Canada goose got stuck in my front fender

[Jameel]

He comes and goes. Mostly I want him to stay away. Any idea how I can get him out?

I don't think it's the sway bar bushings...shocks?

[Jdub]

I would hope it is not a torsion bar rubbing within its tube. You would want to handle that asap.

Did the sound suddenly appear or was it gradual? One trick is to get someone (you) on the underside w/ someone pushing the fender and, using a hose on very low pressure, drench areas and see if the noise disappears. Start at the bottom and work towards the top.

Good luck!

[Jameel]

Seems like it came on suddenly. I did recently replace the fuel pump, and the stone guard bolts do tie in with the sway bar mounts. Maybe they got a little out of position and are now sqeaking?

[Coastr]

I have that guy occasionally. Sometimes a honk like this, sometimes a squeak. Goes away when water involved.

[Quicksilver]

"Things work right up to the point where they break."

Pull off the swaybar and you will find out if it is just the swaybar.

If it is the torsion bar rubbing on the A-arm it is likely that the torsion bar will need to be replaced. What happens is the rubber suspension bushing deforms/flows so the A-arm shifts to the side. When it goes too far it rubs on the torsion bar causing it to squeak. It also causes wear on the surface of the torsion bar which is bad. The surface of a torsion bar is the highest loaded part so it tends to make them crack and when they crack the corner collapses.

Get it checked out.

[Dan J]

Sway bar bushings squirt them with silicone
or if you are a masochist replace them

[Trakrat]

LOL!!! I was thinking there was a REAL Canadian Goose under there. HAHAHA!

You had me fooled!

[Jameel]

I squirted the sway bar bushings and A arm bushings with some lube this morning. That honker is outta here! Thanks for the tips.

[WRGREENER]

I would proceed with caution. The laws on goose abuse are getting more and more stringent. With all the new legislation coming from Canada and the US concerning goose rights, transport (they are even nervous about the profiling of terrorist geese and air strikes) , hose abuse, and silicone saturation situation points.....you might need an attorney

[Rodsrsr]

You should have sprayed them individually to determine the cause. If its sway bar bushings you can lube them and not a big deal, but if the A-arm bushings were causing the squeak they are probably worn and as others have said may cause damage to the torsion bars. In any event this is a temporary fix at best so you'll have another crack at it.

[Jameel]

Yep, front end refresh is on my short list.

[Jdub]

Jameel - don't let this linger. You have hidden the warning bell, but this is going to need investigation. If you know no work has been performed on the car's suspension you should start setting money aside for this task. The difference with new t-bars, bushings, ball joints, shock inserts, and fresh rubber (if needed - check date codes) is sit down I cannot believe this rewarding. My '78 was absolutely transformed in handling and enjoyment when I rebuilt my suspension and threw on fresh RE-11 tires. Cannot recommend this enough.

[jimtweet]

I don't know what the sound is, but I just cracked up! Thanks for the laugh

[seafeye]

I hit a chicken in my cayman once. When I stopped I found its head inside my wheel rim. Gross stuff. Poor thing.

[boilersrule]

I've got a great bird dog, can you bring that out to the marsh?

[Jameel]

My goose is back. I had my niece bounce on the bumper as I sprayed water at each end of the A arm, the ball joint, and the sway bar bushings to try and pinpoint the source. The squeak never stopped with the water. When I touch the A arm I can feel the squeak as minute vibrations, and its stronger at the back end of the A arm. It also sounds louder at the back if I get my ear closer to that end.

Sounds like old hard rubber on metal type of squeak, not metal-on-metal. But I could be wrong. I'm settled on refreshing the front end in the next 5k or so, but not if this is causing damage. It sounds to me like the rubber needs a little lube, but again, not sure. Opinions welcome.

[3literpwr]

Sounds like my car with Poly bushings. Mine need a re-lube.

[GH85Carrera]

If your A-Arms are the source of the noise, that REQUIRES a removal of the t-bars, and replacement bushings. The factory rubber ones never ever need a lube. Only the hard plastic bushings ever need that as the post above. If you still have the OEM rubber bushings and want to stay with rubber as did I, check out the Elephant racing web site. He has the t-bars, and the OEM type replacement rubber bushings.

Of course "while you are in there" it is a really great time to replace the tie rods, ball joints and shocks and refurbish the steering rack. Hey its only money.

The front end it fairly easy. The rear end is more of a challenge. If the front is worn out so is the rear.

[steely]

Immediately follow the advice in posts 5, 10 or 12 above by pulling and inspecting the torsion bar first.

[darrin]

the issue here is that if the a-arm is rubbing against the torsion bar, it's harming the surface of the torsion bar, which can/will cause the torsion bar to fail and that side of the front suspension to drop.

Another point to consider is what is causing the torsion bar to no longer be centered within the a-arm. When this happened on my carrera, we were able to re-center the a-arm with a small bead weld and I'm still using my original bushings. It's my understanding that simply replacing the bushings without addressing the root cause will likely cause the problem to reappear