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so my rear passenger side strut(?) has started squeeking. i dont know if its because of the cold (-10) or what? does this mean its blown? if i push up and down on that corner its still suppressing the bounce but squeeks under hard bouncing. could it be something else i should look for? any easy way to figure out whats wrong without taking it all apart? keep in mind its freezing out so whatevers easiest

Any chance you could take a video for us? Depending on the squeak, there are MANY potential causes ;o I haven't taken a look at the rear struts in a while, but check the gap between the Mount and the body, and then the mount and the strut itself. I resolved an issue with my girlfriend's car that was similar(at least by your description so far), and it was as simple as tightening the mount a few turns.

i was doing a bit of research last night and im starting to think it is the strut mount on its way out. i havent inspected the rears since ive owned the car but the fronts are in pretty bad shape. there all cracked and worn looking so im betting the rears aren't any better.

is there an easy way to check the spacing you were describing? wouldnt that make more of a clunking sound on the rebound then a squeaking? hopefully itll warm up in the next few days and ill take a look at it. its not that bad at the moment so im not too concerned about it.

thanks for the advice.

Struts usually dont squeek haha. Sounds like bushings or something rubbing.

Well the rubber can be cracked for quite a while without issue, it's the actual mount itself that would cause a serious issue. Is the sound the only symptom so far?

solo_ryder wrote:Struts usually dont squeek haha. Sounds like bushings or something rubbing.

Ah, it CAN happen though. I've seen it very often with Hatch/Hood struts, and other light duty shocks; I imagine the same principle would hold true to automotive ones?

Perhaps, I have just never seen it happen.

MrMazda92 wrote:Well the rubber can be cracked for quite a while without issue, it's the actual mount itself that would cause a serious issue. Is the sound the only symptom so far?

i noticed it for the first time last night. car sounded a bit weird in the rear end so i got out and started bouncing that corner. under aggressive bouncing it would make the squeaking noise but light- moderate bouncing i didnt notice anything. sounds exactly like a squeaky bed spring when your....

The hatch struts do unfortunately squeak.... also, the hatch hinges. I believe the hinges were a recall, or maybe just updated hardware like the disty/harmonic balancer

Recalls are a joke. I've been to the dealership twice this year about my seatbelts, and they won't honor anything. I haven't located an official letter from Mazda, I've only seen the list of covered vins on the MX3 homepage, and mine falls well within the range. First the dealership said there was no recall, and when I denied that and asked them to look it up, The tool behind the counter typed for about 30 seconds, then said my vehicle wasn't covered. He didn't ask for my VIN, what an idiot -.-

Recall number for the seatbelts:

http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.ph ... er#p391134

mikeinaus wrote:

MrMazda92 wrote:Well the rubber can be cracked for quite a while without issue, it's the actual mount itself that would cause a serious issue. Is the sound the only symptom so far?

i noticed it for the first time last night. car sounded a bit weird in the rear end so i got out and started bouncing that corner. under aggressive bouncing it would make the squeaking noise but light- moderate bouncing i didnt notice anything. sounds exactly like a squeaky bed spring when your....

i would get my wife, gf, one night stand and see if i can work the squeak out lol.

My mx-3 is doing this too with KYB struts all arounf only 7 months old. Must be cold weather cause other things to squeek (-17 degrees celcius). Check the cap and see how much it moves when u push down on the car. Might have to tighten a few things. Thats what I'm gonna do.

mikeetown wrote:

mikeinaus wrote:

MrMazda92 wrote:Well the rubber can be cracked for quite a while without issue, it's the actual mount itself that would cause a serious issue. Is the sound the only symptom so far?

i noticed it for the first time last night. car sounded a bit weird in the rear end so i got out and started bouncing that corner. under aggressive bouncing it would make the squeaking noise but light- moderate bouncing i didnt notice anything. sounds exactly like a squeaky bed spring when your....

i would get my wife, gf, one night stand and see if i can work the squeak out lol.

My mx-3 is doing this too with KYB struts all arounf only 7 months old. Must be cold weather cause other things to squeek (-17 degrees celcius). Check the cap and see how much it moves when u push down on the car. Might have to tighten a few things. Thats what I'm gonna do.

Hah, I knew somebody would go there. I did the tightening method on a few cars now, it was a good choice in my case.

Tightening down the hatch by moving the hatch latch down does stop a lot of squeaking, but I tightened mine too much, and sometimes its a gong show trying to get it open again

Ryan wrote:Tightening down the hatch by moving the hatch latch down does stop a lot of squeaking, but I tightened mine too much, and sometimes its a gong show trying to get it open again

i put weather stripping around my hatch. cost like $6 and stopped all the squeaking. for the hatch that is. i havnt noticed the squeaking since that night. its been alot warmer so its got to have something to do with the cold weather.