I rolled all F&R fenders but rear still sounds like its hitting

[brandnew161]

Okay. So i bought a fender roller and heat gun and went to work. I did all the fenders and they turned out well. Only a little bit of spider cracking but it was the first fender i did so whatever. Anyways I rolled them mainly because the rear would always rub when I went over a railroad track or a manhole cover etc. So as you can see in the pic they aren't just rolled...the fenders are actually somewhat flared which is what I was hoping for. So now I am 100% sure that the tire itself isn't hitting. However I can still hear a clunking noise.

Now before you ask...I do have the rubber spring insulator rings that go between the spring hat and spring. I also took off the wheel and pretty much trying all sorts of things to duplicate the noise I am hearing but no luck. So does anyone have a similar problem? Its just pretty annoying to know i spent all this cash on the roller and gun but I can still hear that horrible noise. Any suggestions I'll try. I have a feeling it might be coming from where the two bolts mount the shock assembly to the body..but what would be the best way to go about fixing that? In other words, what material could i use to insulate that area? However if you guys think it could be another part of the suspension then please say so. Thanks guys.


I'll post up pics in the morning

here are the pics as promised. As you can see the fenders are rolled pretty good clearance wise.

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[Hubbard 0]

A local guy offered to do my rear fenders for $70. I'm guessing this is a pretty solid deal?

 

[brandnew161]

yea $70 is a good deal if he can do it well and not mess up your paint. There were a few local guys who had the tool but they were passing it around so much I could never get my hands on it so I had to buy the damn thing and a heat gun for $260...

 

[snowborder714]

Have you tried driving around with someone in the back listening to try and pinpoint the sound's location?

And do you have any tips as to what you did better on the last 3 that they didn't spider crack vs. the first one? And where did you get the tool?

 

[T Money]

What size and offset are the rims? Tire size? It looks like you have quite a bit of clearance

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

I had a clunking noise in my rear suspension too. Turned out the driver side control arm bolt (the bolt closest to the fender itself, just above the wheel) had a loose nut...I could move it with my finger. Tightened it up, haven't heard the noise since, its been over a month. Use to hear it every day. Check both sides.

 

[brandnew161]

I had a clunking noise in my rear suspension too. Turned out the driver side control arm bolt (the bolt closest to the fender itself, just above the wheel) had a loose nut...I could move it with my finger. Tightened it up, haven't heard the noise since, its been over a month. Use to hear it every day. Check both sides.

-Alright i deff will check that out tomorrow morning. Thanks


-Tips...well the first wheel i did my buddy held the heat gun and I rolled the fender. The other three, I did both. So I think that me controlling the amount of heat worked out better. Oh and dont wear work gloves on both hands. Leave one off so that you can feel the temp of the fender. Also on the first fender I angled the roller too drastic. Slow but sure...and continuous adjustments are key.

-The wheels are "NEX-O 17" rims* w/ Michelin HX MXM4 225/45R17 tires" Its odd because in the picture it looks like I have a ton of clearance. Before I rolled the fenders the tire and the fender had about a 1-2cm gap and the car was almost sitting on the wheels. Now the clearance is remarkably greater.

-I will have someone ride in the back. I tried putting down the rear seats and listening myself but I could not pinpoint it exactly. I really have no clue where its coming from.

-I bought the tool on ebay and now I am selling it. Here is the link if your interested.

Eastwood Fender Roller & Heat Gun. Civic,DSM,Lexus,BMW.:eBay Motors (item 370240516020 end time Aug-11-09 20:10:06 PDT)

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[brandnew161]

okay i wanted to revive this thread because I was looking at the rear suspension yesterday and i found this. It was the only part of the suspension that seemed out of wack. I'm not sure if its the sway bar end links or just the bushings themselves but i'm 99% sure that the sway bar should not have any free play like such.

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[ApexVIII]

yea i dont think the bushings should allow that much play

 

[brandnew161]

i agree. Do you think its simply the bushings that have broken down and need replacement?

 

[squeak104]

When my sway bar bushings were bad in the back, it made A LOT of noise. Way more than I would have expected for a few bad bushings. You can check the links by jacking up the back of the car. Both sides have to be up so load is off of the links. Then grab the sway bar by the end of the link and see if you can move it up and down. If there's a lot of play then replace them as well as the bushings.

 

[brandnew161]

When my sway bar bushings were bad in the back, it made A LOT of noise. Way more than I would have expected for a few bad bushings. You can check the links by jacking up the back of the car. Both sides have to be up so load is off of the links. Then grab the sway bar by the end of the link and see if you can move it up and down. If there's a lot of play then replace them as well as the bushings.

Thanks for all the info. Definitely a lot of noise I agree. Since I'm replacing the bushings is there a specific product to use? I've used prothane before but idk if I really need it. Should stock replacement be ok?

 

[squeak104]

Are those stock sway bars or aftermarket? I just replaced mine with stock but I'm wanted cheap. I think they're like $5 for both from the dealership.

 

[brandnew161]

i'm not sure. I bought the car with a lot of stuff done to it already and the list of things done does not include a rear sway bar. However it does look pretty big. I'll have to research it. $5 sounds pretty good

 

[MLutin]

Not very good input, but the flared fenders look awesome. Good job.

 

[brandnew161]

Not very good input, but the flared fenders look awesome. Good job.

Thanks! like hell that aint good input

-i did get new rear sway bar bushings from the dealer today. Installed them and the sway bar doesnt have any wiggle room like before, but the noise is still there. Damn