Questions on testing suspension parts

[amblerman]

Hi Folks.

I have a new to me 1999 s70 base 5 speed with 111K on it.
With the unseasonably warm weather we've had here, I drove it with the windows down last week and heard some rattling coming from
the suspension.
Upon reading and watching videos, i suspect it's due to various worn out parts like sway bar ends, etc.

However, when I tried looking for issues last weekend I couldn't find anything obvious. I suspect that's because when up on a jack, all the suspension is still pretty much all tied together and just trying to twist the wheel with my hands doesn't do a good job of simulating actual movement on pavement and the weight of the car bouncing up and down.

I also suspect that most/all of the suspension is original and that probably means that at 17/18 years old and 111k miles on it, it's probably just all worn out.

With that said however, can anyone suggest ways to identify sources of the noise? In the videos I've watched, there were obvious issues like torn rubber bits or things like that. Or in one, the sway bar ends were described as extra wobbly/loose but that was shown only after it was taken off.

I suspect I'll be rebuilding everything this spring but I am just trying to figure out ways to look for obvious issues so that I can have some piece of mind that I know what is really wrong.

Thanks

-A

[abscate]

If it is the mid-high frequency rattle that sounds like large bolts in a coffee can, its the end links on the sway bar. They do poop out pretty quickly, mine fell apart in my hands when I took them off. The hardware can be fun to remove in the NE - I used a cut-off wheel on mine.

[amblerman]

Thanks for the reply.

That's a great description of the sound I'm hearing.

I'll start looking at those.

Thanks
-A

[abscate]

I do some of my best work during Finance conference calls.....