Write-Up: Subframe/Cradle Mount Insulators & Bushings

Poly bushings will always make noise when the grease is gone, but the OEM rubbers should never make a sound, even without grease, unless they've totally disintegrated.

Are you guys talking about the sway bar link bushings connecting the sway bar to the control arm? If so, I have replaced these and are brand new. Still had the same creaking and popping.

No...we're talking about the actual sway bar bushings mounted to the cradle. Follow the sway bar inside the fender, and you'll come to a "U" clamp and a bushing that the sway bar goes through. They can creak when they dry out, but I've never experienced a "pop" from them.

I wasn't aware the stockers don't creak when worn out. I was speaking more of a worst case scenario where the rubber is so stretched out that the bar is able to move around in the bracket a little. It's a long shot but worth it, IMO.

Definitely worth checking them. They're easy enough to inspect.

Jack up the car from under the body,if the cradle moves,spaces, there's your popping and cracking noise!!!

DEMonte1997 wrote:

I wasn't aware the stockers don't creak when worn out. I was speaking more of a worst case scenario where the rubber is so stretched out that the bar is able to move around in the bracket a little. It's a long shot but worth it, IMO.

Anything is possible, but usually by the time the stock rubber gets worn that much, it just flakes off in little chunks. You'd more than likely get a dull "clunking" when going straight over bumps from that....

You should have seen mine. The endlinks had corroded so much they broke and popped right out of the bar holes. The bushings at the midpoints were completely oblong and I was able to freely move the bar around in there. I don't know which part gave first. Probably the endlinks.

That was with 134K.

Oooooooh this explains a LOT. My dad and I have always called them subframe bushings but if their technical name is cradle mount bushings as an assembly and are made of insulators and nuts and bolts then this explains a lot.....I thought I was getting stupid or blind or old....basically like my dad

I found that on gmpartsgiant.com their prices seem pretty cheap. Are they reputable enough to order from? I think for all the rubber the total cost would be under 100$

Chris, are you sure you're getting all the parts for both sides? What kind of prices are you seeing?

Hi guys. In order to solve this problem I went ahead and ordered the kyb struts everyone is talking about on this forum (236700).

Let us know if installing the new struts eliminates the popping and creaking noises.

How much do you have to lower the cradle to change out the insulators and bushings? I would probably replace the rear mount at the same time. Trying to figure out if this is something that I want to try to tackle. If I could change out the insulators and bushings one at a time, it would be better than having to remove the entire cradle.

If you're going to do the rear mount, might as well do the cradle insulators. You'll need to lower the cradle a few inches, and then you'll need to loosen the steering rack. No kidding, it's a job. If you're not sure, I'd change the front mount first, then do the rear if you need to.

AA wrote:

If you're going to do the rear mount, might as well do the cradle insulators. You'll need to lower the cradle a few inches, and then you'll need to loosen the steering rack. No kidding, it's a job. If you're not sure, I'd change the front mount first, then do the rear if you need to.

It does sound like a pretty big job. I was looking at the bolts, etc. today and noticed that they were starting to rust and I could knock pieces of the washer (the retainer?) off with my finger. I was thinking if this was an easier job it would be good to tackle before the rust makes it worse. The rear inner bolts are in the worse shape. I didn't have time to remove the lower shield to check out the front ones. Will have to check those out after I tackle the front mount. I wonder how much the dealer would charge?

Considering the dealership parts counter quoted me over $400 just for the cradle hardware, and the mounts are also not cheap from the dealer. You can start at $500-600 for parts and assume at least 3-4 hours labor. I'd guess the total bill would be at least $900. It took me 2 days to do it, but I am glad I saved the money. Doesn't hurt to get a quote - I'd be interested in seeing what they charge.

AA wrote:

Considering the dealership parts counter quoted me over $400 just for the cradle hardware, and the mounts are also not cheap from the dealer. You can start at $500-600 for parts and assume at least 3-4 hours labor. I'd guess the total bill would be at least $900. It took me 2 days to do it, but I am glad I saved the money. Doesn't hurt to get a quote - I'd be interested in seeing what they charge.

Yikes. Don't want to spend that much money. I took another look at the two worse bolts, and it is worse then I thought. Large Picture. Notice the retainer is completely gone. All that is left of it is the little part around the bolt. The rust color is actually the bushing.

Is it creaking when you take turns?

AA wrote:

Is it creaking when you take turns?

Not really, nothing that a 13 year old car wouldn't make. It does make a wierd noise when I take a sharp right hand turn at any decent speed. The bushings do seem to be in good shape. The car only has around 60,000 miles on it. They put so much salt on the roads in the winter that sometimes it is like driving on a gravel road. Shows how bad salt can be on a car.

I wouldn't change them out until the noise starts getting worse. You can do the front mount easily, Then do the rear mount and cradle next year, or even the year after that.

AA wrote:

I wouldn't change them out until the noise starts getting worse. You can do the front mount easily, Then do the rear mount and cradle next year, or even the year after that.

If I leave the rear mount alone, do I still need to unbolt the steering rack to change the retainers and insulators out? I will probably just leave it alone until later, but was just curious. I might just put in a new retainer and call it a day for peace of mind. I hate to leave something like this alone once I find it. At least the other ones seem to be in good shape.

You don't need to unbolt the steering rack to do the insulators, but you do need to drop the cradle to access the rear mount. This means you probably won't want to do one and not the other. Due do the possibility that you might break the retainers or bolts during removal, you may consider doing all six sets of hardware at one time. That way if something doesn't go as planned, you will have access for easier removal.

AA wrote:

You don't need to unbolt the steering rack to do the insulators, but you do need to drop the cradle to access the rear mount. This means you probably won't want to do one and not the other. Due do the possibility that you might break the retainers or bolts during removal, you may consider doing all six sets of hardware at one time. That way if something doesn't go as planned, you will have access for easier removal.

Thanks for the help. I was doing some reading and this post https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t882p120-faq-engine-transmission-motor-mounts#125958 mentions that you don't have to drop the cradle to change the mount.

Yeah, looks like it can be done! The factory service manual says to drop the cradle, though.

AA wrote:

Yeah, looks like it can be done! The factory service manual says to drop the cradle, though.

I just looked at the manual and it also said to unbolt the exhaust! I might give it a shot and report back to this thread on how well it goes.