clunking noise after spring install - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

AyzhenInvasion · 12-30-2005, 02:09 PM

Ok so i finally got my rear intrax springs on but now theres clunking noise when i go over small bumps. this did not happen after i did the front ones. only now after i've done the rear. i've checked and every thing is tight (mount nuts, strut bolts, et cetera). For some reason, i think that this clunking sound is the struts bottoming out? (the sound the strut makes when it rebounds back to the max length (or is that not called bottoming out?))

also, i found two rubbet rings about 2.5-3 inches in dimeter on my driveway after i did my SRI and rear springs so i do not know whether it came off my stock intake or the struts.

thanks for your help

TRDCamryCL · 12-30-2005, 09:29 PM

Bottoming out I think is different. Bottoming out is when the strut itself can no longer compress but the inertia of the force from whatever wants to continue. This causes the entire car to hit hard and in many cases can damage your struts. If you hit a pothole, chances are, the rims are bent.

atobe · 12-31-2005, 01:26 AM

check the nut where the strut connects to the strut mount whatever it's called

Axel Kain · 01-02-2006, 06:26 PM

^ agreed, check the tightness of the strut shaft bolt, to the strut cap.

WhiteRabbit · 01-02-2006, 07:36 PM

did you change the stock struts also?

WhiteRabbit · 01-04-2006, 10:04 PM

are you still getting noises?

pk_kk · 01-05-2006, 01:25 AM

uhh... might sound silly but it could be because the springs are harder and making noise. put i really think it's your struts being stressed out. or the ride volume is louder than before. especially when hitting bunps and stuff

white3ch0c0late · 01-05-2006, 01:29 AM

Um... two rubber rings on your driveway... did you by any chance remove the rubber bump stops from your struts and forgot to replace them after spring install? 'Cause... yeah, those are kinda important... and TRDCamryCL is right. Bottoming out is not a clunk, its a THUD. When/if you ever bottom out, you'll know the difference. I found out what bottoming out was pretty recently too.

AyzhenInvasion · 01-05-2006, 01:43 PM

isn't the bump stops the yellow spongy thing? i have those in.. these are like... bracelet looking things..

yeah i'm thinking it might be the struts, if theres no other ideas of what the nosie might be, i'm going to have to wait till summer and change to tokico struts =)

butr yeah, thanks for y'all's help

Axel Kain · 01-05-2006, 03:27 PM

sounds more like the strut boots....prolly should have those on! dunno if you can keep em off or not tho.

sk8chip98 · 01-05-2006, 03:45 PM

yeah the rubber things sound like the strut boots, they keep dirt and shit from getting all over the strut. as for the sound are you sure that the springs are in nice and tight, up in the purch.
i was getting a clunking sound from my fronts cause the eibach springs i put in kept on popping out when i turned the wheel but this didnt start for a couple of months after they where in.
as for bottoming out OH you will know when that happens....... man does that suck...

GrantTPC · 01-05-2006, 04:00 PM

If the top bolts are tight... then it sounds like you are getting spring chatter... there are two causes of this..

when one puts a shorter spring on a non shortened damper the piston rod can expend farther out than the spring can reach.. essentially if you "let the shock out" all the way the spring is "loose" and when the car comes back down the spring re-seats and you get a "clank".. Go over speed bumps a little more slowly so you don't unweight the wheels..

the second possibility could be on lowered progressive springs the coils near the top are wound closer together.. as the coils compress they "hit" each other causing a clanging noise. you can reduce that by getting some spiral wire wrap and winding around the top few coils to keep them from vibrating against each other..

Unless the "rubber rings" were the spring isolator bushing that sit up in the rear pillow ball mount.. if you pulled those out with the stock spring (I dunno if you can actually do this with the Camry.. but you can with Hondas) and didn't put them back that would be a good suspect for your knocking noise as well..

GrantTPC · 01-05-2006, 04:05 PM

oh one other thing to check.. see if you rear anti-sway bar was shifted sideways during the install and is now banging into the damper or some orther area of the car... I also don't know if this is possible with the Camry, but it is a common complaint after a rear suspension swap by inexperienced installers working on Hondas..

AyzhenInvasion · 01-05-2006, 07:05 PM

Ok, its not the boots, sorry i didn't make that clear -.-;

its these:
iunno if they go on my rear struts or sri, cause i did both around the same time

the assembly is ass tight, nothing loose, rsb is also assembled correctly

it might be the spring clatter, but can y'all check up on this image real quick

(they're rubber)

stanzcam · 01-06-2006, 02:27 PM

i had the same problem when i put me new springs in, i later found out after riding with new springs and stock struts that a had blown a strut, also my strut mounts were shot. every bump mad a clunk sound untill i got that stuff replaced.