torinalth Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 ok, so This one is confusing the hell out of me. I can usually track these down in minutes, but I've been over nearly everything and am still at a loss. When I hit a bump on the left side I get a solid knock/pop in the front left. If I hit a bump on the right side, no such knocking occurs. when does it happen: (moderate grade, going slowly over train tracks does not cause it to knock, hitting a pothole at 30 does; also when going faster than a crawl into my drive way at an angle (slight incline at start of driveway making an off angle climb)) I assume its related to my latest install (replaced wheel bearing and ball joints, both sides) as it started 2-3 days after the work was done, but could be coincidence. It started as only entering and exiting the driveway, now on potholes and getting slightly more frequent every time I drive. I have no clue what else it can be. I have already checked the following: Tophat to frame: tight Strut to tophat: tight tophat bearing to tophat: did not remove strut, but could not get the unit to move or lower. assume intact Strut to knuckle: tight wheel bearing to knuckle: tight caliber to knuckle: tight Knuckle to balljoint: tight ball joint condition: new Tie rod end: no play at all Swaybar to frame: tight Swaybar to endlink: tight endlink condition: 1y/o rallitek, no play endlink to control arm: tight control arm to frame front: tight control arm to frame rear: tight control arm bushings: ~1y/o AVO front and rear, can they break? all suspension mods on front end: AVO front and rear LCA bushings, perring 25mm swaybar, rallitek endlinks. receintly replaced parts: tires, wheel bearings, balljoints. I do know my front right strut is blown and leaking, assuming my front right is not in good condition, but causing knocking is news to me from a strut. I have not yet checked the passenger side, but will when I get home just to cover everything. anything else that I can check that can cause the knocking? This is exceedingly frustrating when you cant find a cause. Torinalth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinalth Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 I've now put my hands on every bolt that connects to the front suspension (left and right side) and everything is tight, and there i no play in any of the connections, and nothing is leaking anything/oozing grease. wtf? springs are not broken, strut mounts are fine. I just dont get it. what am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rely18 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 I am getting this too. Original everything except a RF wheel bearing and both LCA bushings (new). I've hear this noise for a few months... started on the RF then both sides. Bump on left, knock on left. Bump on right, knock on right. I had the LCA bushings done as part of my annual state inspection this week. I am positive the noise was gone when I picked up my car. The next day it was back, now only on the LF again. Maybe, just maybe, I simply imagined it was gone hoping that the LCA bushings were the culprit? Its definitely annoying so if you find something, please share!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinalth Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 rely - I've had this same problem SEVERAL times, and fixed it every go. once it was the sway bar endlink, once the swaybar to frame bushing, once the tie-rod end (wrx), once was the bearing in the top hat that broke off (friends), and a few times it was just loose connections in various places, oh, and once it was the exhaust mount that hangs off the tranny that broke. so check all of those things (pretty easy and quick if you know where to locate them) I am no stranger to the subaru mechanics... but I'll be damned if I can figure out the cause when I have placed my hands on everything on the front suspension including frame bolts, motor mounts, crossmember connections, and the radiator for good measure. I mean, honestly, what else is there? or probably a better question, what did I overlook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rely18 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Wait... so I'm not hearing the same thing as you are? Or are you saying that every time you've had this in the past, you've been able to fix it by tightening one of those connections, but this time you can't pinpoint it? I'll have to take a closer look and see if I can pinpoint my issue as it looks like it could be any of a number of things. Other threads on hear seem to address similar issues but they all have different sources/solutions. Thanks for the reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinalth Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 since the car was in the air, I went ahead and loosened and retorqued every bolt on the front end.... seems to be fine now... but I didnt drive her for long. shrug, so we will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 i started getting that clunk sound when going on a bump hard, thought it was my ion springs but after switching to swifts it still makes a clunk noise when i hit a bump or dip hard even when i make a U turn it seems to make a clunk sound. the car drives fine tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeblow Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 You may want to check to see if the endlinks are worn out. With a lot of stress, the pillowball mounts can crap out and lead to clunk. Take them out and wiggle the ends. Lots of free play probably means they're worn out and need replacing. It's cool; I'm with the