# Bushings?



## beckycasey (May 28, 2004)

Ok, I am attempting to find some information on bushings......I am a woman who hates to go to a garage to have her car looked at until she is educated, that way they cant take advantage of me. I have a 98 altima, and I THINK it needs bushings, though I know nothing about them. I work for a Toyota dealership, and that is what someone I work with thought it was. When I go over a bump, especially speed bumps, my back end makes a funky sound. It is kind of like a squeaking/creaking sound, when the back end drops down over the bump. The car does not continue to "bounce" like it would with bad shocks. Other than speed bumps, I have to be going more than 35 MPH to hear the sound, and it is not just any bump. Pot holes don't do it, usually a dip in the road will produce the sound for me, though. Any ideas on what it could be, or where I might find more information? Thanks a lot!

-Becky


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

well it sounds to me like it could be a couple of things. it could be bushings as you think they may be, but which ones? the rear sway bar links come to mind when i think of rear end noises. you could also have them check the bushings at the top of the rear strut mounts and YOU can do this one yourself - grab the muffler(when its cold, not hot) and give it a shake. there should be movement, but only a tiny bit. if youre getting excessive movement, like lets say, 3-4 inches in any direction, than the muffler hangers could be bad or missing. you know, dealers, even a toyota dealer, can get you nissan parts and fix your vehicle for you. can you trust your own dealer?


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## KA24Tech (Feb 2, 2004)

It sounds like a posible bad strut top mount, a spring silencer is missing from between the spring perch, or even a sway bar bushing is dry. Try loosening the bar brackets and spraying silicone between the bar and the bushing that will give a clue if that is the cause. 
The bouncing more than likely is just a bad strut which after six years is not a bad life span. See if there is any seepage around the piston seal. Sometimes the leak is just internal.

Troy


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## bommart (Jun 17, 2004)

Could be a bad strut or one that is going bad. How many miles are on your car?


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