie rod ends, ball joints and other misc bushings. A little up front diagnostic work will prevent you from throwing a lot of money at an issue without actually fixing it.

Hello:

I just wanted to comment about the problem your describing. When Cadillac struts lose their suction (oil, gas) they will rattle until the cows come home. I'ts bad,(the sound I mean,) it really sounds worse then it is. This is the reason the mech can't find the problem, becuse everything is tight and there is no obvious problem they can see. I hear from quite a few people weekly about this rattle. To fix it, change your struts and don't forget to change the strut mounts or strut bushings, if needed or if you have over 70K on the strut mounts change them.

Regards,

Dennis
Boston Suspension

Hey, Boston, thanks for the tip. Is the rattling you describe constant while turning?

Thanks,

Adam

Thank you!!

Dennis