Okay, sorry first post here asking for help, i promise to pay it forward though

been a long time honda/acura owner and recently bought a 2000 integra gs coupe to fix up for fun and get around in after some old lady wrecked my 04 rsx with a solid side hit.

So the other day i took off the stupid mud flaps on the integra for aesthetic purposes and directly afterwards while driving, the car makes this thudding/pumping/clipping/knocking sound on the driver's side underneath the floor.

I checked the wheel well, some of the screws were rusted so i replaced them but didn't fix anything. Front bumper was missing a screw so I secured that, still no fix. There is absolutely nothing hitting the wheel well and the tire to make this sound.

So I took a look at the brake caliper and it just looks off to me. I was hoping someone here could tell me if the pins are bent or if something is dislodged or if something fell in there or anything else i can check for before heading to a mechanic.

Symptoms:

1. thudding sound only occurs when the car is not accelerating and not braking. When braking or accelerating, it sounds perfectly fine.
   
2. Also when driving slowly, there is a squeaking sound, like squeaky clean kind of sound for each revolution of the wheel.
   
3. This goes away at higher speeds at which point the thudding type sound appears. Sound becomes more squeeky when turning all the way right and more thuddy as i turn left.

Picture of what i think looks strange (if any other pics are needed i can get them ASAP):




*Pictures are on mediafire.com right now as i can't get photobucket to work; right click the open tab on link to see the pictures thanks!

Please help as the gf thinks that i messed it up and i feel horrible for doing it but i was just removing those gross mud flaps. Did it on my rsx without issue but on the teg, they were more difficult to remove and i pulled a bit on the tire itself while taking off the driver's side and passenger side front tires, so maybe i did something? or maybe coincidence?

If you can put my mind at ease i'll be eternally grateful. I don't think it's the wheel bearing as i know that sound well. Sounds like the calipers or something like a pin is clipping the rotor.

 

Check your lug nuts

 

jack the car up, place on stands, take wheels off, inspect. thudding/clunking is usually axel related flapping would make me think it's piece of plastic rubbing

 

it's kind of a flapping sound right where the break pad is, like under the floorboards of where your left leg would rest as a driver but i guess it's hard to describe. It's sounds like the wheel is hitting something but it's not.

Gonna get a mechanic to check it out anyway - but it was fine before with the mud flaps on - anything i could have done to mess it up somehow?

If the wheel wells plastic is not secured firmly would it flap in the conditions i described above? what about a loose screw on the left side of the front bumper?

Some of the screws i took out with the mud flaps were rusted as hell and the holes they went into rusted out as well so i just resecured them as best i could for now with new screws/washers. It's a used car (supposedly lady driven but doubt it) and it is clear that someone has messed with the front/rear bumper as there are holes that don't line up as well.


thanks for the advice; really appreciate it

 

^This is more then likely your issue. jack the car up and take the wheel off and 1:make sure the brake dust shield isn't loose 2nd make sure the splash guarding isn't loose enough that it could be flapping around.

 

double b from wv: thank you so much you are 100% correct. I checked the lug nuts, 2 were super loose (moron mechanic put new rotors on about a month ago, 2/4 nuts were loose) and 1 of the nuts/studs is actually stripped! Should i just replace all of them at this point? I'm not sure if the mechanic (gf's friend's bf) over-tightened them or something but they were not on there tight at all (i could move them with my fingers!) The other loose nut doesn't look stripped at all and tightens fine with a lug wrench. I tighten it by hand, hit it with a hammer for like 1/4 turn at most, drive the car a bit, then tighten again. I read that is the best way to not over tighten them.

I don't know how or why taking the mud flap off that tire would bring this issue out unless it was already loose and i just uncovered a problem by chance.

You have no idea how much stress you just relieved! You can PM me your paypal if you have it and i'll throw you 10-15 bucks just for the quick tip!

thank you as well B_Swapped93, had i followed your process it would have become pretty clear there was an issue with the lug nuts/studs pretty quickly

hopefully tonight i can get back to having fun driving instead of worrying my teg is going to die! Do you think an Acura dealer would have a few laying around they'd part with for little to nothing?

 

Go back to your gf's friend bf and be like you owe me some ******* lug nuts/money back. no the Acura dealer will want to sell you the whole hub/knuckle for 240$+ best bet is to go to a junk yard and grab some but they are on extremely tight so bring 2 bolts and a good braker bar.

 

i wish i could but he's a skeevy perv that hits on her. If i see him i'll hit in the face with a tire iron lol.

and wouldn't u know it, on the way home today, some idiot turns into our lane and smashes into us, 100% their fault, they are fucked cause the small damage is gonna cost them a fair penny and my teg will look nice and clean afterwards

thanks a lot guys.