I put my 350evo sway on a few weeks ago and ever since get a clunk clunk when the tire drops down after going off small lips or pot holes. I have made sure everything was tight including the collars and did this while the suspension was compressed also. Not sure what is the cause, yet if anyone can help I would appreciate it, I haven't had a date since this started, it's real embarasing!! lol

Also I just purchased a set of koni's, which I'm not sure if that will help or not.

 

Is this in the front or rear?
It sounds like you have ruled out that the noise is coming from the sways.
Have you checked the bolts in your shock mounts and the springs? They can also be a source of noise.

The other thing I would ask is did you reverse the front end link like suggested in the evo instruction manual? If not the bolt may not be grabbing by enough teeth. I have to tighten the end link nuts every time I prep the car for an event (even with loctite) because they always eventually come loose. I have grown accustomed to the noise I hear so I know when I need to re-tighten.
Hopefully you don't have a blown shock like I did. That was the source of my noises.

 

I reversed the links, and this is the front, I noticed it as soon as I installed the sway. I was wondering if the stiffness of the sway could make a flaw somewhere else more apparent?

 

also I just ordered the koni's and will put them on next week. Which bolt on the links keeps comming loose, the one attached to the sway bar or the other one? And what method do you use to tighten them up?

 

The bolt that attaches the sway bar (front) is the one that comes loose. Jackson at unitech said he has the same problem on his race car even with loctite.

 

I've had my evo sways on for a couple of seasons now and never get any noise from them. I would check the collars used to hold the bar in position betweeen the mounts. Adjust them so that there is very little to no play. You did grease them up good, right? I don't know if it matters but I installed the collars on the inside of each mount.

 

yea I greased them up good and readjusted the collars 3 times, under tension and no difference. I wish I had a camera underneath the car to see what the heck was causing that noise.

 

I took off my wheels to change them over for a race this weekend and noticed that there was a half centimeter gap between the bushing of the sway and the frame inside the brackets. This is most likely where the noise is comming from yet I'm not sure why there is a gap, the brackets are tightened down, wondering if I got a set of messed up bushings?? the guys at 350evo don't seem to want to respond to any emails, so I guess I will give them a call tomorrow.

 

Bj was at the races this weekend. Give him a day or 2 to answer back. Call them it works better anyways. He always answers my calls and or calls me back. I had a warranty problem on some Konis I bought and he was very helpful.

 

Try to get a hold of the service manual, or find someone who has it. It does have a trouble shooting guide on "Noises" from the front suspension. It's a check list of things to tighten. It might shorten your list of possibilities.

 

Sorry for the delay...things at 350EVO are a little hectic right now. ong story short...I am basically the only one who answers emails, the phone, ships the orders and all the other stuff for Wright Tuning. Our web site has been switched around and I hadnt been getting the orders@350evo.com emails. That stuff is all fixed...but when we come back from being gone a couple of days there are 100+ emails and lots of messages on voice mail. I just had a meeting today with the bossman to see what is going to happen.....a lot being asked...but not a lot being compensated for...if you catch my drift.
Anywho......I would look at the bolts that tighten down around the bushings....I have seen that these sometimes wither get tightend too much or not enough. The newer style bushings when lubed....dont squeak. I would also check the drop link ends.
BJ@350evo.com

 

The bracket bolts are pretty tight, I just ordered two new links, which I will replace when I put my front konis on tomorrow, I see that there is a gap between the bushing and the frame inside the bracket when the car is jacked up, I'm thinking this is the cause, and would go along with the clunk clunk over the small bumps with the sway inside the bushings bumping up against the frame. I'm gonna either put the stock ones back on (bushings) or put something in the gap to see if it makes a difference. I just don't see why there is a gap in first place. Does anyone know the torque settings for the bracket and link bolts?

thnks for any help

 

There shouldnt be a gap between the bushing and the frame. Make sure the brakets are on there correctly.....they may be flipped around. Hard to say without seeing it...but there def shouldnt be a gap.
BJ@350evo.com

 

I had a similar problem with mine. I found that the left front sway collar was making contact with the upper bushing mount on the car. I took a grinder to the top edge of the collar and that seems to have fixed the problem. If you pull the bushing mounts and let the sway bar rotate down on the end links, you should be able to see if the collars are getting marred by teh upper mount(s).

Front: I've torqued the link nuts to 65 ft-lbs. The bushing bracket get 45 ft-lbs for the vertical nut and bolt and the inner angled bolts get 60 ft-lbs. Be sure to tighten the vertcal nut/bolt before the angled bolts. Then torque the vertical nut/bolt before torquing the angled bolts.

Rear: The end link nuts get 40 ft-lbs, and the brackets get 25 ft-lbs.

 

So your saying the little aluminum collars may be banging into the brackets with an up and down movement instead of the side to side movement? I'm not sure how you said to check this out, did you mean that you want me to pull the bottom bushing brackets off and check if the collars are hitting or do you mean loosen the end links and rotate the bar to see?

thanks for all the help

 

I took off the little aluminum collars and they are all smashed up on the top corners that go against the brackets that hold the bushings. Why would they make a bar that the ends dont fit on the links, and collars that are too big? This is poor design in my opinion and has caused me to waist at least 12 hours of labor trying to adjust to these flaws, and hopefully grinding these down does the trick.

 

I will check into it..but something doesnt sound right about the application. If you could please email me some pictures.
BJ@350evo.com