annoying suspension problem

grnmk3

New Member
May 31, 2007
36
0
0
San Diego
alright guys once again i need a little help. there is a thumping noise when i am turning left (again!). this is the second time i've encountered this annoying noise. last year i replaced the wheel bearing on both sides and lower ball joint on passenger side so everything was fine until now (fyi: changing the driver side wheel bearing fixed the issue last year). hoping that the bearing is still good from last year i changed a broken lower ball joint and upper arm w/ joint on the driver side. i wish that fixed the problem but nope. before i replaced both joints i would hear metal to metal noise. now, a different thumping noise when i turn left. you guys think it might be the bearing again? i jacked up the car last time and spun the wheels to hear anything abnormal but i only noticed the passenger side wheels spin more freely than the driver side. let me know what you guys think because i am stomped and running out of cash....fast! thank you.
 

HommerSimpson

New Member
Dec 31, 2007
1,067
0
0
New Smyrna Beach Florida
brake calipur sticky or brake line cloged far as tire spin going...
sure ya dont have tire coming apart ? only when you turn ? no play in tie rod ends ? you have play from top to bottom when you wiggle tire ? side to side ?
 

Aspec

Supra uber alles
Dec 22, 2005
261
0
0
Surprise, AZ
I think you should call around your area and see if any local reputable shops are willing to test drive your vehicle and help you diagnose your noise. If they will do it for no charge then cool. If not, ask what they will charge for the inspection.

Diagnosing a front end clunk "properly" without driving the vehicle is at best a screaming wild ass guess and is not advisable.

With that said... it is possible, however unlikely, that another bearing has gone bad.(doubtful)

If you can duplicate the noise by rocking the steering wheel back and forth from the 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock while driving very slowly(or sitting still) check your rack & pinion mount bushings.

If that checks okay get back to us. If you have some mechanical ability and can follow direction we may be able to guide you through diagnosing this issue. If you are wanting someone to guess at which part is bad your better off throwing darts at the TSRM suspension parts list.


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Aspec

Supra uber alles
Dec 22, 2005
261
0
0
Surprise, AZ
grnmk3;1000931 said:
i haven't checked that yet. will that make the noise?


tlo86;1001002 said:
it did on my car, my top connectior was broken right off


This proves my point exactly guys. Everyone can post "did you check X, Y and Z my car made that noise once" and it still boils down to checking every part or guessing. Certain problems have distinct characteristics and can be readily duplicated. Diagnose it once. Fix it once. Saves time. Costs less.


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tlo86

Ninja Editor 'Since 05'
Jul 24, 2005
3,914
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38
Colorado
Aspec;1001014 said:
This proves my point exactly guys. Everyone can post "did you check X, Y and Z my car made that noise once" and it still boils down to checking every part or guessing. Certain problems have distinct characteristics and can be readily duplicated. Diagnose it once. Fix it once. Saves time. Costs less.


_

well yeah :biglaugh: i thought that was obvious already
 

grnmk3

New Member
May 31, 2007
36
0
0
San Diego
guys, i lifted the front end and started looking around. i was lifting the d/s wheel and noticed 1/2" play on the shocks. then i did the same thing on the passenger side and noticed a slightly lesser play. question is, is there suppose to be ANY play? another question, is there suppose to be a side to side play on the end links?

you know what else i noticed even when i'm driving straight and then hit some bad road i'd hear the thumping noise. blown shocks? no leaks though so it might be an internal issue in the shocks.
 

tlo86

Ninja Editor 'Since 05'
Jul 24, 2005
3,914
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Colorado
grnmk3;1001158 said:
guys, i lifted the front end and started looking around. i was lifting the d/s wheel and noticed 1/2" play on the shocks. then i did the same thing on the passenger side and noticed a slightly lesser play. question is, is there suppose to be ANY play? another question, is there suppose to be a side to side play on the end links?

you know what else i noticed even when i'm driving straight and then hit some bad road i'd hear the thumping noise. blown shocks? no leaks though so it might be an internal issue in the shocks.

you could move the wheel up with your hand? you are either really strong or yup your shocks are dead :D
 

grnmk3

New Member
May 31, 2007
36
0
0
San Diego
hahahaha...i'm gonna put my stock shocks back on this weekend to see if that fixes it. damn...the thought of buying new coilovers.

so does the endlink suppose to have side to side play?
 

Poodles

I play with fire
Jul 22, 2006
16,757
0
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42
Fort Worth, TX
if you can move the shocks around, the top mounts are dead more than likely... (it's a rubber pillowball mount, so they dry out and fall apart)
 

mkiii222

Member
Mar 31, 2005
697
0
16
Troy, MI
Suprised no one's mentioned it, but there is a clamp that holds the stock downpipe against a bracket. Mine's come loose twice already and it only thumps when turning left. The bracket is just forward of the main cat. If you can move the exhaust pipe then it's that bracket. I spent a lot of time looking at my tie rods, sway bars, and shocks, because when it slaps that bracket, it does feel like something is loose in the wheel.

I'd replace those sway bar end links too. They should have no play. And I agree with poodles that if you have stock upper mounts it's time to replace. I just used the KYB uppers(TEMS compatible :)), but if you've got the cash and will be on the track go for the pillowballs.
 

Finnon

New Member
Mar 26, 2006
701
0
0
43
South Shields, Tyne & Wear ENGLAND
i had a thump sort of noise on mine from the back. only on bumpy roads. it obviously was the shocks. just before i got them swapped over for new units one of them burst lol. oil everywhere haha

driving along if you can picture it i could hear whoosh thump whoosh thump whoosh thump
 

grnmk3

New Member
May 31, 2007
36
0
0
San Diego
An update: Removed the Tein's today and replaced with the stock shocks. Noise gone! Damn...guess it's time to work overtime. Oh my car is looking ugly with the sky high look...what a difference wheels and lower does to a car never seems to surprise me. As for the downpipe it was rattling from there too so I bolted that down. So now I have Tein HR's that will be sitting in the garage. The 2 fronts need a rebuild but the rears are good. I'll probably sell them so I can get new endlinks. Once again SupraMania prevails to be the best source for any fix. Love this site! Thanks everyone.