I have a 2000 with 210,000 kms and I am the original owner. Just started noticing a knocking noise coming from the front end sometimes over rough road surfaces. It almost sounds like a rattle.
I had the brakes checked and they are fine and the front end checked out tight. What they thought it was is a CV joint.
I still have all original suspension parts on the car.
I thought if it was a CV joint it would be making a noise when turning but this is not the case.
@Braddale
I only heard the noise while the car was in motion. I don't recall it going away with brakes applied.
I do recall the mechanic saw right away that the links needed to be replaced. I paid about $50 for a thorough diagnostic.
The guy told me it wasn't dangerous, and I waited about 6 months before I had the $$$ to get the repair.
original suspension on a 200k car? i know the japs make great cars but you should get that replaced. i had my four struts replaced because i started hearing loud nosies at 150km. after that the car drove great but i was lucky. My guess is your struts are gone,you bushings,your sway bars (he had to replace those too when he did my struts also the links), and also your springs. Does your car feel like a bouncy boat while driving? haha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Braddale
Did you notice that the noise went away when the brakes were applied?
Thats what mine is doing, it still has all the original suspension components after 10 years. I am hoping it is not a driveshaft.
original suspension on a 200k car? i know the japs make great cars but you should get that replaced. i had my four struts replaced because i started hearing loud nosies at 150km. after that the car drove great but i was lucky. My guess is your struts are gone,you bushings,your sway bars (he had to replace those too when he did my struts also the links), and also your springs. Does your car feel like a bouncy boat while driving? haha.
Actually yes it is starting to bounce a bit on the highway. I am taking it in tomorrow after work to a good garage in Mississauga and get the front end thoroughly inspected, I am expecting to spend some money!
I plan on keeping the car for at least another 4 years so some suspension work is not a totall surprise.
i have a 2001 corolla (2002 model) with about 240km on it with the same problem. i was going to change my bushings on it sometimes soon to see if the knocking noise goes away. (if it woun't i plan on changing the tie end rods as well). Also if you haven't changed your links i HIGHLY recommend you do so, i changed mine last year and the knocking stopped for about 9-10 month (also relatively cheap). These three fixes usually solve the knocking problem. There are also a few DIY manuals out there for these specific fixes: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh....php?p=3215329
etc
by the way a good way to check whether you need to change your suspension is to lean on one of the 4 ends of the car, if the suspension is in good condition the car will rise once or twice and then stop, IF the car keeps on bouncing that means that only the springs are working.
as for me, i am pretty sure i will go another 100 thousand on it before i gotta chance the suspension, and i do abuse it greatly (so do the little jobs first before the mechanic makes u shell out 1k+ for the suspension job).
edit:
after additional search on the forums regarding the issue i found out that most ppl change bushings/links and it solves the problem.
I noticed on the way to the garage today that it was bouncing pretty good on the 401, so if they replace the struts, I am prepared for that.
I would rather have them replaced now and keep the car for another 4 or 5 years and get the use out of the struts, than leave it till it starts to feel like a rollercoaster.
I have really noticed the last few months that the ride has started to get loose and bouncy.
Well if you want to keep it for 4 to 5 more years it's a good idea I think. That was pretty much the same situation as me. The engine will last another 5-7 years so I have been replacing important parts so it will ride nice into the sunet. If you get them replaced the difference is like night and day. I loved my cars handling and control after they installed the new struts it drove like a new car. Now I can make fun off all the 2 year old ammerican cars on the road that are bouncing more then mine haha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Braddale
I noticed on the way to the garage today that it was bouncing pretty good on the 401, so if they replace the struts, I am prepared for that.
I would rather have them replaced now and keep the car for another 4 or 5 years and get the use out of the struts, than leave it till it starts to feel like a rollercoaster.
I have really noticed the last few months that the ride has started to get loose and bouncy.
Not to be rude or anything but i kinda of disagree. The way I thought the suspension system worked was the most important part that took the most abuse were the struts. So if the struts are totally gone which they are by 100 000km OEM, then your bushing and links start to go faster and springs because you are using them more. So wouldn't you want to deal with the most important part first? I could be wrong with how the suspension works so correct me if i'm wrong, but I think the best way to go if fix struts then all the smaller parts if needed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nishta
i have a 2001 corolla (2002 model) with about 240km on it with the same problem. i was going to change my bushings on it sometimes soon to see if the knocking noise goes away. (if it woun't i plan on changing the tie end rods as well). Also if you haven't changed your links i HIGHLY recommend you do so, i changed mine last year and the knocking stopped for about 9-10 month (also relatively cheap). These three fixes usually solve the knocking problem. There are also a few DIY manuals out there for these specific fixes: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/sh....php?p=3215329
etc
by the way a good way to check whether you need to change your suspension is to lean on one of the 4 ends of the car, if the suspension is in good condition the car will rise once or twice and then stop, IF the car keeps on bouncing that means that only the springs are working.
as for me, i am pretty sure i will go another 100 thousand on it before i gotta chance the suspension, and i do abuse it greatly (so do the little jobs first before the mechanic makes u shell out 1k+ for the suspension job).
edit:
after additional search on the forums regarding the issue i found out that most ppl change bushings/links and it solves the problem.
changing the struts will definitely make the ride much better, but at the same time unless your car is really bouncy there is no point in spending 1 thousand + on new struts (if you can spend 60 on bushings+stabilizers). two ways that i know of how to check whether the struts need to be replaced are leakage on the struts themselves and the best indicator would be the bounciness of the car. If the strut has gone bad and isn't working then the car will be solely (or pretty much almost solely) sitting on the springs. the point of the strut is to kill the oscillations of the spring (dampen the bounciness) and if its not doing its job it needs changing.
i also don't like spending unnecessary money in shops because they tend to rip you off and do a shitty job (there are alot of good mechanics there, but there's also alot of bad ones)
but its a personal preference
ps. who told you that the OEM struts are gone by 100k mark?
It was my cousin who is a mechanic in ottawa. He was saying on Jap cars the struts will last you till 100km and on american cars they only last till 50km
Quote:
Originally Posted by nishta
changing the struts will definitely make the ride much better, but at the same time unless your car is really bouncy there is no point in spending 1 thousand + on new struts (if you can spend 60 on bushings+stabilizers). two ways that i know of how to check whether the struts need to be replaced are leakage on the struts themselves and the best indicator would be the bounciness of the car. If the strut has gone bad and isn't working then the car will be solely (or pretty much almost solely) sitting on the springs. the point of the strut is to kill the oscillations of the spring (dampen the bounciness) and if its not doing its job it needs changing.
i also don't like spending unnecessary money in shops because they tend to rip you off and do a shitty job (there are alot of good mechanics there, but there's also alot of bad ones)
but its a personal preference
ps. who told you that the OEM struts are gone by 100k mark?
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