Hey all! I just finished my active suspension conversion, removed all the valves, hoses, etc. I also did the rear sway bar bushings, energy suspension endlinks and poly bushings, new front endlinks and bushings, new tension rod bushings, Axxis mm brake pads all around and the car really feels great. The handling is so crisp and responsive. The car feels much more stable at high speed as well, steering responsive. You can feel the weight of the Q but it feels lighter (all the actsus stuff weighed a ton).

But there's one little problem, there's this popcorn-popping sound that's coming from the rear, driverside suspension assembly. My mechanic says it's the bushing where the lower arm connects to the "knuckle." The question is, can I just replace that specific bushing or would I have to buy a brand-spanking new knuckle assembly? I already have a transmission service, flush, tranny and motor mount replacement, rear diff bushing replacement + subframe bushing replacement lined up for next week.

I have never had a noise as you describe from that bushing unless the nut was loose. How does the tech know it is the bushing making the noise?

well when the car was on a lift and moved up and down, the clunking sound was coming from that area. It was definitely a metal-on-metal sound. He checked to see if everything was tight and they were. It looked as though the bushing was badly dried, cracked and chapped, kinda like julia roberts lips after a day in the sun without chapstick. =) ALso, it looked as though pieces of the bushing were missing....

Where the lower arm connects to the knuckle? That's not a bushing; that's a ball joint. Either the mechanic is speaking of the rear link bushing (assuming no HICAS system) or maybe you need a new mechanic. Assuming he means the rear link, the bushing back there has so little motion possible--I can't imagine it making any noise either. There is maybe 1/8" of hard rubber between the inner and outer bushing shells, both made of steel. The outer one is press-fit into the knuckle, no motion possible. I would much sooner suspect that maybe you have a worn ball joint or strut bushing, as there is more relative motion at those joints. What exactly is making the noise, I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to replace all the bushings back there on both sides. No need to buy the whole knuckle--they are press-fit in and out and the bushings are fairly cheap (relative to the rubber hoses!). BUT some of the bushings come as part of the suspension links, and those aren't replaceable, I don't think. You have to buy new links. There are 2 bushings and a ball joint in the lower link. If you have HICAS, then the knuckle has 1 strut bushing, 2 link bushings, and a steering ball joint. If you don't have HICAS, then replace the ball joint with another link bushing. The links each have a single bushing on one end.

Yes it's that rear link you're talking about, not the "lower" control arm. I'll be ordering new bushings for everything since a lot of the bushings are already worn. Daedalus, thanks for the info. I'll call Scottsdale and order some bushings.