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Front end squeak behind bumper/winch. Help!

7K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  REEL-M-N 
#1 · (Edited)
My FJ has developed a very loud, annoying squeak from the front end. I can't locate the source of it. It squeaks loudly with the slightest movement - gently pushing on the front bumper to rock the body the tiniest bit or closing either front door, for example. It squeaks and squeals constantly on the road. Yesterday I spent an hour trying to chase it down. When I put my head by the front tires on either side it sounds like it's coming from the radiator. When I put my ear in the round cutout in the front bumper in front of the winch I hear it very loudly. I posted a picture downbelow of hte front end so you can see what I'm talking about.

Yesterday I lubed the zerks (including the front sway bar bushings with zerks that I recently installed to try to eliminate this noise), cleaned the upper control arms and relubed with tri lube, and sprayed a PTFE lube on the shock shafts, motor and radiator mounts, and anything else I could see that might move up there. I currently have my skid plates off for winter and I torqued down the front bumper bolts just in case the bumper itself was rocking and making noise up against he bumper mounts.

Anyone deal with this before?

What would make a squeaking noise in the area between the winch and radiator?

 
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#5 ·
Great find, thanks! I'll try that. I have had this noise off and on for a while but it's gotten really bad in the last few weeks. That also corresponds with when I replaced my radiator and AC condenser so something to do with that AC line makes perfect sense.
 
#6 ·
Check your front sway bar (if you still have it). I dealt with the same damn thing for a couple years, tried lubing everything I could think of with no fix... Turns out the pass side bolt where it mounts to the frame backed off a few threads, barely enough to even see light... Tightened it up and noise gone!
 
#11 ·
Wow that sound would have driven me NUTS!

To help find problems / sounds….

I have an old cell phone that is useless but the camera / video works fine. When I have problem / sound issues, I use duct tape and put it in various spots under the FJ. Sometimes the video will show something but listening to the sound getting louder or quieter should help you narrow down where the issue is...

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