band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s car go Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 The first thing I tell people to do when they have noise issues is unbolt the front end links from the sway bar, tie wrap the sway bar out of place, and go for a drive. You might as well take that out of the equation and see if you're still experiencing issues. It's one of the few things suspension-wise that you can drive without and it takes minutes to disconnect it. It's also the cause of noises 75% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 End links, it's a well known issue with these cars. Ask any repair shop. I asked my guy and that's what he told me. I installed Perrins and the noise stopped. Do not replace with OEM style, buy real links with nuts and bolts. Oh you'll need a cut off wheel to remove the OEM's. It's been talked about on here. search. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 i have rallitek endlinks that are same as oem but just made of metal. its not a big problem with my clunk sound since it only happens when i make a U-turn or turn the wheel all the way. funny the op has rallitek endlinks to so could it be the rallitek endlinks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeblow Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Its the pillowball mount that wears out, not the metal part itself. It's cool; I'm with the band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Sounds dumb but remove your under tray and go for a ride. Its the only part your can't tighten completely. Worked for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinalth Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 quick update. so far the noise has not come back after retorquing the front end. the only link I can gather is the front left tie rod end. that is the one that I was able to torque the most... but since everything was loosened and then retorqued it could have been something that just wasn't sitting right and not the sheer torque. it could come back, but not yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpecBGuy Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 maybe i need to re tighten my fronts.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkonmonk Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 torinalth, I seem to be getting a similar noise and I have also torqued every bolt I can get my hands on in the front. The difference being that I get it on both sides, no matter what wheel contacts the gap in the road. Had you previously removed your tie rod ends or upgraded them before loosening them and torquing them back down? That is about the only thing I have not bothered with as my only mods are kartboy endlinks, ralliteks, and Energy Suspension sway bar mounts. Monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torinalth Posted August 4, 2011 Author Share Posted August 4, 2011 I had to remove mine when I pulled the hub to change wheelbearing and ball joints. there are SO many places to get the noise. like noted above, you can always remove the endlinks from the LCA and zip tie them out of the way and see if the noise goes away, if so you know where it is, if not, then you discounted the most common cause. ball joints, tie rod ends, and LCA bushings can and have caused the knocking for me in the past. also a friends strut mount broke the bushing off the plate... so there is a lot to check if you are not sure of the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkonmonk Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 Thanks for the reply. I guess I will start to remove things and see what I can come up with. Thanks for the response. Monk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suds2250 Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 Monk, get the car up on a set of ramps when you tighten the bolts. Shoot me a PM if you want to come by and use mine. 335HP/360Tq VF-22/1820 clone with Meth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ddh1 Posted August 13, 2011 Share Posted August 13, 2011 Just thought I'd throw this out there. I was getting what I would consider a very similar noise coming from the front left in my car. For me, I had a mechanic friend help me install some Swift springs and I think that one in particular wasn't mounted correctly, so I pulled it back off, put it back in, bolted everything back up, haven't had a problem since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serk Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 En mi coche tambien suena, habiendo solucionado el taller varias veces el problemas pero siempre vuelve a salir. Sounds in my car also, having solved the problems workshop several times but always comes back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crossle32 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 I have had this problem several times. It was the strut mount coming apart. The metal sleeve the strut shaft bolts through is coming out of the mount. When the car goes over a bump, the spring opens up the gap and when the car comes back down on the spring the sleeve "clunks" when it hits. I have replaced them 3 times already at $50+ ea. I found it by placing my finger on the strut nut and dropping the jack and feeling slight movement. I am using SpecB mounts as I have Bilsteins. Fixed it every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabronee Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 blown strut was my deal, after being in denail and checking every possible situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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