hawn.4

thetinkerer, thank you for the reply

I'm sorry that replacing the half axles didn't solve the clunk. For both of our cars, I was hoping this would solve the problem.

I'm not sure what to do next. Because the cluck on my car is louder when the car is cold compared to when it is warm, I'm going to keep looking at rubber components. I'll let you know if I figure this out.

thetinkerer

it makes sense that it would be louder when its cold then when its hot. Why? Because metal contracts when its cold and expands when its hot. So when its cold the end play in the axles is larger thus generating a louder clunking sound...When it hot the gap is less and hence less of a clunk....there no fix for this - its a HOnda!!

Roader

The right sway bar bushings were pretty much gone when I bought my wagon. Put new ones on and the clunk disappeared. A few months later it was back. Up on jack stands, the sway bar bushings looked nice and tight. Frustrated that I couldn't find the source of the clunk, I took the new sway bar bushings apart, greased them up with silicone grease, and tightened the nut/bolt holding them together more than I had the first time and probably more than what the FSM calls for. The clunk went away.

The only thing I can think is that when the car is on jack stands with the wheels hanging down the sway bar ends are compressed so it looks like they're tight, but on the ground they un-compress and if they're not really tight they'll clunk.

Using ramps instead of jack stands would probably make diagnosing front end noises easier.

thetinkerer

You can disconnect your sway bar bushings and drive the car around - for some this is the fix but Honda did build this axle end play into a large number of vehicles during certain years...I know its in the Acura TLs from 1999 to 2003 cause I own a 1999, 2000 and 2003 and its there on all of them.

Justin_H

The noise is not axle end play. Thats not the noise the OP is talking about. Its suspension and the ramp idea is my next troubleshooting method.

eatpoo

Had the knock yesterday. Read this thread. Thank you to the poster who mentioned tighten up lugs. Had winter tires put on friday and they didnt tighten the drivers side front properly. Replaced missing lug, tightned all. No more knock

holmesnmanny

I never trust any place that works on my cars to either tighten the lugs down or torque them properly. When I drive away I pull over and redo the lugs.

nus_dogg

This is why I do my own work. Good thing I work at a Dealer, so I have access to a hoist with my own tools there.

captainplanet

I have a Honda Accord Euro 2005 and only recently I have noticed a "thump thump thump...." noise coming from the rear wheels, probably the passenger side, though it's hard to tell exactly.

The noise *only* happens when I'm driving very slowly - under 30km/h and as soon as I speed up the thumping disappears and/or is drowned out by other noises, as a poster above suggested.

Do you think this is the same or similar problem to what everybody is talking about in here - particularly the posts by thetinkerer?

Many thanks for this.

thetinkerer

One more comment on checking for axle end play as the cause of the hollow clunking noise.....when you check your axles as I suggest, make sure the front end is up on ramps and not jacked up...you will pick up the greatest axle end play travel when the vehicle is up on ramps and not jacked up with the wheels off the ground.....

If anyone knows how to remedy this issue I sure would be interested in knowing what it is otherwise its just something I will have to live with.

thetinkerer

you dont have axles on the rear so axle end play is not applicable to the rear of the vehicle.

Livennine01

Similar problem with noise only occuring when driving slow < 30mph. Recently had the timing replaced and asked for the repair shop to look at the noise. They suggested new control arms at $500 and new struts at $1,000. After the shock from the bill, I replaced all four struts myself, but not with the quick struts (package with springs etc.) While down there I checked the bushings and linkages and they all look okay on the upper control arms and the other linkages. Also, the noise appears to be coming from the back, but the control arms are up front. Really confused on this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thestruggle

I have a 2003 accord ex with this symtom, Changed upper and lower control arms, ball joints, one sway bar link, all to no avail. It seams the knocking got quieter with a tighter suspension up there, but maybe I'm imagining it.

Rack has no slop, but i noticed is leaking a little. I thought I'd try sway bar bushings on the frame next, then strut bushings and struts next but after reading this thread, I don't know. I'm going to check the engine mounts also. I tried the throttle with brake applied but no knock. I think it is some kind of weighted vs. unweighted thing. My driveway is steap and pitted at bottom & it it is most noticable there. it is also louder on the passenger side. It may be that passanger side mount rattling on an up/down plane, not forward and back.

