i have changed the springs on my car three times now and at different heights. first i had neuspeed race, then stock ITRs, and now ST springs (1.3 inch drop). for a time i thought it was my rear shocks that wre just bad, or that i installed them wrong.

but the last time i did it, i changed the shocks and installed them the way i know how, and paid close attention to make sure nothing else was broken or missing. low and behold, the damn knockin noise is still there. im out of ideas, as im pretty sure its not the springs or shocks thats wrong.

the knocking mainly occurs when im backing up or even just driving over uneven ground, like speed bumps and even minor bumps in the road.

so... any ideas?

 

bump

 

stuff in the trunk?

 

My comptech bar clunks alot. It's because of the solid endlinks on the swaybar. Did you check the swaybar bushings or endlinks?

 

I dont have anything in the trunk and it's a stock dx, so no sway bars at all...

it may sound kind of far fetched, but i was thinking that it might be due to camber. the last time i had it check i think i was at -2.6 and -2.4 in the rear. I am also running 205/50-15 kumhos. I know theyre not that wide, but maybe they are somehow rubbing against the chassis because the top is turn inward due to the camber.

although, they did make the same noise the ITR springs, which offered a lot of room in the wheel well and my camber then was at -1.9 and -1.7.

i dunno, just trying to throw out all the info to see if anyone can think of anything.. im guess this has not really happened to anyone else?


Modified by Wazup at 10:31 PM 5/11/2005

 

also, just to see how everyone else does it, when I changed the springs in the rear each time, I would take out the bolt from the upper control arm first, have the rear assembly drop down, change the springs, then jack up the rear assembly so that it lines up with the upper control arm so that it is easy to put the bolt back in.

didnt think of any other way to do it.. but now im wondering if i might have messed something up.

 

up

 

that sounds right. Did yuo torque all of the bolts down when the car was on the ground?

also make sure it's not something stupid like the exhaust banging around.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nonsense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that sounds right. Did yuo torque all of the bolts down when the car was on the ground?

also make sure it's not something stupid like the exhaust banging around. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i know i torqued them down before i put the wheels back on and lowered, but i didnt know i had to torque them down after. Is that what you mean?

i have stock exhaust, and i dont think its the problem because the knocking occurs on both sides.

 

TrY your lca bushings. They could be worn out or bad. Just a thought. Did you tighten the nuts on the top of the shocks?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jonshonda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">TrY your lca bushings. They could be worn out or bad. Just a thought. Did you tighten the nuts on the top of the shocks?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yup, i made sure they were tightened.. thanks for the suggestion though, ill look into that..

its just really weird, when it knocks, it feels like something is hitting the chassis, still not sure though

 

ok, so after changing my springs again, i figured out that the noise is not coming from the shocks or springs, the LCAs, or even the UCAs. I think it may be the compensator arm. I may have damaged something around that area or knocked something loose.

Anyone know if it is hard to replace a compensator arm or anything that is in that area?

 

up

 

I have the same problem in the passenger side rear on my 00 Si I have switched the suspension out a few times and have full coilovers now and hear a clunking/knocking noise over slight bumps or when turning sharp. I have no clue what it is.....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Wazup &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok, so after changing my springs again, i figured out that the noise is not coming from the shocks or springs, the LCAs, or even the UCAs. I think it may be the compensator arm. I may have damaged something around that area or knocked something loose.

Anyone know if it is hard to replace a compensator arm or anything that is in that area?</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's not hard to replace the compensator arm, but it's what adjusts the toe, so your alignment will most likely be all out-of-whack after you change it. I'd get an alignment imediatly after changing it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nonsense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It's not hard to replace the compensator arm, but it's what adjusts the toe, so your alignment will most likely be all out-of-whack after you change it. I'd get an alignment imediatly after changing it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i have had an alignment since it has made that noise, i just figured it might have been the compensator arm because it sounds like its coming from that area and i am all out of ideas as to what it could be.

so, since the alignment shop is able to adjust the alignment would that mean that it is not the compensator arm that is making the noise? or that it is not broken?

 

up

 

can you describe the noise? is it squaking or is it a banging like a metal to metal noise?

 

I had a similar noise.

Turned out to be my passanger side seatbelt banging against the metal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by niann &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can you describe the noise? is it squaking or is it a banging like a metal to metal noise? </TD></TR></TABLE>

The noise I hear is a knocking / clunking sound that comes from the passenger side rear..... sounds like it is up high near the top of the shock tower but I know it isn't the springs/shocks because they have been replaced twice. It happens when I go over speed bumps, back up, and turn sharply. I have no clue

 

I have the very same problem. In fact I spent this afternoon trying to diagnose it, to no avail. My first guess was the swaybar walking, but it usually I can spot that because I can spot where the lithium grease is pushed out from side to side, and it wasn't.
Then I checked my upper mounts, made sure the nuts were tightened, and that the two bolts hadn't somehow come loose from the mount itself. All checked out fine.
My LCA bushings are brand new (new LCA's) and my UCA bushings look fine, as does the compensator arm. Then I remembered a while back, when I was first putting in my coilovers, that I noticed my driver's side trailing arm bushing was sorta cracked. It might've been on its way out at that point, and this 800mile drive to Chicago finally finished it off. I'd jack the car up again and check out your TA bushings as well.
As to why it produces the noise up high, like in the trunk, I'm not sure, but it does that on my car as well.

 

did you check where the spare tire compartment. There is a sissisor jack in there ya know.


Had the same problem, stumbled across it when i went tan to black inside. lmk if thats the sound.

 

id bet money its your rear trailing arm bushings. My car does the exact same noise. You can hear it at the top because of how the bushing is bolted to the car. the sound travels thru the body and comes out of top of the strut area. I kno one of you have a Si, ek body type. If the thread starter has an EK as well, check your trailing arm bushings. I bet they are torn. Honda released a service bulletin just for the 96-00 civics because the bushings were notorious for noises and clunks. I guess they were weak. You could take it to a dealer to see if you can be considered for some free work but i doubt it cause eveyone on here is lowered.

 

Yeah checked the jack pretty early on too, and the spare. Both were tight.

 

it is going to be either your rear trailing arm bushings or the upper shock mount bushings. my shock mount bushings dont really clunk, but they do make a weird squeak/moaning noise.