knock - diagnosing

[eunosads]

hi all..<P>I have this bad knock/vibration that really irritates me.. i am not sure if the two are related.. i somehow think they are.. but am not sure.. the reason for my post is this..<P>can i drive without a front sway bar? not for long..just for maybe half a day or something.. or even a spin around the block.. just for diagnosing purposes?<P>if I can.. what should I be careful of? don't take corners too fast?<BR>any help is appreciated.

[ProtegeSTS]

you can....the car will be a little more tail happy, and there will probably be more of a knocking because the bar will be bouncing around down there. You cant simply take it off unless you want to remove the entire lower subframe.

[eunosads]

ok.. so you can *detach* it.. for want of a better word.. but you can't take it off altogether?<BR>I haven't really been under there yet so i am unsure...<BR>do you think my line of diagnosis is ok??<P>I am lost..

[ProtegeSTS]

when does the knock occur?

[eunosads]

pretty much all the time.. over any little bump or undulation in the road.. and it's only on the left hand side.. <P>I have just had my struts and springs replaced, and I have a front strut tower brace as well.. <P>I had it at the mechanics and he blamed it on the FTSB.. said the top of the strut was poking up the top and would thump the bracket.. this is not the case as I have removed the brace and still get the same thing.<P>My suspension is pretty stiff (not sure of the rate off hand) so it is a little harsher than a normal ride, but the right hand side, when it hits a speed hump doesn't make this knock sounds.. you can feel it pretty hard on the right, but it doesn't sound loose like the left hand side.. <P>I have coil insulation on all four corners, so it is not spring noise.. I just don't know what else it could be... it just sounds like the is something loose in there.. <P>thanks for your help again jesse...

[ProtegeSTS]

Hmmm.... how much clearance do you have between the STB and the top of the engine?<P>Other than that...maybe a strut mount?

[eunosads]

oh.. without looking I'd say maybe 50mm.. <P>but it still happens when i remove the brace.. so clearance is not the issue.. at least not at that point of the car...<P>is the strut mount the sort of hard rubbery bit on the top of the strut, the bit including the 4 bolts and the plate.. and the rubbery bit??<P>like this:- <P>cos that was probably my next option after the sway bar.. do you think the sway bar has any part in this?<A HREF="http://members.optushome.com.au/eunosads/struttop.jpg" TARGET=_blank>Strut mounts</A>

[ProtegeSTS]

yup, its that bit at the top.

[dylanmx3]

This sounds like a sway bar link. It makes an amzing amount of noise. It sounds like someone hitting the floor boards with a hammer. It's simple to check. Just take the wheel off from the problem side and take a look at the link. First it should still be connecting the sway bar and the control arm (if it's not it'll make a horrible sound...kinda like the mother of bearing racket), second pry the sway bar up with a screw driver or some other prying type device and see if it can move without the control arm. The link is basically two ball joints in a nylon shell. They tend to wear out and make a loud knocking sound when you load one wheel at a time...like pulling into a parking lot with one tire first or hitting one wheel on a speed bump. The link costs about $85 cdn (I think) and are a bit of a pain to replace but your garage can likely do it in less than a half hour.<BR>Good luck

[eunosads]

that sounds exactly like it Dylan!!!<P>4 posts and you're already coming up with answers like that!! awesome.. <P>thanks.. i'll check that out and let you know..

[Quazi5]

Sweet! you guys are the s---! I've been having the same problem and was about to start posting about it. Mine sounds like it comes from the front right and was geeting told that it was my CV joints or even worse i was told that my friend was having the same prob and his entire rear end just eventually fell out. Thank gos it's not that. Again, Thank a million. Blake

[eunosads]

hhaha.. dom't wanna burst your bubble blake.. but I wouldn't be that excited until the problem was fixed.. hehhe.. <P>let's see how it goes shall we...

[Bbqman218]

Could it be your ball joints making the cause of the problem? Do you sometimes here it when backing out of a driveway and pulling into the street at the point where the drive and street meet? You might give that a look into.