I've done a search for noises and I see people have had instances with thunking noises from the front of their R, but I'm getting one that I'm pretty sure is coming from the left rear. I took the car to get Azenis' put on her today, it feels good to finally get the snows off. As I was leaving the tire place, the car would make a thunking noise, in particular when I was turning right or when the car hit bumps. Sounds kind of like a metal on metal sound similar to hitting a something metallic with a hammer and it does very with speed. Like when I'm putting a load on the left rear. Acceleration is not enough for me to cause the noise unless I'm turning right. Took it back and had them double check lugnut torque and did a pretty good visual inspection. Left and when I got home jacked the car up and did a more thorough inspection. Cannot see anything making contact and could not duplicate problem by trying to lift wheel while turning. I have Kosei K1s with 45 offset and just put Azenis' on her for the first time in 205/50-15. I don't see any indications of rubbing or anything. I have run S03's in the same size before and have not had problems. I'm waiting for the fiance to get home so I can have her drive it in some circles so I can listen to it outside. Anyone have any ideas? What could someone at a tire shop do to cause this?

 

sway bar bushing (the part that connects to the LCA) is bad...worn out.. missing.

Passenger side.

 

A shock could be blown, too. Or, any bushing could be out.

 

may sound stupid but something rolling around in the spare tyre well?

 

Could either of these happen while someone is removing wheels from the car? This started right after I had my tires changed. It was not happening when I first came in.

 

Which sway bar are you using?

After the snow melted here my Suspension Techniques rear sway bar end links were corroded by the salt from the roads. Suspension Tech. is sending me new end links, but I had what sounds like the identical clunking noises from the bad end links.

 

Dont think so.. maybe coincidence?
Mine went bad due to excessive heat (I melted it when I thought no muffler was kewl)

 

yea... thats what I was refering to... the end link bushings

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by yoshi234 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">may sound stupid but something rolling around in the spare tyre well?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I thought about this because at first I had all my snow tires, etc. in the trunk. After I unloaded them I went for another drive and the sound was still there. The frequency of the thunking varies with speed so it makes me think its got to be something dealing with a rotating part. I gave the bushing mentioned before a quick look and nothing looked obviusly wrong, but I'll have to do a more thorough inspection tomorrow whenits light out.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DocIowa &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Which sway bar are you using?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Its just stock.

 

Flat tire. Check your tire pressures tomorrow morning.

 

i am pretty sure that he does not have a flat tire

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Edwin &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Flat tire. Check your tire pressures tomorrow morning.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not flat tire

 

just a thought, but make sure your rear hatch a closing tightly...

 

I wnet ahead an had the fiancee drive the car while I listened from outside and could not hear the noise from the outside while she was driving. I could only convince her to get the car going about 25-30 mph. She could hear the noise on the inside. I had her drive the car also while I listened from the back and the noise does seem to be coming from the very back of the car and varies in frequency and intensity with speed. It also occurs only in right turns. Someone had mentioned the possibility of something with the caliper, but I question that. Anybody have any more ideas? I still plan to take the wheel off here to check the bushings. I also guess my first course of action is to take the car back to the tire place to give them a first look. After that its to the dealership with maybe the tire place flipping part or all of the bill.

 

Did you take the wheel off and make sure the lugs were torqued properly?

If not, check all your suspension bolts....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hecklervtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It also occurs only in right turns.</TD></TR></TABLE>
This is the part that gets me...

My car was doing the EXACT same thing. I suggest getting under the rear suspension and re-torque sway bar, lca, and such. That's what my problem was. Good luck...if you need a hand, I'm sure a lot of Chicagoans like myself will help.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cheezthis &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My car was doing the EXACT same thing. I suggest getting under the rear suspension and re-torque sway bar, lca, and such. That's what my problem was. Good luck...if you need a hand, I'm sure a lot of Chicagoans like myself will help. </TD></TR></TABLE>

i've got basically the same noise.. started as I finished up at VIR.. i expect it is improperly torqued bolts or the swaybar bushing..

 

I took the wheel off and gave everything a quick visual inspection and there's nothing obvious, the bushings and mounting hardware look good. I gave everything a quick finger tightening and nothing was obviously loose, but I didn't get in there with sockets, so take that for what its worth.

I'm still thinking it has to be some sort of rotating part because the frequency of the noise varies with speed. Could this be a wheel bearing? The other times I've been around cars where these have failed its been more of a grinding noise.

 

check the top nuts on the shock mounts?

 

Re-torque ALL rear suspension bolts and sway bar bolts.

Particularly the three large bolts on each rear LCA, bolt that holds the swaybar endlink to the LCA and shock tower bolts.

I had similar metallic 'clanking' sounds, it turned out to be that some of my suspension bolts were not quite at the torque spec any longer.

 

Here's something interesting. After removing the wheel this morning and retorqing it, the noise is not occuring as often. When I took the wheels off this morning it seemed like the lugs were on there a little more than 80 lb/ft. I still get the thunking, but it doesn't seem to be consistent and I seem to have to be turning harder to get it to happen. I'm still going back to the tire place tomorrow morning. I would have done it today, but they said it would probably be a couple hour wait. Still, very strange.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hecklervtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...I'm still thinking it has to be some sort of rotating part because the frequency of the noise varies with speed.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Does that mean when it's happening, it's more than one thud at a time (like clunk-clunk-clunk)? Or, is it only one clunk per cornering as if something is settling quickly?

 

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

Does that mean when it's happening, it's more than one thud at a time (like clunk-clunk-clunk)? Or, is it only one clunk per cornering as if something is settling quickly?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like a slow clunk clunk at slower speeds and increasing in frequency as speed increases until its like a machine gun at higher speeds.

 

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

In all of my searching for the problem I was focused on the left rear of the car, where the noise appeared to be coming from. In fact it was coming from the left rear of the car. As it turns out one of the clamp on wheel weights was installed so a little bit of it stuck out from the rim. As the suspension on the left side unloaded the arm actually moves up (or the maybe the wheel moves down) and there a round section of the arm that protrudes slightly and was making contact with this weight. The tech at the wheel place saw the scratches on the weight as well as some material from it on the suspesion arm. He removed the weight, bebalanced the wheel, and the noise seems to have disappeared.

I'm glad its solved and it was something so simple because I was invisioning it being something more and then having to try to get the place to pay for repairs.