Clunking noise in the rear after Stance coilover install HELP

[jbrown]

Hey guys, I'll keep this as short as possible:

I just installed my Stance coilovers and I have a clunking noise in the rear. I've checked and rechecked everything and still havent cured it. It sounds like when you have a bad tie rod, and it only happens when i hit decent size bumps and the suspension tops out. The preload is good, the top bolts are tight and all the mounting bolts are good. The perch is also good. I've switched them side to side and still the noise is there, but it's mostly on the right side. I can't really tell where it's coming from....

Any help would be appreciated... I have a feeling it's a blown bushing that I just couldn't feel/hear before because the car road so soft, but I need ideas... None of the bushings look bad, but they could be without looking like it. I just dont want to replace a whole bunch of stuff and have it still not be fixed...

Thanks!
Modified by jbrown at 6:03 PM 6/3/2007

[180fan]

You don't need to run preload. Just tighten the lower perch on the spring just enough that there's no play in the spring. Did you pull out the ruler and measure everything to be the same as well? That was one of the things that drove me nuts with every other coilover except the GP Sports...

Other thing, did you install the lower cup the right way and possibly even apply some grease on the spring where it meets the perch, as well as spray some teflon based lube (I recommend Tri-Flow) on the pillow ball up top.

If it's not those parts on the coils, time to start checking the other parts of the suspension for play. Usually though a clunk in the rear will come from a diff or the subframe tossing about.

[jbrown]

I didn't lube anything, but this isn't like a "something needs to be lubed" noise... it's a clunk. I've checked and rechecked everything for tightness, so I doubt it's that... I'm wondering if the subframe is moving or something. I drove it to work the past few days, and it only does it at lower speed where the suspension can top out totally... once it's on the freeway it doesn't do it anymore....

[positron1]

I'm having the same problem with a mysterious clunk but it's coming from the right rear side. I've eye-balled my suspension but I haven't had a chance to crawl under there and check everything out. It's driving me crazy. I just silenced all the noises from back there only weeks ago and then this happens. One was that my trunk latch needed alignment, fixed that and the other was the neck on my gas tank. The bracket wasn't bolted and it kept banging up against the chassis, fixed that.

[jbrown]

Mines mostly coming from the right rear, but sometimes it comes from the left a little... the gas nozzle is a good idea, ill have to check that... i thought mine was the hatch, but im like 99% sure it's not...

[positron1]

If you do check the gas nozzle just bend down by the rear wheel where the gas lid is and look up under the fender well. You'll see a bracket on the neck of the gas tank, it should be bolted to a stock mounting hole on the chassis of the car. My bracket was practically folded in half, I just bent it out and found a screw to bolt it in. That thing made quite a racket when it banged up against the side of the car.

[KFL]

Give the new coils sometime to break in fully and settle in. A small word of advice if you plan on dailying thru winter(snow,salt etc.) grease the threads up with wd40/lithium grease. Following season you try and lower the it more, it can be seized and pain to loosen up.(Buddy just tried to lower his 1yr old coils, 1 rear was seized had 2 use 1 can of pb blaster and hammer came loose eventually.)

[LooseSlide]

impact hammer ftw!!!

[Bronze MFP]

might need new subframe bushings. Mine started clunking around after upgrading the suspension back there. mine would do it on hard acceleration or braking though.

[positron1]

I found out what the noise was that was coming from my rear end. One side of my lower control arm bar was loose causing one of the spherical bearings to shift and come into contact with the subframe. Two turns of a wrench and everything has been silenced once again.

[burgy240]

might need new subframe bushings. Mine started clunking around after upgrading the suspension back there. mine would do it on hard acceleration or braking though.

That was my first thought too. the old bushings have probably taken a crap...

[jbrown]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I've been swamped all this week at work but I'll take a look this weekend and see what I can find... I had already ordered subframe collars for the car a while back, so perhaps I'll install them this weekend if I get some time...

[positron1]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys. I've been swamped all this week at work but I'll take a look this weekend and see what I can find... I had already ordered subframe collars for the car a while back, so perhaps I'll install them this weekend if I get some time...

It will take you less than an hour to install the spacers and you're going to like them.

