pop noise from rear suspension Options

[GaroldShaffer]

I noticed this at the AX sunday and now again today. When making a hard turn (R or L) I get this POP sound from the passenger side rear, not all the time but at least 50%. I put it up on the stands and there is no play at all with the tire's. Everything suspension wise seems tight. The car sits level, the suspension console is solid, not rusted, longs are solid, car doesn't sag and door gaps remain the same when jacked up. It just seems like something gets in a bind then, POP. I have Koni yellows all around with factory sway bars. Could it be the swaybar making that sound?? body flex?? what else should I look for?

Chris I should have you drive it when you were here yesterday.

Help

-Garold

[JWest]

Could be a CV joint.

[GaroldShaffer]

so how do I check a CV joint?

[Dave Bell]

Movement of the springs in the perchs?... do you have some interesting perche set up that could be causing it?

What James said about the CV's... if you recently rebuild the CV's its possible to assemble it incorrectly so that the CV will bend in some directions and not in others.... BTDT. This can happen when the inner bearing cage with balls is inserted in the wrong orientation. When I made this mistake I did get a "popping" sound when making hard turns.

- Dave

[SirAndy]

is the car lowered? the rear sway bar can bottom out and hit the trunk floor on a lowered car ...

check the CV's

check the battery and make sure it doesn't fling around

check the top nut on your shocks

did you leave the jack in the trunk?


Andy

[john rogers]

I'd put the car up again and look at all the joints in the suspension console to see if anything has ripped or is tearing. I remember a 914 at a SD auto-x several years ago making funny noises in the right rear and then the outside suspension console ripped loose when the driver went over a bump. Use a good strong light to look at the parts. Good luck

[Britain Smith]

Does the popping noise happen only once around the track or several times. The reason that I ask is because when you lift it up, the rear springs could be coming out of the perchs and then when you drive it, the springs "pop" back into place. The fact that you are putting it back up on jacks after each run is only confounding the problem. You could tie-wrap the springs to the top perch to correct this issue.


-Britain

[SirAndy]

You could tie-wrap the springs to the top perch to correct this issue

if he extendes the suspension enough for the springs to jump out of the perch, tying the top down won't help because then they jump out of the bottom instead. same difference ...

Andy

[ss6]

I had the same thing happen to me last season, first on the left side, then on both sides.

In my case, it turned out to be the pivot bushings binding on the trailing arm shaft, then "popping" loose when the suspension deflected. It was quite maddeninly random. I had relatively new delrin bushings in there, but to my surprise, the shafts got wet and rusted, making for major "stiction". Solution was to de-ovalize the trailing arm pivot tubes (Chris Foley), replace the delrin bushings, add grease fittings, and grease.

If this is your problem, you might get away with dissassembling / cleaning and installing grease fittings so you can push grease into the tubes to the point that there are no voids left for water to soak, ovals or not.

[GaroldShaffer]

Does the popping noise happen only once around the track or several times

It was several times.

I'd put the car up again and look at all the joints in the suspension console to see if anything has ripped or is tearing

Now that just sent a chill down my spine. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) I do remember Brad postsing some pics of somenes car with the ear starting to rip.

Well I have a nice check list of things for this weekend, thanks all.

[Andyrew]

My suspension pops, and squeaks. It squeaks when the spring changes any, i can make it squeak by bouncing the rear of the car, but the poping is random.

Any idea's on that?

Maybe its the same problem as Garold?


Andrew

[monkeywrench]

I just had problem like this.

It turned out the mount on the passenger side of the engine mount bar was loose. It was the two bolts that hold the plate. This was only obvious while taking it apart. I thought the problem was in the engine mounts. I also changed the trany mounts (which looked original).

The noise went away and the new mounts made a big difference.

[Brad Roberts]

Andy,

we tie the tops down because we cannot SEE them when the car is on the ground or in the air... I can see if the bottom is out and correct it as need be.

I'm betting he has ovaled inside mounting ears. The nuts will be tight and you cant move it by hand..


B

[GaroldShaffer]

I'm betting he has ovaled inside mounting ears. The nuts will be tight and you cant move it by hand..

If this is the case whats the fix then?

[Chris H.]

That could be a lot of things, but I am not an expert that's for sure. I hope your ears are OK. Brad usually knows though. If it's anything but body stuff you probably have 3 replacements to pick from.

[Jeffs9146]

My 74 did something similar and I thought it was the CV Joint. When I sold the car to James Adams he found that it was the exhaust hitting the drive shaft I think!

James, what did you do to fix that?

Jeff

[JWest]

My 74 did something similar and I thought it was the CV Joint. When I sold the car to James Adams he found that it was the exhaust hitting the drive shaft I think!

James, what did you do to fix that?

Jeff

It was soft trans/engine mounts and the tailpipe too close to the valance. But it made the noise upon acceleration from a stop, not during cornering

[SirAndy]

Andy,

we tie the tops down because we cannot SEE them when the car is on the ground or in the air... I can see if the bottom is out and correct it as need be.

Brad,
i know that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

re-read britains post. he said it would solve his problem IF the car was lifting enough to get the spring out of the perch.
my point was that tying down the top of the spring won't help in that case because then the bottom will jump out of the perch.

i'm not talking about when the car is on the lift. i (and britain) were talking about while he's driving. unless you know something i don't, it's kinda hard to SEE the springs while driving ...

Andy

[GaroldShaffer]

OK took some time tonight to look into this. I think its my springs coming of the pearch when the car lifts on a hard turn. So how much gap/play should I have when the car is lifted on a jack. If I hold the spring up in the top pearch the gap between the bottom pearch and the bottom of the spring is approx 3/4 inch.

I am going to do what Brad said and ty wrap the spring to the top pearch and see if that corrects the problem.

I don't think I can raise the bottom pearch?

[Andyrew]

A spacer will move the bottom perch up.. but also raise the car.


Andrew