Prizm=Corolla for Lateral Links?

[way2dry]

I have a 2000 Prizm, 75Kmi, and after new struts/mounts/springs plus new stabilizer links/bushings all around, I get a clicking/tapping sound at the top of the rear struts on rough roads. Several posts and even one YouTube video point to the rear lateral links (two per side) as the culprits. Since I'm R&Ring all of the rubber suspension parts anyway, I looked for these and found them only for the same year of Corolla. The front, non-adjustable links are esp. hard to find (unless I pay $200/ea from a dealer), and I can't find stock bushings-only anywhere. I did finally find Mevotech MS86157 (front, both sides, non-adjust), MS86158 (rear right, adj), and MS86159 (rear left, adj), listed at theautopartsshop.com, all for ~$40 each. Rockauto has only the rears, for a tad higher. Online GM parts suppliers are often way cheaper than Toyota suppliers for a Prizm (= Corolla?) part, but not this time! My question is- can I use these on the Prizm? (and is theautopartsshop.com well-regarded?).

[pdq]

If the sound is at the top of the strut, it's probably the strut mount making the noise. Did you tighten down the top strut nut after decompressing the springs?

My left rear strut nut was loose and would make a loud clunk on any bump. I was able to diagnose it by pulling down the rear seat, opening up the inspection window, and having a friend press up and down on the bumper. When it was going up and down, I could see the nut moving up and down, which indicated it was not torqued down.

If this is your problem, you need to get a 24mm (from memory, may be wrong) socket, and tighten it back down.

Also, are you looking for stabilizer links, bushings, or both? I usually go to rockauto.com and they have a good selection. Stabilizer links can be purchased anywhere in person, but the bushings you should get online.

[way2dry]

Thanks for the reply. The noise sounds like rattling/tapping a screwdriver at the top mount, esp. in right turns; I took off the plastic trim & seat to expose the area; the noise is at the top mount although everything there appears tight (just normal slight flexing while driving). I'm beginning to suspect I broke a tack weld; Toyota had a TSB for this type of noise (NV011-03) for 9th gens. I ordered new lateral links and trailing arms anyway to get new bushings. The new struts were Monroe Quick Struts; I even replaced their top mounts with new Raybestos ones after reading about some noise issues with the Monroes. Everything is tightened to spec, and has zero rust (a desert car). The Raybestos mounts also fit nicely into the body holes while the Monroes seemed 'universal' and required some jockeying. I did finally find lateral links under Corolla at RockAuto, spread between Control Arms and Lateral Links. I went to the various mfr site catalogs, then typed in their part no's at RockAuto. The trailing arms were ~$50 online from GM, vs. $100-150 online from Toyota. I'll update when I get everything replaced in a couple of weeks.

[pdq]

You might want to compare the length of the exposed threads at the strut nut, between the left and right sides (through the inspection window). If they are different between the left and right side, the nut has backed itself off.

Also, can you reproduce the sound by pushing up and down hard on the bumper at the corner of the car? If so, it's a strut noise (coil, mount, nut). If not, and you can only hear the sound when making a turn in the car, it's likely the stabilizer link.

[way2dry]

All are very good points. I can only get the noise (kind of tinny, vs. a deep thud or clunk) by driving on old asphalt or over Botts dots; no luck with pounding, bouncing, or tapping. I put in new (Moog) stabilizer links and bushings w/the struts, and the strut end nuts are tight & even. I even taped a cheap backup camera and small microphone to various spots and drove around while recording on a laptop; no sway bar or other obvious banging or slop. The lateral and trailing arms all had some slight flex at their bushings; I'll compare w/the new ones soon. I backed off the top strut nut and then the three mount nuts a couple of turns; interestingly this noticeably reduced the noise (and added a big clunk when going over speed bumps). This makes me think that the noise is coupled from the hub area, or is still maybe a popped tack weld. I'm now trying to wedge various weld areas to see if I get any change. It's pretty scary watching everything flex while driving; I'm surprised cars stay together as long as they do!

[way2dry]

After changing out the rear lateral links & strut rods (trailing arms) to quiet squeaky bushings this still didn't fix my 'strut' tapping noise. I jacked up the rear and slid 6in of split fuel hose into the top & bottom coils of one side's spring as far as they would go. They were really pinched in there after letting it back down, and a test drive showed the noise was gone from the side I fixed. There was a tiny bit of paint worn off the coils once I could get a mirror up in there, but not obviously. The Monroe Quick-Strut springs have more (& closer) coils, and were more closely wound at the ends, vs. the OEM. Nice ride, but they need to sleeve their springs for coil slap! Tein, and Honda (PN 52442-SM1-A00), make coil sleeving; my Q/S springs are 1/2in OD. I'll contact Monroe (still under warranty), but I'm not sure what they could do. The sleeving fixes the symptom and not the root cause. The noise just didn't seem 'deep' enough for springs, but live & learn!