Tips to find an interior squeak?

[Jon O.]

1972 Newport. When I drive I have this very annoying chirping sound. The squeak gets faster with the car's speed. It may possibly be a loose screw rubbing, or wind blowing through the air box across the fan. Any tips on finding this sound?

 

[Big_John]

Turn up the radio.

 

[1970FuryConv]

1972 Newport. When I drive I have this very annoying chirping sound. The squeak gets faster with the car's speed. It may possibly be a loose screw rubbing, or wind blowing through the air box across the fan. Any tips on finding this sound?

Get you friend or wife to drive it around while you are in the passenger seat. You can move all around and press on things to try to find the noise, or at least isolate it to a small area.

 

[Jon O.]

Turn up the radio.

Tried that already haha. Its driving me nuts. It sounds like it is right behind the radio. I have hit, moved, jiggled, and all. It ONLY makes the sound while the car is in motion. The pace gets faster with speed. I know for sure it is in the dash.

 

[1970FuryConv]

My 1970 Fury radio (dash out of car). Loose screw or nut on mounting bracket?

 

[Xenon]

Try looking / greasing the U -joints on driveshaft...
(and no, I am not kidding)

 

[CBODY67]

The only thing which moves with car speed, in the instrument panel area, is the speedometer cable. Usually, the needle will not be steady when you have a dry cable in the housing.

I WILL strongly concur with the universal joint idea!! Once, on my '667 Newport, I kept hearing a squeak which started when the wheels started to roll, but got quieter with more speed. There was also a slight vibration at highway speeds, too.

It sounded like a wheel cover squeak with the flexing 14x5.5 wheels, but didn't go away with all of the wheel covers removed. Took it to the local dealer and the service rep drove it around the building, came back with the "u-joint" diagnosis. It sounded flaky, but I approved the replacement. The front u-joint was replaced and everything was smooth and quiet again!

IF it's got a grease fitting, shoot some good grease into it. If not, replace it with a high-quality new joint.

CBODY67

 

[live4theking]

The only thing which moves with car speed, in the instrument panel area, is the speedometer cable. Usually, the needle will not be steady when you have a dry cable in the housing.

I WILL strongly concur with the universal joint idea!! Once, on my '667 Newport, I kept hearing a squeak which started when the wheels started to roll, but got quieter with more speed. There was also a slight vibration at highway speeds, too.

It sounded like a wheel cover squeak with the flexing 14x5.5 wheels, but didn't go away with all of the wheel covers removed. Took it to the local dealer and the service rep drove it around the building, came back with the "u-joint" diagnosis. It sounded flaky, but I approved the replacement. The front u-joint was replaced and everything was smooth and quiet again!

IF it's got a grease fitting, shoot some good grease into it. If not, replace it with a high-quality new joint.

CBODY67

Never heard the u-joint one before, but I was going to say the speedometer cable.

 

[Jon O.]

I just went for a drive, I tried to film it but you can hardly hear it through the camera. But I payed more attention. It isn't speed it correlates with, it is bumps in the road. More speed just = more bumps. Even the tiniest movement in the dash and it makes the "chirp" sound 1 time for each bump. It has to be something near the bottom because if I tap the dash with my hand, it doesn't make the sound.

 

[CBODY67]

Now, you're going to have some fun! Get a ratchet and a u-joint extension with a few mid-size sockets . . . 1/2" plus or minus . . . plus a Phillips head screw driver. Move the seat back all the way, so you can put your body in that spacious front floor area of the car. Tighten every bolt and nut you can find! The basic instrument panel structure should have some bolts at each end, plus some additional braces and such in other places. Use your fist to lightly "knock" on the instrument panel pad as a quality control measure.

Then, stand up and stretch back out! There are many screws which hold the plastic trim to the structure. Don't forget the ones above the steering column that hold the "shine onto" lights for the speedometer and such. You'll also notice one in the middle that has a metal strap going to it, that's the ground for those lights, so make sure it's tight.

That would get all of the retainers that you can see without removing the instrument panel assembly. There are still some others that can only be accessed by disassembly of the things you can see, like the ones which hold the pad to the structure. I believe there is a way to take things apart, with the structure still in the car, to get to those pad retainers? Otherwise, wedging something between the pad and the structure might be an option.

Now that you're somewhat in the mode of tightening things up, tighten every other bolt you can get a socket/wrench on on the car's body. Just snug them up nice and firm, that's all. Fenders to cowl, door hinges, bumper bolts/nuts, and every other thing you can find.

When my parents bought their '72 Newport Royal, it had more squeeks and rattles in it than our '66 Newport ever did! I'd read in a car magazine back then, to let the car "settle in" for a few thousand miles, then do the tightening routine. I waited until after their first oil change. Then I came home from college one weekend, when the weather was nice, got out my Craftsman tools, and tightened every body bolt I could get a wrench/socket on. With the car sitting on level, hard-surface ground. That got about 90% of them "gone". Then I moved on to see what I could do about wind noise!

