Chrysler Repair: 92 Dodge Spirit w/ Squeek in rear axle, dodge spirit, chrysler cars

Question
I have a '92 Dodge Spirit that is makins a squeaking  or twinging sound like a spring in the rear axle.  I  removed the coil springs and when I moved the rear axle up and down still heard the noise as if it were coming from within the rear axle.  Have you ever experienced this?  It is very noticible and I would like to fix it but I have run out of ideas.

Answer
Hi John,
This is a common problem with the Chrysler cars of that era (my '89 LeBaron coupe does it). It can be emiliorated to the point where you won't hear inside the vehicle in most cases. Here is a response I sent last year to a fellow with a Shadow of about the same year as yours:
"I suspect the creaking on going over speed bumps is due to a cracked weld(s) on the torque tube that is located inside the u-shaped REAR axle that is between the rear wheel backing plates. This is very common on the rear suspension of this era of Chrysler cars. You can try to eliminate it by going to a local welder and asking them to add some metal to the welds at both ends of the torque tube which will often eliminate or minimize the noise. It is not worth replacing the assembly as it will not affect the safety of rear axle if the weld breaks; the new assembly is about $1,000 even if you could get it. So try the re-welding, they can probably reach about 1/2 way around the tube (the U channel gets in the way of any more than that) and it shouldn't cost more than their minimum labor charge of $25-35 to do what they can with it."
So that is the way to deal with this.
I am not going to be available for the next 5 days so if you have further questions write back next Tuesday.
Roland