Another Guess That Noise Question...

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Blacky

If your rear strut mounts look like mine did, you just need to put your hand way up at the top of the rear springs and you'll feel the crumbling remains of them.

Yes; and you can probably tell by looking up into the shock tower with a flashlight.

When mine went, it only made a serious racket when the suspension on that side was loaded/unloaded. Driver's side mount was basically gone. Both were very crunchy.

dcb

[sowise]

Did you find the cause? I know my strut mounts were pretty much toast as well. So were my struts. It may be the springs pushing around what is left of your mounts, but I am interested in hearing what you have found. BTW your sway bar looks pretty darn good under there!

[92_LSL]

the sway bar seems to be mounted right. the thing that gets me though is that the noise comes from both sides at the same time. if i were you i would check your control arms and your axles. the reason i say the axles is that a friend of mine was complaining of a horrible noise on his 300zx. we went down the line and checked a the suspension components and everything was fine. in the last minute we got curious and checked the axles and saw that the axle was loose. the snap ring on the axle had broke and the axle was jiggling around.

p.s. where did you get the sway bar ???

[sowise]

Originally Posted by 92_LSL

the sway bar seems to be mounted right. the thing that gets me though is that the noise comes from both sides at the same time. if i were you i would check your control arms and your axles. the reason i say the axles is that a friend of mine was complaining of a horrible noise on his 300zx. we went down the line and checked a the suspension components and everything was fine. in the last minute we got curious and checked the axles and saw that the axle was loose. the snap ring on the axle had broke and the axle was jiggling around.

p.s. where did you get the sway bar ???

Pretty sure he has a black Bontrager Works set up for the rear sway. It's the only option I have seen out there. I have the blue one

[92_LSL]

i want one...

[Lookin4SVX]

Yes it is a Bontrager Works Rear Sway Bar Kit (in black).
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=54963

No I have not figured out where the noise is coming from.

I tried to get a look up into the strut tower and I cant see anything, I don't know what I am looking for.

Here is the best pic I can get.


In the middle of that pic I can see part 11 "guide helper" and part 7 "Rubber seat upper" (from subaruparts.com rear strut diagram). But I cannot see the strut tower mounts, according to that diagram they sit above those pieces.

I am not very mechanically inclined. I would not have a clue how to check the axles, or even which piece of metal is a control arm is.

I just wanted to try and see if I could get a general concenses on what may be making the noise. That way I can buy the parts to fix it and bring it to my mechanic.

My mechanic is not very good at name that broken noise.
Here is a good example, I took the car in because it sounded like this:
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=54792
Mechanic came back and said I need new motor mounts....
I came here posted the above thread and the next day I had it fixed.
Was hoping for more of that same magic.

BTW, my motor mounts are also shot. So its not that he is wrong..just not the sound that I was trying to get rid of.
So if I bring the car to him and say hey my car is making this noise, he will probably come back and say the motor mounts are shot again...

My friend says it sounds to him like the top strut mounts.

From inside the car, the noise sounds like its coming from the rear deck area.

When I put the camera under the car it seems like its coming from under.

I was really hoping someone else's car sounded like mine and someone knew what was busted.

Is there any other shots or video I can take to help you diagnose the problem??

So far the list of suggestions is:
Exhaust Baffle
Rear Strut Mounts
Loose Axel
Loose Control Arm

[sowise]

Here is why I think it is the rear strut mounts due to the condition of mine when removed. It is the same side piece in both pictures. But thats how bad it was and sad thing was I didn't really notice anything when I did drive the car.

IMG]http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j298/sowise/rearstrut.gif[/IMG]

[Lookin4SVX]

So that piece pictured above would be piece on the bottom of 4/5 in the image below? That piece is metal?




What parts would I need to buy if it is the rear mounts making that noise?
Just the 4/5, or do I need other parts too?

[sowise]

That is correct, the one I was showing is item 4 and 5 (ones left and the other designates right). I think you could get away with 4 and 5 only however they aren't that hard to remove as an assembly. Because of their cost (seems kinda high for $90+) I would want to make sure they were bad if I were you. Also if you can deal with the noise long enough to save up you might want to replace the struts also. Item 7 is just a rubber ring should be fine maybe a tad dry but still very useable atleast in mine.

If you choose to replace it or drop it this document in the how-to section would be helpful.

