just picked up an EP3 from the original owner. it has 74k miles on it. i have heard that lowering these cars can cause premature failure of suspension parts, but I'm not sure it was previously lowered (owner was older and mature and i didnt think to ask)

anyways, to the noise. When test driving the car, i noticed a slight thud noise from the tranny area when i shifted in between gears. my best guess was that it was a motor/tranny mount and that i could easily fix it.

yesterday on my first drive after registering the car, i gave it the beans on a street while it was wet out. the noise became more rapid/apparent with all the wheel spin.

and today, when i was reversing up my driveway, the noise came once again. the second the clutch engages and i start rolling up the driveway, the noise comes. it seems that the noise occurs when the engine is under load or shifting weight from the front to the back


ive done research and it seems it could be a CV joint (axle) or a tie rod end. I dont wanna rule out a bad tranny mount. I havent had time to take a look underneath the car because of the weather, but tomorrow i will look all around when i give it an oil change. and i will attach a video tomorrow once everything is back together.

can anybody chime in on this with any advice or stories? dont wanna start throwing money into parts that dont need to be replaced!

 

Just get under the car and do a good inspection first. I would check your lower ball joint boots, make sure they aren't torn/leaking grease. Check the upper tie rod boots as well. If those look good, check your motor mounts for signs of cracking.

The car is stock, correct? Not lowered? Your first paragraph is confusing.

Check out ephatch.com as well, site dedicated to EP3s.

 

yeah the car is stock. what I meant was I didn't know if it was previously lowered, right now it's stock.

didnt get to look today since my rear brakes took forever to do. and I'm on ephatch and clubep3 but I can't make threads yet :[

 

for anybody looking for an answer and came across this thread... blown front strut.

 

I was just going to mention it could be the struts...

Are you upgrading or going with stock?