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Triumph TR6 - Annoying (maybe worrying) squeak

Hi guys

It's been a while - the poor old TR6 has been sitting in the garage at my in-laws while I have been converting a Stag into a lot of small parts which may or may not one day go back together...

Finally got the TR6 out of the garage at the weekend and went to a car show about 40 miles away - the car ran really well, but the squeak is still there. I had assumed that the squeak (which has been present since I first drove the car) was down to the poorly fitted exhaust rubbing on the chassis at the t-shirt pressing. It is a Monza exhaust and after carefully fitting the rubber bushes from the box I started the engine up and watched the pieces fly out from under the car as those bushes disintegrated. So, the exhaust was rubbing the chassis, but I finally tracked down some replacements and got the exhuast back up where it belongs. The squeak is still there.

It sounds to me like a bodywork type of squeak - like two panels rubbing (or perhaps the bodyshell on the chassis - I have not replaced any of the body mounts). This doesn't worry me so much, though I would like to cure it. What occurred to me as I drove home on Sunday was that it might be a mechanical issue. It sounds to me to be coming from the passenger side, behind the cockpit. The squeaks seems to become more frequent at higher speed, but not proportionally with speed, if you see what I mean.

My current theories (in order of worry generated!) are:
1. rear wheel bearing - I can't feel any excessive play in the wheel, but would be grateful if anyone who has had a rear wheel bearing problem could let me know the signs they heard/saw
2. Universal Joint - From what I have been told, this would sound more like a grating sound, and would be constant in a straight line - does that sound right? If so I can cross that off the list.
3. Diff mount - I welded up the diff mounts, but I am not the best welder in the world - maybe I created the problem? Would this be a squeak or a "thunk" sort of noise?
4. Poly bushes - I have all poly bushes except for the diff mounts (standard rubber). I think I used some sort of lubricant when I fitted them, but it is entirely possible I forgot on one or two bushes - what sort of squeak woudl this cause, and is there anything I can do without taking the suspension apart?
5. Bodywork/chassis rubbing - any idea how I could track this down?

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas I would be grateful. I was enjoying my drive a lot more before I convinced myself that one or both back wheels were about to fall off!

Cheers
Alistair
A Hewitt

Are you certain the squeak is outside the cockpit? I traced a similar problem to the arch over the trans cover where it meets the lower dash.

Make certain its not front wheel bearings. Failure here can be disastrous.
B Chamberlain

Alistair, Re: #5, body work rubbing...Have you tried recreating the squeak when the car is parked by bouncing the body with a couple of firm pushes on the fenders? Have someone help to get that suspension moving up and down and maybe you could get close enough (without getting bonked on the noggin)to listen from where it's coming from. If you could at least narrow down the quadrant from where it eminates, you could begin the elination process.

Does it only happen when tires are rotating? Brakes, possibly. Jack up wheel and spin tires....anything? Maybe you could hear or feel a worn bearing if thats possible.

I had one of those type of annoying sounds on my BGT I couldn't track down for a couple of years...Finally, with my wife driving and the back seat out and the battery cover off, I could really hear the sound. Turned out to be the upper rear shock mount. I had converted to tube type shocks not to long previous and the upper bolt was loose and made that squeaking noise when ever I went over uneven surfaces (which is almost alway when driving in Pa.)

Hope you find it...I'll be on the look out for you at this summers shows...

Dennis

Dennis Silance

This thread was discussed between 09/06/2009 and 17/06/2009

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