S13 with megan coilovers making weird clunking sound.

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jazz4890
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:53 pm
Car: 1991 Nissan 240sx

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I have a 91 s13 hatch and I have megan street coilovers on my car. They are a little over a year old. They have been good and have never given me any problems so far. Also I just got an alignment like 2 weeks ago after I got the car back it felt great and nothing seemed like it was wrong and my car never made any suspension noises like it does now. I am pretty sure my problem didn't come from the alignment shop tho. Please read the stories below and if you have any information that could help me out or you might know where I can figure out how to get this problem solved please reply and let me know thank you all. :wavey:

The other night I had my car parked. I went to pull out of the spot and my rear passenger tire ran over a curb. But right after that happened the front (left) driver side of my car started making a clunking sound only when I would go over bumps or when I would be driving slow. It didn't make the noise and I couldn't feel anything when I drive 65 on the freeway or when im going like 50 on an open road I don't feel it. If I am going slow tho like 15 to 35mph and I hit a bump big or small it feels like my front driver side is hitting something really solid. I can feel it where my clutch pedal is when it does hit a bump and make the noise.

I checked my car out the next day after my car started making the noise and I noticed that the (left) driver side ride height was raised up and I never raised it up so I thought maybe when I hit the curb that the pressure from the cars weight pressing down on my front left side maybe pushed the 2 adjustment spindles up. Also the 3rd spindle that tightens to the bottom of the coilover sleeve wasn't tightened down so I think it did it to that spindle to and so I tightened that down then I adjusted the 2 spindles so it went back to as low as it could go. Which is how it is on my (right) passenger side and how its been since I have gotten the coilovers. Then I checked all of the bolts and I checked my tension rods and my rack and pinion to see if they were loose and making the noise but they were all tightened down and secure. And I pushed up on my hub assembely and the shock went up slowly and it felt fine. when I let go after pushing it up it didn't come down quickly and it barley went down after I pushed the hub assembely up so I am not sure if that's good or bad. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated because its only been happening for 1 day now and it is bothering me really badly.

I adjusted the Dampening of the coilovers exactly as the manual tells you to after it started making the noise and that didn't change anything either.


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OutToWinPAHC
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hmm hard to say, but I wonder the problem lies in the joints and not the coil, considering the curb factor. How are the joints, arms and endlinks?

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-RJ-
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Car: S13 Convertible, 99 Frontier, 03 Sportage, 96 Protege
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could bad lower ball joints cause this? im having the same thing. Car drives fine its just really annoying

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jazz4890
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:53 pm
Car: 1991 Nissan 240sx

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The joints arms and endlinks are all good I did try something tonight and maybe this info can help with my problem. I went to the wheel and when it was facing forward as in the wheel being perfectly aligned with the fender I pushed on it and rocked it side to side and it made the same clunking noise but the top of the shock tower didn't move when I could hear the noise. And when I would turn the wheel and then move it side to side it wouldn't make the noise. So it only really makes the noise and I can feel it when the tire is straight and I hit a bump I'm guessing its moving side to side but I took the wheel off and tightened it down as good as it can get but it still makes the noise.

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OutToWinPAHC
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Sounds like a joint or bushing to me

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jazz4890
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:53 pm
Car: 1991 Nissan 240sx

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UPDATE!
I got the problem solved!!! thankfully it was just the top nut that holds the dampener adjustment screw was loose. It was loose enough to let the coilover bounce up and down when I would hit bumps but it wasn't finger tight loose. So when I moved the shock up and down by hand it didn't move. I still had to use a wrench to tighten or loosen it. After I tightened it down tho everything was fine. I'd like to say thanks to everyone that replied to try to help that's why I love this forum its very informative and most people not all are pretty respectful about helping out on here. So thanks again everyone and I hope this can help someone else if it ever happens to them.


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