Just installed Stance coils and I'm getting this metal creaking/crunching noise from the driver's front. It seems to be happening when I hit protruding cracks in the asphault but remains silent during dips. The car is only lowered about a quarter to a half inch lower than my S-Techs were. The first video is in first gear through a parking lot, the 2nd is at highway speed. At first I thought it was my preload so I adjusted that accordingly. I also checked all the bolts that were taken off during the install as well as the rings on the coilovers. Now I'm leaning towards endlinks
Any ideas?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0L7GnPtvHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmYv244JMQU

 

If the noise started right after you installed the new springs, then make sure they're seated properly. Were all the mounting surfaces clean when you put them in?

Have someone push up and down on the driver's front fender and put your ear next to the wheel well to see if you can't figure out where the noise is coming from. High? Low?

If that doesn't work, you need to put the car on jack stands and have someone manipulate the wheel from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock and side to side while you check all your suspension components from underneath. It could certainly be your end links, but since you just changed out your spring, I'd inspect that and everything it comes into contact with from end to end first. Finally, make sure all the bolts you loosened during your install are torqued down to proper spec and check to see if your sway bar is rubbing against something while under load. Look for areas that appear to be rubbed, look for orange dust and look at all your bushings.

Sometimes, a can of lithium spray lube can help you find the problem. Spray one area, drive the car. Problem still there? Spray another area and drive the car. Continue until the noise disappears. Now you know where your problem area is and you can do what needs to be done to permanently fix it.

 

I get a similar clunk when I am driving 25mph or less over bumps or train tracks. I have checked everything in my coil overs, and suspension and can not find the source. I have just learned to live with it as the price of performance parts.

FYI my coil overs have solid mounts, with no rubber isolators anywhere.

 

Call the company that makes the springs. They should have isolators available. Without tube silencers, you're going to get a clunk. It's 100% fixable.

 

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely try a few of those suggestions. I have pushed the fender up and down but I cannot replicate the sound at stand still. I even tried to drive over a crack in the road with someone standing there listening to try and pinpoint the location but it was difficult...best guess is it may be high in the coilover assembly. All of the bolts that were removed and coilover perches were checked and checked again. The Stance FAQ blames a majority of similar noises on the nut located at the top of the strut so I will be checking that tomorrow morning.

On a side note, I noticed when I had the front wheels in the air that the sway bar can be moved by hand when it's not under load...I think that's normal but I wasn't sure.

 

I've seen this and dealt with it myself, I think most people that have installed coils on Z's have had a similar problem and always seem to chase the top mounting holes with no luck (me being included from the misinformation of the forums). In my case it was the lower mounting bolt on the bottom of the rear shock was loose, not loose as in it wasnt tight. It was loose as in there was play between the bolt and the hole in the bushing it went through. My coils didnt come with the nut welded on the rear shock lower mounting postion so I just went to Ace hardware with the bushing that the rear shock bottom mounting bolt goes through and got a bigger diameter metric bolt and nut that actually fit through the bushing hole with no slop. I have had no noise issues with my suspension since then.

 

I just started getting the same exact noise. I had the coilovers(Bilstein PSS10) for the whole summer with no noise. As soon as I raised them/temperature got colder I get this clunk!

I have no idea why raising or cold temps would cause this noise... Anyone have ideas?

Is it cold in NC now? (Maybe its the cold?)

 

I was in the 70s when I installed/drove on them. I still haven't had the time to get under there and figure out the problem.

 

Well I was searching through some more threads today and I have come up with another idea. Do you have stock A Arms?

It's possible that the Front A Arm may be hitting the inside of the wheel well. (At least I hope this is it)

I know my noise started after I put my winter wheels on and had raised the car. My winter wheels are ~1" taller then summer wheels and there is very little clearance between the A arm and the wheel.(Ill try to take a picture sometime this weekend)

Mind showing me where your A-Arm is in relation to your tire?

Ill try to link the thread I found it in when I am on my other computer.

 

I do have stock a-arms and after I identified the noise I relentlessly searched for a suspension contact point. I honestly think it is directly involved within the coilover itself. I will be taking it off soon enough to check if the shock is blown. If that's not it, I will re-install my previous set-up to see if the noise still exists.

 

I had the same thing happen after I installed my S-Techs. Sounds similar like your vid, but for me, it was where I installed the stock shocks in the front. The screw on the stick of the shocks wasn't tightened down all the way. Tightened it more, and no more noise.

*Note I'm a nub when it comes to suspensions, so not sure if you're exactly having the same problem I had, but the noise sounds the same*

 

I also have this problem with my Megan tracks and its my screw on the stick too but it seems that i cant tight it good because when i do the whole bar /stick also starts to turn the same way when the nut its screwed all the way down? And then i think its also bouncy as f*** any help to fix this ?

 

Okay never mind my last post. I was doung some looking oround on this and i found on some situations you have to use an impact wranch to tightin the nut on top of the stick on the shock\strut. And well as for bouncy ride just compress the springs (comon sence)

 

You just need 2 pliers. One holding the stick and one turning the screw. It is time consuming to do. However, I'm not sure if that's the same issue the OP is having tho.

 

hmm, that does sound weird. im trying my best to figure it out because that's pretty loud.

 

i'm having this issue as well.. i've had most of my bushing replaced.. compression rod, lca, tie rods, and front end links. my mechanic told me it might be caused by the oem factory shock mounts (plastic). he tells me those go bad in nissans all the time.

but like what zakmartin said.. lithium grease then test drive i think is a very good way to determine which bushing is going bad

 

had same problem with stance's turned out pillow ball mount defective...know issue on Stance's

 

Ever get this fixed? I bet you could find the answer in your owners manual/google.