When driving normally or even braking "hard" on the street, you hear no knock, but as soon as you really do some serious braking I'm getting a destinct knocking sound out of the drivers side of a 92 Integra.

The entire suspension/drivetrain is BRAND NEW except for the upper tables. By this I mean (Lower ball joint, tie rods, every single bushing, bearing, etc...)... Everything is tightened to spec, and when the car is off the ground and you check for ball joint play the old fashion way, you don't feel one bit of movement in the upper balljoint.

Now being that the upper table is the only part I did not replace on the car, I am suspecting it to be the cause. My only dilemna before purchasing new ones is the fact that there is NO PLAY in the ball joint when checking the play by hand. My question is the following, is it possible for a ball joint to be bad even if there is no play when checking by hand?

 

I get the same thing in my 00 Si - nail the brakes hard at the track and you hear a horrible knock/pop. I think on my car I've heard that it might be related to the sheet metal in the ds footwell - not sure what's doing it in your car. Sorry I can't help more

 

Is it possible the brake pads are knocking around in the calipers? I've had it happen to me before. Are you using the little pad springs?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jaker &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Is it possible the brake pads are knocking around in the calipers? I've had it happen to me before. Are you using the little pad springs?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yes I am using all the OEM pad springs with OEM pads as well... Calipers are very secure...

Although I feel that it sounds a lot louder than pads shifting in the caliper, more like something that is bolted to the frame shifting etc... I am really lost....

 

Engine mounts? Exhaust or downpipe bottming out? Just throwing ideas around...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jsi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Engine mounts? Exhaust or downpipe bottming out? Just throwing ideas around...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Def not exhaust or downpipe.

The knock is definately coming from the drivers side, and sounds like suspension (like a bad lower ball joint)...

Thats why I am suspecting the upper ball joint/table... However like I said, the ball joint FEELS tight! Thats what is throwing me off.

 

How are your axles and engine mounts?

 

axles are new, engine mounts are all new

 

Radius rod bolt loose?

 

Nope every bolt and nut pertaining to suspension is tight. including subframe and crossmember...

 

Got a piece of something rolling around under the seat or elsewhere in the car/glovebox?

Thought I was hearing something once a few weeks back, turned out to be a tool that I'd forgotten about under the passenger seat.

 

Swaybar bushings.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zygspeed &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Got a piece of something rolling around under the seat or elsewhere in the car/glovebox? </TD></TR></TABLE>

definately not, like I said it is clearly coming from the suspension.

Let me make this clear, it is not under braking I hear this, it is under SEVERELY HARD braking.

 

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

Endlink or where it mounts to the subframe? The bushings went on very tight leaving NO play in between the bar and bushing... However I am not calling this an impossibility...

 

Does your car have aftermarket suspension? If yes then your car might be too low and the shocks are bottoming out. If no, nevermind....

 

my miata did this when i first got it. got new brake hardware......problem solved for about $4.

 

what do you mean by new brake hardware?

 

all the little bits that aren't the pad itself or the caliper. the stuff you're supposed to change with every set of pads. the clips, springs, or whatever else your particular car has.

 

yeah I've got the same problem

 

I am pretty confident the problem is not related to brake pad springs etc... It sounds a lot louder than that...

If the suspension was bottoming out it would be coming from both sides, but this definately feels like just one side...

 

A loud pop when the suspension is compressed probably means something that has a good amount of energy is releasing it. Jack up your wheel and look for things binding as you move the wheel from rebound to full bump. I'm thinking swaybar or spring.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GSpeedR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I'm thinking swaybar or spring. </TD></TR></TABLE>
hmmm... maybe a spring that is rotating just a bit on the lower perch as it is compressed?

 

I have this problem with my 98 integra and I had read about it alot of other people have a similar problem, mine occurs pretty much the same but also on the street on a strong take off or braking. It has been doing it for almost a year now and I cannot still find the source.
For me it sounds as it is related to halfshaft, most Integra owners say the problem was fixed when they torqued down the axle bolt but I have taken mine off several times and put new ones on, with a impact wrench and it has not gone away, at this point I say what the dealer had told me twice that I took it in, of course it did not do it when I took it in to them, can't do much until it break or something falls off.

No problems just annoying at times so far.

 

UPDATE... I figured out the problem a while ago, just thought I'd update this to help people out.

Turned out is was the x-member that was shifting... I ended up sanding down the mating surface of the x-member & frame and bolted it down again and haven't heard any knocking since.

 

Sorry I didn't see this originally, I could have told you that The guy that posted up radius rod was real close, and that also can have a similiar effect.