Acura TL suspension(?) issue

[Joe Hunter]

Eric or other Acura enthusiasts,

Could this be a sign (noise) of impending doom?

In a nutshell, my “noise” is most likely associated with suspension? I thought perhaps CV boot, ball joints etc. But having watched Eric’s video, my “noise” only occurs when going over bumpy surfaces and it is not a squeak, creak or gnashing metal sound … it is a dull thump or thud sound, sort of similar to the engine mount noise in the video.

What else might it be, so at least I am armed with some clue prior to taking it into an auto mechanic? As I live downtown and don’t have access to a spot where I might jack the car and have a look, I can’t really do the kind of analysis Eric demonstrates. But then again, there are no creaky sounds, or any sounds from simple steering wheel turns, which seem associated with stabilizing bars, CV, suspension stuff in general.

Any advice or ideas or preferably similar experienced situations and resolutions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Joe

Topic

[college man]

check struts for leaks,sway bar end links and bushings and
motor mounts.

[Tom]

When they are really fare gone, upper ball joints will make noise just turning, but sometimes early on they will make noise only over bumps as well.

[Jon Udden]

what would be an indicator of the sway bar links going out?
I just got my car out of the shop for a busted CV axel and you guys might harp on me for this but the oringial strut is on the driver side and a new SenSen strut is on the passenger side. (the new CV axel is on the pasenger side too). The old OE strut from the pass side was leaking and it sounds roughly the same now as it did going over bumps when there was a busted strut in there.

I want to think that the OE strut on the driver side is now taking most of the force since the force might be taking path of least resistance.

While i have you guys attention. What is your oppinion on the brand SenSen if you have heard of it…I order two struts from them off of amazon but long story short i broke on and had to just replace the busted one and roll with a mixmatched suspension. I am however going to get two new OEM struts from autozone and put them in there hoping that my problem is as listed above.

If i dont make sence…sorry im at work and im trying to summerize and keep it as simple as possible.

THANKS!

[EricTheCarGuy]

Without hearing the noise it’s next to impossible to tell you what it is. This article however covers the basics of what to check.

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/diagnosing-noises-in-your-car

BTW you don’t get OE struts from Autozone. They will sell you cheap crap. The only place to get OE is from the dealer. However you can source something online. Don’t go there until you’re sure that’s where the noise is coming from however.

http://www.acuraautomotiveparts.org/acura/jsp/mws/home.jsp?gclid=CJ2zkqGCqbsCFdEWMgodOQIAjg

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Lorrin Barth]

My previous car had mismatched struts and it drove the same as before. I diagnosed a bad strut on my present car by bouncing the the car. When I heard the noise I was hearing in the cabin I reached under while still bouncing the car with the other hand and “feeling” the noise in the strut.

[Jon Udden]

Eric,

Well in response to the sounds, it sounds the same going over bumps as my car did when i had a strut that was unsealed and practically scrap metal at that point. How ever it kind of sounds like hard plastic hitting hard plastic. (if that makes any sense) Kind of a “thid” more than a “thud” when i go over bumps such as uneven concrete.

Also Eric, where the strut meets the wishbone joint thing there is a small tab that fits in a groove. This tab is not in that groove. The strut is however ‘twisted’ around to where the spring is positioned against the brace. Is this a problem that needs to be corrected or do you think its not a big deal. (I do understand that your suggestions are not to be held accountable so if you tell me its not a big deal and something does happen i won’t be coming after you)

as far as where to get the parts thanks for the advise.

Barney, Thanks for the tip I. I gave it a shot and i didn’t hear any noise. so I’m going to check out the video about finding noises and see if that helps.

Thanks guys, and again if i don’t make much sense sorry..

[EricTheCarGuy]

If the strut is not installed correctly then it should be corrected. After that you can check for the nose. Acura’s don’t like shoddy work. They like good parts that are properly installed. So if you suspect faulty parts or poor installation, I would address those issues and recheck for your noises.

BTW the suggestion about ‘feeling’ for a noise was also in the article that I posted for you. There’s a lot of good information in there on how to find and repair noises.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Jon Udden]

Eric,

Makes enough since..Im going to check out the website you sent me and get my struts off of there.
After watching the video on the 08 acura tl where the sound turned out to be the engine mount, I’m thinking that this may be the problem..im going to take a look tomorrow and ill be sure to post my findings…

…where are my engine mounts however…Same spot as the 08 acuras?

[EricTheCarGuy]

Cool, keep us updated. There are 5 places where the engine and transmission mount. The front and back of the engine, the side mount you saw me replace in the video you mentioned, and 2 under the transmission. The front and side mounts are the ones that seem to wear the most.

Good luck.

[Jon Udden]

I checked out the side and front mounts and they all look good. No rubber decay, and no oil leaking out of the mounts.

This weekend im going get it on jack stands and really look into the supension parts. I looked last night with the car on the ground and i think that strut that isnt installed properlly may be bent..or the boot gives it that illusion. But the noise when driving over bumps like railroads is a ‘thud’ noise. After i diagnose the problem ill post my findings.

Thanks,

[Author]

Replies