hey guys, great forum here... I hope you can help me. I did a search, and I couldn't find anything.


I just today had a 1997 sunfire base model fall into my lap, and it has a problem with it I'm hoping I can fix myself.

At low speeds, it has a bad grinding/growling sound coming from the back of the car, and some squeeking too. It sounds like it might be coming from the drivers side.
Now I know what you're thinking, that could be ANYTHING... let me give some more details.

1. It goes away when you go faster, I cannot hear anything at all wrong above 30 MPH
2. The rear struts seem nice and firm, they pass the "bounce test" with flying colors.
3. I can jack up the car and spin the rear wheel, and it spins free and quietly. No side to side or in and out motion at all.


I hope I can get this fixed cheap, It was given to me because the person who owned that car got scared of the noise, and assumed it was something that would cost more than the car was worth to get it fixed.

The car is in GREAT shape except for that, and even the A/C works.

If nobody here has a starting place for me to look, I'll take it somewhere to have a pro check it out, even if it costs me a few $$$ to get a diagnosis.

This is my 2nd J-body. I had a 1993 Cav from when it was new to the summer of 2002. I got 200,000 miles out of it, and still sold it for $500.

never mind guys, by getting under that car and having my wife change gears (with her foot on the break) I saw the muffler and tail pipe move at least an inch toward the undercarriage of the car when the car was shifted to drive. The muffler or tailpipe is coming into contact with the undercarriage.

To me that tells me it's either a bad motor mount or a bad or broken muffler mount. either way, it's a simpler fix than messing with the struts and wheel bearings.