I hear a bad "crack" noise when i am braking or taking off at a light. I replaced an axle since it had some shaft play, the steering feels better but noise still there. When crusing there is NO noise at all. I recently replaced upper control arms,ball joints, inner and outer tie rods, wheel bearings but they were AFTERMARKET, all about a year old.

I also replaced the control arm bushings with oem honda bushings. They look ok though.

I played with the sway bay and could not get it to make any noise.

I can't figure it out, any ideas?

 

have you checked your calipers an all motor mounts?

 

balljoint

 

i got the same problem.

 

I had similar symptoms once, turned out it was the NEW upper control arm - annoying.

 

Was it the ball joints??

 

Yeah, the upper ball joint, which comes in an assembly piece incorporated into the upper control arm.

 

Also check the tightness of your front xmember bolts.

 

Ok so i went under the car and tried to make the noise i always hear but i can't!
I checked the subframe bolts, i shook the rack, i retightened ever bold i seen under there.
Still make the creak or craking noise when i brake HARD or when i take off from a light.

Seems only when the weight transfers i get the noise.
I DID notice when i hold the driver side inner axle housing and shake it, it seems to have play it it.That end goes into the halfshaft.
Yes, its clipped into the tranny cause it won't pull out...... But could a halfshaft create this much noise if the bearing or seal allowed the axle to have a little play in it and move under weight transfer?

Its a brand new axle, and the old one has same little wiggle or play in it. Should that be solid when shook??

 

Sub frame usually makes noise like your describing but it sounds like you've addressed that.
Make sure your motor mounts are ok.

 

i retightened the motor mounts too and they were tight!

 

 

But the noise sounds like its coming from underneath the car.
I could be wrong, but its not side specific. I doubt both arms could go.

 

Well then try to figure out where the noise is coming from. Have someone try recreate it with the E brake on with you outside the car....not infront of it. Might lead you to what everyone else has pointed at ^^^^ ball joint

 

try replacing the hardware kit for the calipers be sure to put ceramlube on all the contact surfaces i think what you are hearing are the pads knocking around in the caliper bracket

 

wow, rebuilt calipers can do this?
That sucks..

 

did you just get rebuilt calipers? or did they come with the caliper bracket and all the hardware kit?

 

Could be your CV shaft popping when twisting force is applied to it (braking+acceleration.)

 

Jack the car high enough that the front wheel leaves the ground, then lower it, that would make my upper ball joint make that popping sound.

It's free and easy to do, atleast you can cross it off your list.

 

if you're confident that the brakes aren't the problem the front radius rod rubber bushings might be bad that will let the spacer clank in the front cross member that noise usually occurs more often than just at hard brake or from a stop least likely would be the damper fork rubber bushing being bad but you checked everything else

 

i have an ETD traction bar. That does make noise alittle but i am leaning toward the passenger side axle. Driver side axle was just replaced.

I shook everything trying to imitate the noise but can't. I noticed, if i brake early and very easy i get no noise at all. Then when i take off i get the noise. Sounds like everything is shifting around. Really annoying....

 

Is anyone running the Energy suspension bushings on the control arms?
I have fairly new OEM HONDA rubber bushings, wondering if i should change over to ES.
Does it actually give a better handling feel?

Any recommendations?

 

My CRX with a B16 and Full ES bushings does this exact same thing. I have new axles, upper and lower balljoints, bushings and all that jazz. I have no idea what causes this either. I can feel the "pop" through my pedals and floor board.

 

Sounds like everything is shifting back and forth?

 

replaced the driver's side axle in my 91 hatch when i first got it because of a bad noise when cornering it had a lot of slop in it drove the car with the new axle and it made the same noise replaced the pass side axle - which felt good in the car - noise went away im not saying to just replace the axle but maybe you can't get a good feel for the condition of the axle when it's still in the car