[jbrown]

Yeah it's just hard for me to get motivated... I'm so tired this weekend... But yeah, I think I'm going to try and get those on tomorrow and impact the top bolts on the struts... I've had those loose before and it made a similar noise... I would assume they tighten them from the factory but who knows...

[jbrown]

Yeah so I decided to do the subframe collars today and.... busted a subframe bolt.... so yeah, that's fun. Now I'm going to have to cut a whole under the rear seats just to get to the top of the stud, and even then, I'm not sure if the dealer sells JUST that stud....

So I'm pretty pissed right now... The stud broke pretty easily for being like 1/2 inch thick, so im wondering if it was already tweaked/cracked which is why the car was clunking originally? Anyhow, I did the other 3 collars and drove the car over a bump and it still clunked, so we'll see if that one fixes it. In the mean time, I guess I'm back in the POS 1990 Buick LeSabre for now

[jbrown]

I found out what the noise was that was coming from my rear end. One side of my lower control arm bar was loose causing one of the spherical bearings to shift and come into contact with the subframe. Two turns of a wrench and everything has been silenced once again.

Oh and which bar are you talking about, I guess I'm confused...

[positron1]

This thing, I might take it off as it doesn't serve much of a purpose.

[jbrown]

the red brace? I dont even have one of those lol

[jbrown]

Well, I worked on it for a couple hours and made little progress. I'm glad I had the pictures in this thread to go buy, I didn't have to do any measuring to drill the hole... however, the bolt wouldn't press out like i planned, so I began drilling it. i made my way up through the bits to about 1/2 inch and then i ran out of bits! so tomorrow im going to borrow some more larger drill bits and start again... ive got to be pretty damned close to getting the head of the stud off, so once that happens ill attempt to hammer it from the top I guess....

[jbrown]

Well guys... worked on the car again tonight with bigger drill bits and STILL no luck... I drilled the crap out of the stud head and i cant for the life of me figure out why it wont bust loose... im running out of ideas... any help would be much appreciated!

[positron1]

Try this zerothread?id=247358

[jbrown]

Thanks but that wont work... This stud is way more seized than any wheel stud, and I've already tried hammering and pressing it out... guess I'll just have to drill some more but I'm running out of patience...

[positron1]

Oh yeah, a subframe bolt! That's a tricky one, hmm....

[jbrown]

I know... I'm honestly starting to lose it... I've been drilling for 4 hours! It's driving me nuts... maybe I can torch it out, but I don't have a torch... poop

[blabla]

I hate to say that - but you are lucky enought to have a daily driver - why not do it right ?

Drop the subframe - get some poly urethane bushings - weld a new stud in.... - what seems like a shortcut - just gonna cost you more $$$ and time.

[blabla]

oh and I forgot for your original problem : I had a clunk for about 4 month in my car - never could figure out what the hell it was - inspected my suspension 20 times replaced some stuff left and right....Gave up on it - and a few days ago I put new sway bar bushings and new endlinks.... no more clunking

[jbrown]

Ok well, doing it the right way would still involve me getting the stud out... lol...

Also, was your clunk just like mine? Same symtoms?

[jbrown]

I got the stud out last night! It was a pain, but we jacked the car up by the stud and then hammered a socket around the outside of it... then I got a grade 8 bolt the size of the stud and just drilled out the bottom cup... haven't put it together yet since im going to be doing a lot of other stuff to it this weekend, but it looks as if it's mostly fixed... just need to figure out the clunk... perhaps I'll order a new sway since I need one anyway, and if the bushings are what's doing it...

[positron1]

Cool! Good job man, we know you had a hard time with that situation. Way to pull it off.

[jbrown]

Well, I wrapped up the repair last night, and put my short shifter in... Everything appears to be holding together, but the clunk is still there! So yeah, I'm not sure what to try next... The sway bar is a good idea, but it sounds too loud to be the sway, that and it sounds like it's coming from higher up, but I'm probably wrong lol... I just want it to end, I cringe everytime it does it because it sounds soooo bad. I wish I could just take it somewhere but I don't really know if anyone could help me... That and I like doing all my own stuff. Keep the ideas coming guys.