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[Jon O.]

You can hear it most at 0:42 - 0:58
also you can hear my creaky brake pedal, that is not the sound.
I'm beginning to hear that chirp in my sleep!
At least that wheel bearing "roar" is gone.

 

[CBODY67]

Don't forget that some of the hvac ducting is plastic, but usually a plastic that doesn't squeak or chirp when it moves. Most is a "flip-fit" connection.

Nice looking car, from what I can see of it. Liked that green interior, too!

CBODY67

 

[Jon O.]

Now, you're going to have some fun! Get a ratchet and a u-joint extension with a few mid-size sockets . . . 1/2" plus or minus . . . plus a Phillips head screw driver. Move the seat back all the way, so you can put your body in that spacious front floor area of the car. Tighten every bolt and nut you can find! The basic instrument panel structure should have some bolts at each end, plus some additional braces and such in other places. Use your fist to lightly "knock" on the instrument panel pad as a quality control measure.

Then, stand up and stretch back out! There are many screws which hold the plastic trim to the structure. Don't forget the ones above the steering column that hold the "shine onto" lights for the speedometer and such. You'll also notice one in the middle that has a metal strap going to it, that's the ground for those lights, so make sure it's tight.

That would get all of the retainers that you can see without removing the instrument panel assembly. There are still some others that can only be accessed by disassembly of the things you can see, like the ones which hold the pad to the structure. I believe there is a way to take things apart, with the structure still in the car, to get to those pad retainers? Otherwise, wedging something between the pad and the structure might be an option.

Now that you're somewhat in the mode of tightening things up, tighten every other bolt you can get a socket/wrench on on the car's body. Just snug them up nice and firm, that's all. Fenders to cowl, door hinges, bumper bolts/nuts, and every other thing you can find.

When my parents bought their '72 Newport Royal, it had more squeeks and rattles in it than our '66 Newport ever did! I'd read in a car magazine back then, to let the car "settle in" for a few thousand miles, then do the tightening routine. I waited until after their first oil change. Then I came home from college one weekend, when the weather was nice, got out my Craftsman tools, and tightened every body bolt I could get a wrench/socket on. With the car sitting on level, hard-surface ground. That got about 90% of them "gone". Then I moved on to see what I could do about wind noise!

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

There was a squeak in the passenger's side fender I cured tightening up bolts like that.

 

[Jon O.]

The only thing which moves with car speed, in the instrument panel area, is the speedometer cable. Usually, the needle will not be steady when you have a dry cable in the housing.

I WILL strongly concur with the universal joint idea!! Once, on my '667 Newport, I kept hearing a squeak which started when the wheels started to roll, but got quieter with more speed. There was also a slight vibration at highway speeds, too.

It sounded like a wheel cover squeak with the flexing 14x5.5 wheels, but didn't go away with all of the wheel covers removed. Took it to the local dealer and the service rep drove it around the building, came back with the "u-joint" diagnosis. It sounded flaky, but I approved the replacement. The front u-joint was replaced and everything was smooth and quiet again!

IF it's got a grease fitting, shoot some good grease into it. If not, replace it with a high-quality new joint.

CBODY67

The speedometer is dry, ill try that tomorrow. It doesn't move until you get to about 15 mph then it jumps into place.

 

[CBODY67]

The speedometer is dry, ill try that tomorrow. It doesn't move until you get to about 15 mph then it jumps into place.

If it has cruise control, you might be able to get one of the cables from under the hood, but the other one will probably have to be from under the instrument panel.

CBODY67

 

[Jon O.]

If it has cruise control, you might be able to get one of the cables from under the hood, but the other one will probably have to be from under the instrument panel.

CBODY67

It doesn't have cruise control. The connector on the dash end broke on me once, and I should have added some grease or oil then.

 

[Jon O.]

Nice looking car, from what I can see of it. Liked that green interior, too!

CBODY67

It was almost immaculately cared for. The interior is perfect.

 

[live4theking]

It was almost immaculately cared for. The interior is perfect.

Lucky dog!!!

 

[Jon O.]

Nevermind, it is exterior. If I have the hood raised and push it up and down rapidly, I can hear the squeak. I have tightened, and oiled every spot on the hinges, but it still makes the sound. It sounds like it is coming from passenger side hinge. It is so hard to really hear because it echoes off of everything.

 

[1970FuryConv]

Nevermind, it is exterior. If I have the hood raised and push it up and down rapidly, I can hear the squeak. I have tightened, and oiled every spot on the hinges, but it still makes the sound. It sounds like it is coming from passenger side hinge. It is so hard to really hear because it echoes off of everything.

If oil does not work on the hinge, you can try opening and shutting the hood several times and, with the hinge in different positions, spraying with WD40 at all the joints of the hinge. it may get down deeper than oil. Helped with my 1990 Power Ram W150. Since it's making the noise when closed, spraying at a middle position or lower may be helpful.