2004 RSX-S....

I just replaced my ITR bar with the Comptech 22mm swaybar and tie bar assembly. It's a little stiffer than the ITR setup, which is nice, but now I have this knocking/popping noise that I can't get rid of. It only happens on the occasional sharp bump, but not on speedbumps. It's not the spare tire or jack or anything in the rear hatch...I pulled everything out and drove around and it still does it.

It sounds like something's loose and knocking around, but I've checked and double-checked every bolt under there...nothing's loose. I'm on stock springs and struts, stock end links AND stock exhaust. And if I disconnect the bar and drive around, the noise disappears. So it's definitely related to the bar/tie bar setup.

Any ideas?

 

Did you lubricate the bar or put electric tape over it?

 

Yes, lubed everything, except for the endlinks which didn't call for it.

 

If it happens only when the car is going in a straight line (swaybar unloaded) it is the endlinks. The flipside to this behavior is that on long corners that have bumps when the swaybar is loaded you will not hear the noise.

You could also try preloading the swaybar to test if it is the endlinks or the mounting bushings.

 

First, thanks to everyone who's responded.

I called Comptech to see what they had to say, and they suggested that it might be the lower strut bolts are a little loose. Well, after attacking them with a big socket wrench, that's not the problem.

I'm beginning to think that the Comptech 22mm bar is designed to work best when the car is lowered (mine's still stock height) and that the end links are somehow binding or something. SO...I took the Comptech bar off and reinstalled my ITR bar along with the comptech subframe brace. The knocking is still occasionally there, but it's maybe 10% as bad as it was when I had the comptech bar on there. Visually, when I had both bars out on the garage floor, you could even see that the comptech bar was angled a little different where the end links bolt on, so I think that might be the issue. Guess I'll order some hotchkis endlinks and see what that gets me.