Pretty frustrated. If it turns out to be another un fixable Honda quirk like the power seat slop, I'm selling.

holmesnmanny

The thing most people overlook is the bushings that go through the lower control arm. When those start to wear the play allows the bolts that go through them to bang back and forth. I'm going to be doing mines tuesday actually.

holmesnmanny

For the most part you can pretty much see all the mounts except the rear. Since you've replaced just about everything, it can really only be the mounts.

For the rear, you can place a jack with a wooden block in between it and the oil pan and lift up the engine and see if there is play in that mount, with the air intake hose taken off of course.

Hondallover

Just came accross this website: awesome place and what you guys know!

I got a '99 Accord EX (4 cyl) with similar knocking noise described above. Seems to be on the front left, when driving up to 30 - 40 over bumps, uneven pavements. For some reason cannot hear it when at freeway speeds. Been there for probably 3 years/30+ K miles, but getting stronger the last 10K miles.

Hondallover

holmesnmanny: Did you get to replace the lower control arm bushings? What was the result?

me, CIVIC05EX

Hey, Same problem with mine (05 EX)
Cannot hear at free way speeds, not during the turnings (so no CV joints issue)
but it is there, slow speeds like within the 10 to 20 mph.

Have you found any solution?
Anybody else?

CD5B2

Hmmm I had my car lowered last September and I've had that knocking sound while I'm driving on any surface ever since coming from the front left. It almost sounds like it's coming from the top of the strut assembly (could be wrong though.) Had the strut assembly taken apart twice, put in polyurethane spring isolators as well as new sway bar links and frame bushings. Some of the parts were worn out that I replaced and it seems more solid in corners, but the sound is just as bad if not worse now. Any suggestions?

chief1911

I have an '01 Civic with similar knocking noise described above. Seems to be on the right front, when driving slow over bumps. Been there for probably 2 years, but getting stronger. After reading some of the posts I took a rubber mallet and hit the sway bar and it made a noise similiar to the one I hear when driving, plan on replacing the rubber bushings next week but how do I know the end links are bad? Should I just replace them anyway when doing the bushings?

rival12

Does this setup have an upper control arm??

I just replaced the bushings in my upper control arm to get rid of the knocking sound. Also stumbled across my loose upper ball joint.

At least the Skunk2 Upper Ball Joints are cheap, and easy to change.

Hondallover

After replacing the struts some 6 months ago and the sway bar bushing last week, noise was still there.

Now, my wheel alignment guy is able to recreate the noise by rocking the car up and down at the end of the open driver's door. He points to the sway bar end links on the left side.

Got the one for the left side and replaced it > Sure enough after some 3 years the noise seems to be finally gone! One of the joints was completely worn out, I could even manually get that metal-on-metal noise.

Part price from Honda dealer $ 48 + labor $ 30.
P/N 51321-S84-A01.

91ondaAccordEx

To all having this problem... I solved my knocking noise.....okay so after reading all above post I went and checked my car for any and all issues as described in above post...soo now to give possible solution... the upper control arm has 5 bolts and nuts if you include the ball joint.... there are two bolts and nuts that connect to the body inside wheel wall and two bolts that are almost inaccessible when control arm is installed due to the spring and strut... (Note that you Do Not need to take off wheel to do this..just jack-up till wheel is about to lift off ground.) The two bolts almost inaccessible needed to be tightened for my car.... when I and my father installed the new control arm from AutoZone we did not think to tighten the two bolts, part being new we assumed it was pre tightened and the looseness was just the way it was supposed to be.... so if you are having this knocking issue give this a try it solved my issue...I'm not a specialist but any ?s of my solution just message me...account is set available for messaging me....
Good luck in your trouble shooting...

thetinkerer

Hello,

I am very interested in trying what you have done...I would be very grateful if you could send me some pictures or a diagram showing what bolts you tightened that made the noise go away..

thetinkerer

thetinkerer

so you tried moving the axles back and forth with the weight of the car on the wheels and that did not produce the noise?