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Clunking Noise

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mr2gman

Probationary Member
3
0
Aug 19, 2003
CaliforniaUS
Hi all,

I have a 97 Talon TSI AWD. When I put the car in reverse or back out of a driveway, I hear a clunk from the suspension. It seems like it does it when the weight shifts from a stop.

Does anyone know what it could be and how to fix it?

Thanks in advance.
 
I am running B&G Coil Overs. Could it be the front or rear spring and do you think pillowball mounts would help.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Originally posted by gotEclipseD
i hear the exact same thing. its the weight transfer and ur spring comes out of the top mount and goes back in. thats wat i believe it is.

Oh, com'on. There's about 650# in each rear corner. Unless this guy revs to 4500 and dumps the clutch in reverse (and probably not even then), he is not lifting the rear of the car off the springs.

The first thing to do is to stick your head under the rear of the car and check the obvious stuff, like sway-bar bushings. After that, lift the rear and start yanking on stuff. Pull back on the wheels, in particular, because the wheels pull back when the car reverses. I'd be looking for a torn bushing somewhere. Unfortunately, one of the ones that I'd suspect (the inboard trailing-arm bushing) is hard to see unless you pop the access plug in the wheel well.

This is all assuming a rear-end suspension issue. If you're not sure that this is the problem, then (obviously) you have to look around at other things. For example, how sure are you that it's a suspension issue? Our carrier bearings are know to thump and clunk when you switch from accelerating to coasting down.

- Jtoby
 
Had to bring this back to see if a solution was ever found. I have the same thing happening. When I'm reversing there is a single "pop" coming from the front - seems to be the drivers side. Only happens when I'm reversing (happened once or twice going foward) and seems to happen everytime when I have the wheel turned to the right while reversing. When I reverse VERY, VERY slowly out of my garage it doesn't seem to do it though - very weird. I know it's a long shot, but any ideas?
 
A local shop thinks it's my motor mounts, but that seems unlikely to me. I'll change them anyway soon to see. Anybody have any ideas or similar problem they fixed?
 
Worn sway bar bushings will make that same exact clunking noise. It's hard to actually determine if it's the sway bar links without taking off the sway bar links, but 80% of the time it's just worn out bushings.

I bought a set of urethane bushings so I wouldn't have to worry about it again. Best investment I've made for my sanity in months.
 
I agree with MaNGiNa24. When mechanical clearances start to open up in suspension pivots, most can be found by tugging on the wheel and various suspension arms with the car jacked off the ground. But jacking the car can torque the sway bar so that the pivots are stressed and you can't make them "clunk."

For weeks I tried to isolate a transient clunk, wiggling this, tugging that, torqueing everything over and over again. I finally replaced the sway bar end link (which had to be cut in pieces) and the clunking ceased.
 
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