Miata Mailing List: January 1993, Message #182
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Squeaks
   Date: (none)

> 
> I just received my Miata club magazine yesterday.  In the letters section,
>  P. Zavaletta describes an intermittent squeaking coming from the front
>  end while going over bumps at speed, but only after the car has warmed 
> up.  He then goes on to say that by accident, he bumped the left front
> fender while the car was parked and heard the same noise.  The dealer  had no 
> luck tracking it down.  Miata club suggested that suspension bushings were the 
> culprit.
> 
> I had precisely the same squeaking problem and it was driving me crazy.  
> Lubricating the suspension bushings did nothing to relieve it.  After an 
> hour's worth of manually shaking and rocking everything I could think of 
> over and under the car, I finally identified the hood latch as the culprit.  A
> 
>  shot of white lithium grease takes care of it (but only until it wears off 
> again, about a month or two).  Anybody know of a permanent fix for this? 
>  The latch has actually worn a small groove into the little hook on the hood.
> 
> 

I've had a squeak for over a year that sounds *exactly* like what you describe.
I don't hear it with the hard top on, just with the soft top or topless, so
I haven't heard it since October.  Finally, I have something to try - I never
was able to identify the culprit.

Thanks a million!  I can't wait to lube the latch.

	Gary J. Fischman
	NYNEX Science & Technology
	fischman@nynexst.com