Knocking Sound? Any Help?
6 Attachment(s)
Hey. I recently installed a couple of parts on my 07 Z.
- Stance GR+ True Coils - SPC Rear Camber Arms - JasonZ-Ya Toe Arms - JasonZ-Ya Lockout Bolt Kit - Tanabe F/R Sway Bars I took it out for a small spin around my neighborhood right after install and didn't get above 20mph, but the knocking sound I got today was just ridiculous. I decided to drive a short distance to get gas and help the car settle a little before I get an alignment. The thing now, is I'm getting a ridiculously loud knocking sound when I either - Make a turn - Go over 35mph on a very slight turn - Brake Suddenly - Accelerate Suddenly It's very hard to describe this knocking, but I'll try my best. When I turn and get this knocking, it's a constant knocking until I straighten the car out again or slow down. This is a pretty loud knocking that can be heard loud and clear with the windows up, and still be heard slightly with windows down. Not only is there that knocking, but while turning, going 35 mph, and getting that knocking, the rear end of the car feels way off. It's like the rear end is loose. The sway bar being loose is the best way I can describe it. When I give it a quick punch in gas, I hear something "snap" or get pushed back. Same as braking suddenly, I heard a "knock" as if there is something loose and sliding around. But when I get the knocking, speeding, and turning, the best way I can describe it, is it feels as if the lockout washers in the rear, rotate a bit which is not easy since it's...a lockout washer, then as soon as I get the next knocking sound, it's like the washer snaps back in perfectly to the grooves for the rear camber/toe arm bolts. Basically the area where you would "shave" down to install the SPC Toe Bolts. That's what the rear feels like when speeding and turning. If it doesn't make sense, let me know and I can try to describe it another way? I did search and got bushings and what not, or loose gas head, or even loose sway bar. But I checked everything, the sway bar is on SOLID, the toe arms and camber arms are TIGHT and torqued down SOLID. Do you guys think it might have anything to do with coilovers? Can the lockout washers actually be moving torqued down? Could the sway bar be hitting or rubbing on something? It's not in anythings way. Can the toe and camber being SO OUT OF SPEC cause this? Bald rear tires? I'm not slammed either. John Sorry for the incredibly long post. Cliffs - Installed suspension items. - Test drove car today. - Got weird knocking in rear. - Knocking isn't just sound, but as if something is loose in the rear. - Something "slides" under sudden acceleration or sudden braking. - Read above for more specific info. Here are some pictures if it helps? Attachment 448940 Attachment 448941 Attachment 448942 Attachment 448943 Attachment 448944 Attachment 448945 |
hard to say, with all the suspension mods you did at once its ard to pinpoint. BUT if your front in LOW LOW the its the A arm smacking the underside of the fender well. If your not slammed I'd go through and make sure ALL your nuts and bolts are tightened. Best of luck to ya!
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Something "slides" under sudden acceleration or sudden braking. Got weird knocking in rear. |
Originally Posted by vtchang
(Post 8910681)
That is because your toe is most likely off.
Knocking or clunking? Clunking is a known issue and there are many threads on it. I've learn to live with the noise. The other thing is the sliding isn't like my tires skidding or sliding rubber wise. Its like metal clunking is when it happens. Best way to describe the feeling is say the toe arms and camber arms are tightened parallel with the car and there is play. So they slide forward and back. But since they aren't parallel and everything is tight, I'm scratching my head. Any other ideas? Should I try adding stock rear sway? Then add stock camber arms? Then spring bucket? I don't have the time or money to uninstall and reinstall. This is my DD and I need an alignment and I got new tires. So I wasn't expecting this sound. Again this isn't just light knocking sound. This is LOUD and you can FEEL the cars rear wheels hopping or bouncing in a sense, with that bouncing and knocking sound being as loud as it is, the only thing I can do is cringe. It is NOT a good feeling at all. The car feels really unstable and loose in the rear. It has that knocking while turning, AND it acts as if it's sliding in a parallel fashion along the car looking at it front to back. Like the car is lined up in a vertical line such as " l ". And the movement in the rear when braking or accelerating SUDDENLY is also parallel to the car " l ". It's like a snap, I hear a metal clunk as if it's sliding in wiggle room and it hits something else and stops. Hard to explain, I will try to get a video. But I don't like the feeling of driving the car like that. Darn! Any more ideas? Crazy idea. I can try to mount some sort of small cap UNDER the bumper and drive around and try to see if I can see something moving or hitting against something else. Again, anything related to coilovers? Spring perch not tight enough? Top bolts not tight enough? |
Originally Posted by TehkMob
(Post 8910624)
hard to say, with all the suspension mods you did at once its ard to pinpoint. BUT if your front in LOW LOW the its the A arm smacking the underside of the fender well. If your not slammed I'd go through and make sure ALL your nuts and bolts are tightened. Best of luck to ya!
