Hey All,

I have an 01 R with stock shocks and H&R Sport springs. 4000 miles on new springs, total of 16000 on the car's stock shocks.

I'm hearing a sound from the passenger side rear that sounds like something rubbing, yet I've checked my exhaust (thinking that was it) but found nothing. It does not sound like a blown shock. Its not a rattle sound, but more of that rubbing, "hum" whenever I'm going over slightly bumpy road at low speeds. Also, when I go over speed bumps, which I do very slowly, it creaks a bit.

I've had this for about 2 weeks now and I have no idea what to look at to find the source.

FYI, I went around a 90 degree turn pretty quick about 2 weeks ago and the car felt as if I'd curbed it... it kicked out the rear a bit, but I'm POSITIVE that I didn't even come close to the curb. Could that "kick" have been something breaking?

Can anyone offer suggestions as to what I should look at? Could it be a shock and I'm just not recognizing the sound? I've heard that clickity clack of bad shocks before and this isn't quite it. I just can't find anything loose or looking out of place.

Any advice or experience is greatly appreciated. Thanks lots.

 

Sure, but they've been on for 4000 miles and I've never heard it before. I drive without the radio on quite a bit and I've never heard it before.

Is it possible that they've settled even more after all those miles and NOW they're starting to rattle when unloaded?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by syrinx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Also, when I go over speed bumps, which I do very slowly, it creaks a bit.

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my rear seems to creak a little bit when going down curbs or when i first start a turn. i think this is normal, but i do not know about your rubbing sound. i also have the H&R springs and have had no sound at all. can anyone confirm the creaking being normal?

 

Heres an idea. Take a hockey puck, cut a hole in the middle big enought so it fits on the coilover sleeves (if you have them) or under the spring or whatever its resting on, cut the puck in half sideways to whatever height you want, if you don't want to add height, just cut it thin, and make sort of a ring with it that fits right under the spring on the sleeve, then no metal will be touching metal and it will act like a padding, the creaks should go away, i sorta have the same problem with my skunk2 coilovers, but im doing this soon and it should work....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zyg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">This is one of the reasons I switched from the Bilstein/GC stuff, as well.</TD></TR></TABLE>

oh, thanks there buddy.

 

did you get an alignment?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2001TypeR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Heres an idea. Take a hockey puck, cut a hole in the middle big enought so it fits on the coilover sleeves (if you have them) or under the spring or whatever its resting on, cut the puck in half sideways to whatever height you want, if you don't want to add height, just cut it thin, and make sort of a ring with it that fits right under the spring on the sleeve, then no metal will be touching metal and it will act like a padding, the creaks should go away, i sorta have the same problem with my skunk2 coilovers, but im doing this soon and it should work....</TD></TR></TABLE>

this in itself is a very bad idea, unless you have a precision laser guided arm that could cut each 4 of the pucks in the same width and shape.

 

I think he's been staring at too many hype-arrrr decals

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

this in itself is a very bad idea, unless you have a precision laser guided arm that could cut each 4 of the pucks in the same width and shape. </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

No alignment recently. Actually, no work at all recently with the exception of replacing a blown Carsound, but that was two months and 800 miles ago.

I just really have no clue on this one.

EDIT:
You know whats going to suck is if I find out its something stupid... like my girlfriend dropping a quarter behind the rear seats, and it got stuck and was jammed on something, rubbing around on it... I'll turn out to be the newest H-T moron.
Honestly though, I'm checking every possible source. I'd like to go to a friend's shop and get it up on his rack for awhile, maybe Monday.

 

I'd definitely get the rear alignment checked. If the sound you're hearing is like a hum, it could be coming from the tire if it's way out of alignment.

 

sounds like the wheel bearings to me...I know that problem all too well from my second car (a 1.8 Toyota Levin RWD)...it use to throw wheel bearings every 2 years.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MiraiZ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">sounds like the wheel bearings to me...I know that problem all too well from my second car (a 1.8 Toyota Levin RWD)...it use to throw wheel bearings every 2 years.</TD></TR></TABLE>

this would be my guess too.
if the sound is a humming, i'd say either wheel bearing or a tire out of alignment.
if it's just a creaking, i wouldn't worry about it -- my car creaks too and i've just gotten used to it.

just to through another idea on the table, how hard is it to break a seam-weld? i've heard of it happening before...

-tony

 

Well im not saying to use the whole puck, just a little piece sliced off it like a ring for the spring to sorta sit on. Not using the puck to actually higher the car or something...just a bit of padding, i doubt it could do anything bad...

 

Thanks everybody,
I'm going to take it in this week to get it all checked out since I'm not 100% sure on anything.
I'd assume a wheel alignment would sound much different since its not a steady hum... more of a hum of rubbing parts only when I hit bumps. Its not constant. Really weird, I wish I knew for sure.
Anyway, I'll let you all know since it may help someone else out in the future.

 

Righty,

Well the rear passnenger shock isn't blown out, but its going that route. Turns out I'm seeing a little juicy spoo. Dealer took a quick look at it during a valve adjustment... said its a slow leak.

I just spent the past 2 1/2 hours reading archived posts about Koni's. Time to read on for a few days about KYB, Bilstein, etc.

Oh well, stock shocks lasted 6000 miles on the H&R sports.