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Hello everyone!
I have a 2007 Civic SI. About 4 years ago I installed the Honda Factory Performance Suspenspion and about two years ago I installed an aftermarket rear sway bar. This information might help you help me.
For about a few months now every time I go over a speed bump or even other bumps I hear an awful noise. The best way I can describe it is maybe two rubber things grinding against eachother? I wish I could describe the sound better. The noise is coming from both the left and right rear side. I can open the trunk and get in it and jump up and down and the noise is there. I just don’t know how to make the noise and find out what it is nor would I even know how to fix it. I also thought it might of been the rear sway bar bushings so I lubed them up, but the noise still occurs.
Any help is appreciated. The noise is driving me crazy!!
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If your lucky you’ll have access to a drive up lift, one where the wheels are on a flat surface like an alignment rack, if not you may have to either lay down while a partner moves the vehicle up and down to see if you can isolate the area the noise is coming from. Sometimes on low profile cars if a lift isn’t available you can use flat 4x4s and lay a 2×6 across them to give you extra clearance. Just put them under your wheels so the vehicle body weight is at it’s natural position, under all 4 wheels. Just a thought HTHs.
This could be anything from a leaf spring, to an unsecured spare tire bouncing around in the trunk, a broken shock, a loose muffler clunking around or maybe loose mounting hardware to a suspension problem. Have you looked underneath and checked for anything hanging or apparently out of place? while someone pushes up and down on the corners of the car? Look at the car on a level surface and see that it’s not riding low on one side or another.
Here’s some great Eric videos to get you into the ballpark and how to find the ballpark. The first one covers suspension 101 and locating noises.
This one covers rear suspension noises in Subarus but the principles are the same for just about any vehicle.
Feel free to keep us in the loop.
SparksI had a similar problem with my 07 caravan for the last 6 months. It was not consistant as on damp days it didn’t make the noise. Every time the noise was there nobody was around to rock or bounce the van so i could pinpoint the location. I lubed everything that moves and i felt it was a control arm bushing. I even removed the Left lower control arm to inspect the bushings.
Finally it made the noise when i was leaving work one day and the apprentice was still in the shop so i wheeled it onto the alignment ramp and found a sway bar bushing with my stethascope was making the noise with his help.
I have replaced bout everything there is to replace on a caravan but i never saw a sway bar bushing on one squeak like that one. They usually wear out first.
Now that i have vented….you really do need a helper sometimes.
Thank you to everyone for your replies!
I do have an aftermarket exhaust and I’ve tried to move it around while underneath the car and it doesn’t seem to make noise. I do believe it would benifit from a hanger that has stiffer rubber has it does make a little noise or hits something if I move it quite violently, but I don’t believe that is what I am hearing.
I also tried looking for the shocks having any leaks and I could not find any. I will also check the trunk to make sure the shocks are bolted up correctly.
Will a sway bar bushing make that squeaking nosie when I make the car go up and down? I think it might be them since people on my civic problem have a similar issue. I don’t know how to fix it though since the bushings aren’t bad it’s just the sway bar is a little thicker than stock and I have the stock bushings. Someone said to put teflon tape on the sway bar where the bushing hits, but I don’t know.
Thanks everyone!
Since i didn’t have new bushings for mine at the time i just removed the bushings and coated them and the bar with synthetic brake grease.
I’m not working right now so i still have not replaced them but they are still qiuet.
Sorry that I haven’t responded. I have been in the process of helping my mother get the hosue reading to sell so I’ve been extremeley busy.
How exactly do I check the endlinks? What do I look for? Thanks!
Also, if it is any help I can go over a speed bump at litterally 3mph and I will hear the noise once when the suspension compresses and then again when I just pass the speed bump when the suspension decomresses.
Thanks everyone!
[quote=”maximus20895″ post=64169]Sorry that I haven’t responded. I have been in the process of helping my mother get the hosue reading to sell so I’ve been extremeley busy.
How exactly do I check the endlinks? What do I look for? Thanks!
Also, if it is any help I can go over a speed bump at litterally 3mph and I will hear the noise once when the suspension compresses and then again when I just pass the speed bump when the suspension decomresses.
Thanks everyone![/quote]
The suspension video that was already posted will help
show the sway bar end link check. 🙂Well, my friend checked the noise as I was jumping up and down in the trunk. We both aggreed that it was something with the sway bar or endlinks.
So I took the sway bar off with the endlinks still attached to it and jumped up and down and it didn’t make the noise so I confirmed that it was either the sway bar or endlinks.
I then put teflon tape around the sway bar where the bushing go and installed it. After that I jumped on it again and it didn’t make the noise. I confirmed this by driving over several speed bumps and it still didn’t make a single noise.
So as of now I have seemed to fix it, hopefully for a really long time.
Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions I really appreciate it.
I really hate reading a thread where someone says problem fixed without posting a solution so I just thought I would post mine here.
Thanks again 🙂
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