Rev_Night

iTrader: (3)

Ok, i need help. I am hearing a knocking sound whenever i drive and its getting creepy. The stock suspension is still on. Details below

Background:
I went about installing the KW Variant 2s on sat and i was easily able to take the strut bar off and the top washers that hold in the stock coilovers. The car was not jacked at this point. Being that I was doing this in my driveway I didnt have access to a complete lift. So I kept the car on the ground and only jacked up one tire at a time. I started with my passenger front, got the tire off, and proceeded to remove the bolt that attached the strut to the traverse link. To my dismay, this washer was completely stripped. I bought this car used years ago and this was my first time working on this washer. Over the next few hours I tried an impact wrench, 20" breaker bar, liquid wrench, PB blaster. Nothing would get it to budge. It was starting to rain on Sat night, so I quit.

Come Sunday morning, i soaked more PB blaster on it, nothing. So I decided to postpone this install for next weekend. I reattached the fuel lines and gave it one last inspection. Not needed since the fuel lines and the stripped nut were the only internal parts I had touched. I put the tire back on and brought the car down. I reinstalled the top coilover washers to the torque spec (28). Then I reinstalled the strut bar and tightened those washers to the torque spec (40). I had to play with the timing nuts/central bolt of the strut bar to get it to fit though, as the manual specifies. Confident that everything looked fine, I drove to my parents house for dinner.

Problem:
As soon as I reversed I heard a creaking/groan from the front of the car. I started to hit the highway, and then I heard a vibrating/ knocking sound coming from the front of the car. It handled just fine, going 60mph, but the constant knocking had a rather hi tempo and was freaking me out. I was able to drive to my parents and back, but still. This knocking sound won't go away and I'm not driving the car again until its fixed.

Troubleshooting
When I got home, I immediately looked to the strut bar and the center bolt and the space around it. I noticed that the default spacing between the nuts was a lot more then what I had given it, meaning it wasn't tight enough. I took a wrench to the center bolt and got the left nut, center bolt, right nut to be pretty close to the original length. This was done while the car wasnt jacked, and the strut bar was still torque spec tightened at both ends. Took the car for a spin, still heard the knocking and no apparent change either.

I did some reading and people have heard knocking from their front before. People have found this to be because of their sway bar (mines fine, didnt touch this), suspension camber arms (again, didnt touch this), or the transverse link bolt being loose. I immediately thought of how i tried to loosen the bolt but i couldnt, but maybe I loosened it some and just couldnt tell, but the car could. I jacked up the car, removed tire, and spent the next few minutes trying to tighten this bolt as much as I could. I used an impact wrench at both ends. I used two long (leverage) 1/2" wrenches, one for each end. I played holding one firm while I tightened the other end. I gave up after I pushed so hard on the bolt that the car started to move just a hair. Also, with the washer slipping due to it being stripped, that side had limited effectiveness. The entire bolt seemed just as tight/loose as when I started on the car yesterday. Put the tire back on, brought the car down, took it for a spin. Still get the knocks.

Resolution:
What could be causing these knocks? Strut bar? This traverse link bolt? Something else? For all the time I spent yesterday and today, I touched all of 3 different components, so I'm running out of ideas here. Any help would be appreciated.

aukword1

Hmm, I had knocking coming the front of my car and vibrations a while back which sounds similar to what you are experiencing. The issue for me was the timing chain and that it was low on oil. Have you checked your oil levels? It might be your timing chain tensioners. You can also pick up a mechanics stethiscope from harbor freight for like 5 bucks and that might help diagnose the problem. Does your steering wheel vibrate? If it doesnt it probably isn't the suspension then...Also check the boots on the rack n pinion...sometimes the clamps get loose as the boot wears.. that could also be making the noise...

Rev_Night

iTrader: (3)

actually, it turned out that when i lifted up my car, the other tires didnt have their lugs nuts in them (i took them out). SO when i put the car back on the ground and tightened, they were not quite flush. This caused the vibrating. Problem fixed, cost me nothing.

thanks tho

dcains

iTrader: (15)

That's pretty damn scary.

Rev_Night

iTrader: (3)

oh the rims had their lug nuts on when i was driving, clearly. It's just that the rims looked so flush I thought they were, but they were off just a bit.