Hey guys!
I?m a 15 year old who has been listening to your show as long as I can remember. I have to ride in my dad?s 2004 GMC Sierra almost every day for an hour and a half, but he thinks I?m going crazy. When we are driving down a flat road (Which hardly ever happens in Vermont) there is this REALLY loud REALLY annoying squeak that sounds like its coming from the back of the truck. Here’s the catch, my dad can?t hear it. When I tell him to roll down the window and listen, it is super loud, but still he can hear it. He thinks that I’m just over reacting, but there is something wrong. If we come to a stop it stops, and when we crest a hill, or are going over bumps in the road the squeak mysteriously disappears.
Please help me! I?m riding in a torture chamber. Help me convince my dad that his daughter isn?t completely crazy!
Thanks you very much,
Liesl
Age related hearing differences have been scientifically proven.( I’ve read that some teens set their phone ringers on a high pitch “mosquito ring tone” so their parents & teachers can’t hear) My personal hearing loss in in the high pitched ranges and there is a lot I can’t hear. ( my cel-phone ringer needs to be carefully selected. ) Remind your dad of this, and google ‘teen high pitch hearing’.
You’re NOT crazy. You are likely hearing a real noise in the high register.
Have additional people listen before there’s a break down such as a bearing failure.
You’re hearing something, so have do as KG says. My guess is that it might be coming from the rear springs, and may not be dangerous, but it’s certainly worth checking out. One way to diagnose this is to get a spray can of silicone lubricant and spray all the rear suspension joints, bushings, and the sides of the leaf springs. If the sqeaking goes away, you’ll know what it was. Your dad has some normal hearing loss, so he can’t hear what you’re hearing.
squeaking is common in leaf spring systems with a few years on them. It usually comes from either a bushing or the springs. And, as Ken said, hearing loss is common with age.
Texases had a great idea. Ask your dad if he’ll let you spray the rear suspension bushings and leaf spring assemblies with silicone lubricant. You can spray liberally with impunity. It won’t hurt a thing. Don’t forget the bushings that connect the training arms and antisway bar (if there is one) to the frame itself. Those can squeak too.
You aren’t crazy! Kids routinely set their cell phones to ring at high frequencies so that adults can’t hear them ring. You can text message all day long and get as many messages as you want at school.