Clunking sound from passenger side rear

weneversleep · Jul 30, 2009, 01:57 PM

Anyone else have this? Sound like metal-to-metal impact when I hit a bump, turn into a driveway, or in any way flex the suspension.

I've looked at everything that I can think of... battery is secure, seat belts aren't clanking, nothing loose in the trunk or spare area, nothing rattling around on the floor. I'm at my wits end--the next step is to jack the car up and see if there's anything loose underneath.

Given that it happens when loading the suspension from side-to-side, might it be a swaybar end link? (My E36 M3's swaybar end links clunk around, but that's because they are custom-fabricated Heim joints with very little play... can't imagine a stock suspension would make that kind of noise)

--michael

gizmotoy · Jul 30, 2009, 02:30 PM

It's probably a loose end link. I had mine back into the dealership with only a few thousand miles on it for what sounds like exactly what you're describing. They said the nut looked like it wasn't torqued properly at the factory and backed out. They torqued it back up and I haven't had a problem since (13k miles now). At least one other person had the same problem.

You could probably tighten it up yourself if you can track down the right bolt.

Edit: Here's my original thread
Horrible Clunking Noise - 1600 miles

jrsimon27 · Jul 30, 2009, 04:01 PM

i have the same cluncking noise they have re-tighten everything but it didnt help and yes i think its the swaybar...

weneversleep · Jul 30, 2009, 04:38 PM

I jacked the car up in the right rear, and put a socket on all of the sway bar carrier bolts and end links. None were loose...

I need to get the car aligned, so when I take it to my alignment guy, I'll have him check all bolts. Maybe he'll find something.

fast_bloke · Aug 1, 2009, 04:31 PM

Perhaps you have a stone up in the springs?

fuzzydoodle · Aug 1, 2009, 04:43 PM

Could be you're sway bar end links, most likely not, but could be.

More likely a strut coming loose, check your upper strut bolts in the trunk, sometimes those come loose, and when it flexes it makes a 'clunk'.

There should be 3 holding the strut plate to the fender well, probably under the carpet up by the top in the trunk, just look at the strut and follow it up, either those could be loose, or in the center there is a nut that holds the actual STRUT to the strut mount.
Most of the time, that just comes a little loose and the strut bangs around.

This is from 4 years experience at Les Schwab in the brake/shock/alignment dept.

Could also be a lower ball joint, most likely not, but not to rule out.

Like I said, 90% its those struts. I don't know exactly how yours mount so I can't give you exact locations on bolts but, just take a look, maybe even with the wheel off, and just double check everything. You will find it.

weneversleep · Aug 4, 2009, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzydoodle

Could be you're sway bar end links, most likely not, but could be.

More likely a strut coming loose, check your upper strut bolts in the trunk, sometimes those come loose, and when it flexes it makes a 'clunk'.

There should be 3 holding the strut plate to the fender well, probably under the carpet up by the top in the trunk, just look at the strut and follow it up, either those could be loose, or in the center there is a nut that holds the actual STRUT to the strut mount.
Most of the time, that just comes a little loose and the strut bangs around.

This is from 4 years experience at Les Schwab in the brake/shock/alignment dept.

Could also be a lower ball joint, most likely not, but not to rule out.

Like I said, 90% its those struts. I don't know exactly how yours mount so I can't give you exact locations on bolts but, just take a look, maybe even with the wheel off, and just double check everything. You will find it.

Thanks for the info. I got the car aligned, and my mechanic found a couple of slightly loose bolts on the subframe, which were tightened up. Sway bar end links/brackets were fine.

However, the clunking is still there. I'd like to check the top of the struts/strut mounts. Do I do it from the underside, or do I pull the carpeting out of the trunk and access the top of the struts from there?

(PS: what a difference an alignment makes! The car was way off from factory, and it feels like a completely new car. Just did it to stock specs (no mods, stock suspension), but got it _exact_, and it just feels perfect.)

lousEVOxmr · Aug 4, 2009, 10:12 AM

guys as soon as you jack the car up you cant look at the suspension being loose becasue all the wight from the tires and brakes( gravity ) takes care of it , so you have to look at it with a big flat screw driver or bar and check everything from the car wheels touching the ground ,
put it on blocks and then go underneth and look..
another idea
look at your spar tire and jack !!!! and see if there loose!!! it might be your jack jumping around every bump you hit lol

weneversleep · Aug 5, 2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzydoodle

Could be you're sway bar end links, most likely not, but could be.

More likely a strut coming loose, check your upper strut bolts in the trunk, sometimes those come loose, and when it flexes it makes a 'clunk'.

There should be 3 holding the strut plate to the fender well, probably under the carpet up by the top in the trunk, just look at the strut and follow it up, either those could be loose, or in the center there is a nut that holds the actual STRUT to the strut mount.
Most of the time, that just comes a little loose and the strut bangs around.

This is from 4 years experience at Les Schwab in the brake/shock/alignment dept.

Could also be a lower ball joint, most likely not, but not to rule out.

Like I said, 90% its those struts. I don't know exactly how yours mount so I can't give you exact locations on bolts but, just take a look, maybe even with the wheel off, and just double check everything. You will find it.

I did check the strut bolts (from inside the trunk), and everything was good and tight.

Clunking is still there.

Interestingly enough, when I took out all of the trunk carpeting, I found a small oval-shaped piece of metal stuck in some glue on top of the right rear wheelwell. I was hoping that this was what was causing the noise, but even with it taken out, noise is still there. The more I look at it, and where it might have come from, I'm thinking that it was a metal frame casting piece that was "popped out" during body assembly and stuck on some glue. Weird.

Codevo · Aug 5, 2009, 02:00 PM

A thread should be posted and stickied titled "what noise does your evo x make?". Haha. I can't even begin to count how many people i have heard talk about unwanted and unexplained noises in their evo x.

gizmotoy · Aug 5, 2009, 02:04 PM

A bunch of dealerships around here have a little rumble-strip "obstacle course". If you can find something like that, throw a friend in the trunk and drive around. It might at least give you an idea of what direction to look.

Clark_Kent · Aug 5, 2009, 05:25 PM

I'm having the same issue but I have aftermarket coilovers and rear swaybar so there's more to think about. It's progressively gotten worse over the last month or two. I guess I've been too lazy to get underneath the car. I'll probably check it out this weekend. I sure hope its a loose bolt/nut on the endlink or bracket.

GSXR · Aug 5, 2009, 09:13 PM

Oh crap, I just read this thread and I have the same sound. I've been too lazy to check because my friend borrowed all my jacks. I just broke out the hand crank jack and checked the endlink joints. Turns out my nut for the endlink fell off! I found a spare and tightened it back up. Cool!

davidiii · Aug 5, 2009, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSXR

Oh crap, I just read this thread and I have the same sound. I've been too lazy to check because my friend borrowed all my jacks. I just broke out the hand crank jack and checked the endlink joints. Turns out my nut for the endlink fell off! I found a spare and tightened it back up. Cool!

Picture of where your talking about?!?

gizmotoy · Aug 6, 2009, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSXR

Oh crap, I just read this thread and I have the same sound. I've been too lazy to check because my friend borrowed all my jacks. I just broke out the hand crank jack and checked the endlink joints. Turns out my nut for the endlink fell off! I found a spare and tightened it back up. Cool!

Yea, whoever they have tightening the end links should be fired

There have been a ton of these. There's at least half a dozen others with similar loose endlink experiences over on the "other site." I'm glad I caught mine before the nut fell off