I'll try to call local shops and have someone drive along and try to pinpoint the problem. BTW, some of my bushings can be ripped, how can I get under the car and try to find torn bushings? Which ones are simple to find and tell if they are torn that might affect this ride quality. Sorry for the extremely long posts, I'm getting a little worried and want to pinpoint the problem in a few days. |
If your alignment is that far out of whack, Its very possible for stuff to be in the wrong place, and make your car feel terrible to drive. I'd say get an alignment, then see if it does it anymore.
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New coil over install, probably a loose pillowball. Could also be not properly set up .
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Go get an alignment!
Cant comment on install of coilovers, etc...if you didn't install something right then there is no telling, but all the driving characteristics along with rear end slop, etc is all from changing out all the suspension arms and coilover install causing the alignment to be out of whack big time! After installing that stuff you drive under 30mph, crawling to the nearest alignment shop! get on the good graces of the mechanic there, take a flash light and point and show him every single bolt you removed and what you installed.........a trained eye may be able to see something messed up "IF" it is.. -J |
Originally Posted by skakemokid
(Post 8910915)
If your alignment is that far out of whack, Its very possible for stuff to be in the wrong place, and make your car feel terrible to drive. I'd say get an alignment, then see if it does it anymore.
I'll do alignment and reply back.,
Originally Posted by terrasmak
(Post 8910924)
New coil over install, probably a loose pillowball. Could also be not properly set up .
Originally Posted by JasonZ-YA
(Post 8910978)
Go get an alignment!
Cant comment on install of coilovers, etc...if you didn't install something right then there is no telling, but all the driving characteristics along with rear end slop, etc is all from changing out all the suspension arms and coilover install causing the alignment to be out of whack big time! After installing that stuff you drive under 30mph, crawling to the nearest alignment shop! get on the good graces of the mechanic there, take a flash light and point and show him every single bolt you removed and what you installed.........a trained eye may be able to see something messed up "IF" it is.. -J I will keep the thread updated within the next few days. John |
The best thing you could do is double check eveything youve installed, it could just be a simple mistake like a missed bolt that wasnt tightened all the way. if that doesnt work then take it to a mechanic. with all the mods you did it will be easy to miss something. g/l.
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Originally Posted by scrantonz33
(Post 8911193)
The best thing you could do is double check eveything youve installed, it could just be a simple mistake like a missed bolt that wasnt tightened all the way. if that doesnt work then take it to a mechanic. with all the mods you did it will be easy to miss something. g/l.
Like I said, I went back under, but I didn't jack up the car and get my hands dirty. I have lower back problems and actually wasn't suppose to even get down to check it, and I'm paying the price in pain. But when I was down there, both camber arms and both toe arms were still down TIGHT. The lockout washers didn't move and they are seated properly. Both of the adjustable arms aren't loose, the nuts are tight. There is no play in any of those 4 items. The sway bar is on tight. The endlinks and 4 mounting bolts/nuts are tight. I tried to push and pull on the sway bar and there was no noise/clunking/visibility of anything loose. So, not sure? It might be alignment, my toe and camber are pretty off. And not even. The right toe is nothing like the left toe, I just went off my naked eye. I'll do tire mount on Monday morning, followed by a 4 wheel alignment right after. John |
You have a very sweet suspension setup.
Anyway, it sounds like you are experiencing the phantom pillowball mount clunk that plagues many Stance owners. The infamous clunk doesn't happen to every owner. Pillowballs clunk not because they are loose, broken, or worn. Pillowballs have very low gap tolerances and when they are not manufactured to specifications they clunk under load. There are many pillowball manufacturers. Many top quality suspension companies source their pillowballs from the same company that produces pillowball bearings for NASA. I am new to the Z/G tuning scene although I have owned these two vehicles for quite some time. But I used to track and drift a highly modified 240sx a few years ago. From my experience, the price of components reflects the quality of their pillowballs. I can be wrong though. I hope it's something as simple as an untightened lug. You've already spent a lot of money on your setup. It would suck to have to spend more on new components!!! |
i know how back pain goes, ive been in the army infantry for 6 years and have a herniated disk. everytime i get under the z i pay for it, but i cant help to work on it. seems like the pillow ball mounts seem to be the culprit from what everyone else is sayin. unfourtunatly thats the price to pay for aftermarket products. good luck i hope everything works out with the alignment.
