General Suspension Replacement Question

[josh05magnum]

Alright, my Maggie with less than 40k on the Odometer has some suspension issues. Some clunking has been going on up front (tie rods?) for quite some time. I figured I would get to it eventually.

Well, I have been over some rough roads lately, and now I have a creaking/almost grinding noise in the front right (it's REALLY noticeable when driving slow, sounds TERRIBLE), and a squeaking noise in the rear right. (I can shake the car hard via the roof rack and hear both the noises really well).

I know I can search, but was hoping someone here could lend a hand and save me some time since I know there are a few options.

Budget is tight, but I am thinking I need to replace some parts (will look at it with my mechanic buddy hopefully SOON).

Just wondering-
What are my options, and approximate costs assuming I replace shocks/struts/whatever goes along with those.

I would prefer an 'upgrade', but also prefer to keep the price as low as possible (yeah, I know, cheap and good don't go together, but I am looking for ideas/costs).

Either stock, SRT-8 Takeoff, or aftermarket. Anyone do any of these recently, have a recommendation, know approximate costs of the options?

Thanks for the help!
Oh, I have a 2005 Magnum RT.

[fireman2118]

Well let's see. You have an '05 R/T. It's kinda hard to diagnose this way but I'll tell you of a couple suspension issues I've had with my '05 R/T. It may give you an idea and somewhere to start. Have a look at your "tension struts" (#4 below) The front bushings might be cracked. Your inner tie rods and/or outer tie rod ends might be bad. Let's just say those were your problems. If you were to order the parts online and have them installed by someone, You could be looking at approx. $600.00 to $700.00 for the parts and installation. It would be cheaper if you do the work yourself. It could be all of those things, some of them or none of them. You really need to take your car to a shop.....SOON. As far as shocks go, you can probably get a pretty good deal on something used in the for sale forum. I sounds like you've waited a while to address your problems. It may end up costing you more as a result.

[concussion]

Yep, I would put your car on jackstands and pull the wheels off and look for worn bushings etc. Replace anything that looks really worn or torn.

As far as upgrading your springs/shocks/struts I'd do a SRT pull off. around $300-350 for the parts and you can do the swap yourself. Rides and handles great.

I'd take your car in if you don't feel as if you have enough experience with suspensions to tell what is worn and what is not.

good luck.
Burleson

[BIGDAVE]

Well let's see. You have an '05 R/T. It's kinda hard to diagnose this way but I'll tell you of a couple suspension issues I've had with my '05 R/T. It may give you an idea and somewhere to start. Have a look at your "tension struts" (#4 below) The front bushings might be cracked. Your inner tie rods and/or outer tie rod ends might be bad. Let's just say those were your problems. If you were to order the parts online and have them installed by someone, You could be looking at approx. $600.00 to $700.00 for the parts and installation. It would be cheaper if you do the work yourself. It could be all of those things, some of them or none of them. You really need to take your car to a shop.....SOON. As far as shocks go, you can probably get a pretty good deal on something used in the for sale forum. I sounds like you've waited a while to address your problems. It may end up costing you more as a result.

If the tension rod is bad you can get a new one at the dealer for $72.72 with tax.Its the #4 in the PIC.To tell if the balljoint is bad on the end of the tension rod is jack up the car,pull up and down to see if any movement.To see if the bushing is bad have some one turn the wheel hard right and left.If the balljoint is ok I would say the best the thing to do is go with pedders.I did its the greatest the car has ever felt.My dad has a 08 300c and my car is 100 times tighter than his.Hope this helps.
BIGDAVE

[josh05magnum]

Thanks for all the info/help folks! I appreciate it. I had the car in for warranty work a few months back and they said they couldn't find anything wrong (trying a different dealership this trip), if there was nothing wrong, it shouldn't go 'clunk' which is the noise the left side makes.

I love my maggie, but sometimes I wish I would have grabbed the GTO I looked at first.

[Motor]

I love my maggie, but sometimes I wish I would have grabbed the GTO I looked at first.

i wish you had grabbed it as well...u wouldn't be on this forum

[josh05magnum]

Always a pleasure Motor.
And to think how excited I was after the meet the other year when you 'quit' LXF. Unfortunately, I knew you well enough already to know you would be back....

[Motor]

Always a pleasure Motor.
And to think how excited I was after the meet the other year when you 'quit' LXF. Unfortunately, I knew you well enough already to know you would be back....

funny guy...huh??...at least i know how to fix my damn suspension...haha...

[josh05magnum]

And without jinxing myself (hopefully), at least I didn't put the tail-end of my car into a curb.

[Motor]

And without jinxing myself (hopefully), at least I didn't put the tail-end of my car into a curb.

maybe you should so your car could be a bit cooler...and with matching paint too

[josh05magnum]

I'll give you that one.

What suspension did you go with by the way, how much was it. I have $0 install costs, so just parts.

[carchitect]

If you are going to do the work yourself I would start with the cheap and easy stuff first.

-tightening swaybar endlinks, possibly replace. You can pull these and the front sway bar off to isolate the problem to see if the front sway or something else. No sharp turns though as you car will not handle as well.

-checking for bad tie rods (I just made a recent thread talking about my problems there are some good videos in there to get an idea of how to determine what a bad tie rod sounds like from the outside. As well as a way I found to tell without really jacking the car up.) If you are going to do tie rods I would do all four (2 inner, 2 outer) I'm using Moogs. I'm not thrilled the outers don't have grease zerks but I'll give them a shot since they have a good reputation.

-Inspect and replace front sway bushings, this has been a source of clunks for many people. It's also cheap and easy to do.

After those are done and if you still have sounds start getting into the other parts of the front. Tension struts are a biggie, but more expensive. Lower ball joint, upper control arm (i believe the upper ball joint is part of this and is not individually replaceable. The list goes on, but I would start there for front end sounds.