Thumping Sound from Rear

elemgee · #1 11-08-2008, 04:31 PM

Hi. When I go over bumps in my 96, I hear a thumping sound coming from the rear of the car. The bumps dont have to be real big; for instance, I can be just driving down a street, but as the car goes over a small bump, I will hear this sound. Its not real loud and its not a constant thumping, but as the car usually has a great ride, its something I want to fix. I plan on jacking up the car tomorrow to see if i can see anything underneath that looks like it might be causing the sound, but I thought I'd check with this group to see if anyone else has had a similar problem or can offer advice on things to look for. Thanks.

1986nate · #2 11-08-2008, 04:38 PM

Could be a strut mount thats bad or otherwise some rubber bushings.
I'm sure others can think of more possibilities.

svxistentialist · #3 11-08-2008, 05:27 PM

This can be sway bar bushings.

You don't say how many miles on your car. A "usual suspect" would also be the sway bar link, particularly on the inner kerb side. They get hammered by potholes.

Joe

Crazy_pilot · #4 11-10-2008, 04:33 PM

There are a lot of things that can produce thumping noises in a car's suspension. The only way to be certain is to get the car up in the air and start shaking/yanking/pulling on things to find what moves. Swaybar endlinks, bushings, strut, strut mount, worn caliper pins...(The caliper you can check by gently riding the brakes as the car is going over bumps. If braking reduces/eliminates the noise, it's your calipers and a set of reman's are in order)

elemgee · #5 11-10-2008, 06:19 PM

Went under the car today. There was some play in the sway bar, due to the bushings being compressed over time. So I removed them, wrapped some electrical tape around the bar where the bushings go, and reinstalled them. They now seem very tight, but i wont know for sure if that was the problem until I take Subie back out. I'm reluctant to do that, because right now I'm feeling like I actually fixed the problem, but driving the car may show otherwise. So maybe I'll just leave it out in the driveway for a few years, until this feeling of accomplishment wears off. Thanks to those of you that responded.

Larry