Brian |
2 collapsed discs and a crushed vertabre, I work on my car daily. Quit complaining, suck it up.
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wow. g/l jdm
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Originally Posted by tyau
(Post 8911867)
You have a very sweet suspension setup.
Anyway, it sounds like you are experiencing the phantom pillowball mount clunk that plagues many Stance owners. The infamous clunk doesn't happen to every owner. Pillowballs clunk not because they are loose, broken, or worn. Pillowballs have very low gap tolerances and when they are not manufactured to specifications they clunk under load. There are many pillowball manufacturers. Many top quality suspension companies source their pillowballs from the same company that produces pillowball bearings for NASA. I am new to the Z/G tuning scene although I have owned these two vehicles for quite some time. But I used to track and drift a highly modified 240sx a few years ago. From my experience, the price of components reflects the quality of their pillowballs. I can be wrong though. I hope it's something as simple as an untightened lug. You've already spent a lot of money on your setup. It would suck to have to spend more on new components!!! The pillowball mount is something on the older style Stance coilovers right? I heard they had a new design to get rid of that clunk, my coils are new and don't have the old design where it clunks, have 4,000 miles according to the seller, and had no noise whatsoever? So I'm not sure if it's automatically the coils. If nothing works, I'm dropping by a Z shop and having a mechanic drive it to try to pinpoint the problem. John
Originally Posted by scrantonz33
(Post 8912109)
i know how back pain goes, ive been in the army infantry for 6 years and have a herniated disk. everytime i get under the z i pay for it, but i cant help to work on it. seems like the pillow ball mounts seem to be the culprit from what everyone else is sayin. unfourtunatly thats the price to pay for aftermarket products. good luck i hope everything works out with the alignment.
Brian John
Originally Posted by terrasmak
(Post 8912149)
2 collapsed discs and a crushed vertabre, I work on my car daily. Quit complaining, suck it up.
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It probably sounds like you are having a welded differential. And it occurs until you straighten your car, Right?
It feels like both wheels are receiving the same amount of torque at the same time when the car is in a turn. Therefore, the wheel hopping and bouncing. Sounds like a VLSD issue to me that is caused by your alignment issues. The VLSD operation depends on the resistence acted on the wheels. Changing the suspension and geometry might have impacted the resistence, therefore causing the differential to act differently than it was designed for. I could be wrong though. I haven't had a ride in your car to know what's really going on. But then, people with the GT-Spec rear braces are also experiencing identical issues. |
Originally Posted by tyau
(Post 8912335)
Just read your first post again. I believe people who have installed the GT-Spec lower brace are experiencing similar, but less drastic, noise.
It probably sounds like you are having a locked differential. And it occurs until you straighten your car, Right? It feels like both wheels are receiving the same amount of torque at the same time when the car is in a turn. Therefore, the wheel hopping and bouncing. Nobody can really explain this, but people with a stiffened rear subframe setup on their Z or G ALWAYS experience this problem, that their VLSD suddenly acting like a 2way or a locked differential. I don't think the suspension is hitting anything, or that anything is loose. I don't think an alignment will solve your problem. You can try changing to a thicker differential fluid. That's my reccomendation because after rereading your original post, it sounds as if the constant knocking noise at turn, the wheel hopping, and the sliding is differential related. People with GT-Spec lower brace are experiencing similar "problems". But not as drastic. Also, I don't have VLSD, I have Open Diff. My car is an 07 Base. Would the differential problems you're talking about affect me? |
Originally Posted by tyau
(Post 8912335)
Sounds like a VLSD issue to me that is caused by your alignment issues. The VLSD operation depends on the resistence acted on the wheels. Changing the suspension and geometry might have impacted the resistence, therefore causing the differential to act differently than it was designed for. I could be wrong though. I haven't had a ride in your car to know what's really going on.
If it doesn't, I'll drive home and test over 30-35 mph with turning. But if it is still there, I'll have a look under the car and if I get a chance, have him take off the wheels and maybe even coils and look around. If nothing works, I'll swing by a local Z shop and have a mechanic take the car for a spin and put it on racks to try pinpointing the problem. I hope it just goes away after alignment, I spent a fortune on just parts and spent 2 days trying to install. Would be super pissed to have to take them out and have a shop later install them or pay anymore on new parts. John Will keep thread updated Monday afternoon. Thanks a lot for all your help tyau. |
There is no way that you can change your whole suspension setup and not get an alignment done ASAP. It's a given.....otherwise you start getting crazy stuff from forum members like diff problems and all that jazz. Sort your suspension first mate.
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