[Lookin4SVX]

Ok, I read that pdf sowise.
So it says take apart the back seat and the rear deck and under it are 3 nuts to unbolt.
Is it possible to see the condition of the strut mount (part 4/5) from above, looking down at these bolts from the rear deck?

Unfortunately, if its the strut mounts then I definitely will not be doing it myself in the driveway.
I fail at step 2, I don't own a jack, or a lug nut wrench thing, so anything requiring removing the wheels is a no go.

Next, when you said wait and replace the struts, you mean replace everything in the picture?

I threw it all in my cart at subaruparts.com, and its a pretty steep number:


So $1000 + install to do it right...
suddenly $180 + install isn't looking so bad anymore...

My mechanic did tell me 3 months ago that that front struts and springs are fine, but the front strut mounts are warn.
So I maybe if my wish really hard and cross my fingers, the rears will be the same and the mounts will just be shot.

Then again it may not be the mounts at all. It could be a control arm thing or axle thing the other guy said.
Anyone have pics of where control arm would be to check if loose, or other parts I could check are loose while still having the wheels on and weight on the suspension?

Also, anyone know why subaruparts has 2 complete struts listed for each side with different part numbers and prices? ($130 vs $195 price tags, parts 1&2 in the diagram in post #23 in this thread)

[sowise]

Noo no no, not all of that, sorry I wasn't clearer. I was only referring to 4 parts total (two parts per side) the mount and the strut only. I don't like the price on the strut though, when you start going up in $'s like that you might as well upgrade. I would say for now just get the mounts.

How did you ever plan to replace a flat tire without a jack or lug wrench? No friends or family with tools or mechanically inclined either? Just curious...

No you won't be able to see from inside of the vehicle at the top of the strut where it is mounted.

Again I seriously would recommend verifying they are bad. How about using a flashlight to look up inside where you snapped the photo that should give you a clear view of any rust or damage. If they are bad (as in close to same as the ones I showed) you will definitely notice and then you can purchase the mounts and take it to a shop. They should be able to replace them pretty quick. Don't know how much they would charge you though. I would guess the mounts plus 1hr labor each side (could be quicker in a decent shop but also could be slower depending).

Edit: You might check ebay for struts I saw a couple of ads but can't guarantee seller or quality I think there was one for $45 each but no photo so use or purchase at your own risk.

[Lookin4SVX]

Well I haven't carried a spare tire in any car of mine since 1995, so I had no need for a jack and lug wrench, that is what AAA is for.
Have no room to carry a spare with my stereo system:
For Reference: "New Stereo for my SVX" thread.

But yes I have a reasonably mechanically inclined friend with one of those race car looking jacks, jack stands, and air-tools but he is on vacation in North Carolina.
He wont be back for another week. Until then I can only check what I can with the wheels on the ground.

To take the photo I put the camera on top of the tire and shot up from the outside of the car.
I cant fit my head between the tire and the fender like I did the camera.

But wouldn't I still be looking up at the bottom of pieces 11 and 7 from the diagram, and still not be able to see parts 4/5?
Or does piece 11 go into piece 4/5 and piece 7 go around the outside bottom of 4/5?
See I'm not even sure at what I'm looking for...

Is the mount visible in any of these shots?




Thanks for you patients guys, I know this must be very trying.

[sowise]

Well FYI even if you ordered the parts today it will be atleast a week before they arrive. I haven't had super fast shipping from them.

As for the pictures, I still can't tell I even played with adjusting the brightness and contrast but just wasn't able to see much. Just curious, does your camera take video? Using a flashlight and camera you can just reach up and take blind videos until you are certain you have seen the whole area. We can call it ghetto scoping lol.

Ok the stereo instead of a spare tire is a fair trade. I admit. However you may still want one with tools at home someday just incase

My advice would be suffer until your friend gets back, then you can jack it up in the air and look at way more stuff with and without the tires on. Only reason I think it may be these strut mounts is because of how little you actually had to move the car to make the sound. It isn't to say it can't be something else. But if you are desperate to know the ghetto scoping would be a good way to view it, if you don't see anything you can move on to something else.

[Lookin4SVX]

Yes my camera does video. I will try and get under there with a flashlight and the camera and see if I can see whats going on. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yeah, subaruparts is slow, it takes like 3 weeks to get me parts that are yellow dot...

[Lookin4SVX]

Ok so I prepped up my camera for investigating:



Closest thing to a stick I had laying around.


Blind video from under car using malp on a stick:



Blind video shot by hand inside wheel well with a flashlight.


All comments welcome, please.