Pop from rear when when accelerating from stop

[Elijah Watson]

My girlfriends car, a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire (173k, 2.2 ecotec, 4spd auto..) has developed a problem, which I’m assuming lies within the rear brakes. Occasionally, when you come to a stop and then go to accelerate, you’ll hear (and to a certain extent, feel) a loud pop noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. I can’t hear nor feel which side it’s coming from, nor can I provide any information as to when it happens, as my girlfriend doesn’t pay enough attention and when I drive it it seems entirely random. I’m far from an expert when it comes to those pain in the ass drum breaks, but the brakes seem to have plenty of pad to them, and the drums, while as rusty as expected, looked pretty okay too. I’m unsure when the last time the rear breaks were serviced (if ever, I’ve seen rear pads last a long time!) and being in that I’m far from an expert as far as rear brakes go, I figured I’d ask around and see where you guys think I should start.

Another quick question. Her car was making kind of ticking noise, which I was informed may be a sticking lifter, and considering the mileage/value of the car it probably wouldn’t be worth messing with. Well, I recently gave it an (very) long overdue oil change (<1200 miles ago) and the ticking went away. In the last 80 miles or so, the ticking has came back (not as loud as before) and I was told (by another guy) that I might want to give it another oil change before the normal 3-4000 mile mark to help get out all the sludge that her previous lack of oil changes caused. Is there any truth to this, or should I just wait the extra 1800 miles? And furthermore, what oil brand would be recommended? I know that many brands claim to clean out the engine, but does any of them really make a difference? I've used Valvoline conventional for every oil change I've ever done because it's cheap ($16/gal at wally world), but if there is anything that would be better in this situation, I'd gladly pay an extra few bucks for it.

(edit: I guess my second ‘quick’ question became longer than my first. Hah.)

Topic

[supra]

Usually, it’s the front strut with a broken spring on it that make that pop noise when you are turning.

If from the rear, you need to check on the rear suspension.
The pop noise could also come from the exhaust.

[college man]

here is a video on drum brakes.Your best bet would be to
make sure the rear brakes are adjusted properly.and nothing
is broken or seized.follow this video.

[dreamer2355]

+1 on the adjustment of the rear drum brakes.

As for the oil, Penzoil in the yellow bottle has allot of detergents in that allot of people use for a engine that has not been maintained correctly.

I would stay away from any type of engine flush as they usually do more harm than good.

Here is a great website for all things oil related –

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=cfrm

Just make sure you resist the temptation of running a ‘thicker’ oil and stay with the OE specs.

The lifter noise you hear may just be from the engine becoming worn or you have a possible issue with the hydraulic lifters.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Many times the rear shoes wear a groove in the backing plate causing the shoes to stick at times and when they release it makes a noise similar to what you describe. I cover that to some extent in the above video.

As for the ticking noise lack of oil will cause increased wear on internal parts and as the clearances between those parts get larger you’ll normally get noise. That said if oil changes help keep things quiet then by all means change the oil but know that the parts are probably already worn and would need to be replaced in order to fully eliminate the noise.

[Andy White]

I Have the Same Noise in my 95 Chevy Truck Every once an a while i come to a stop and relece the brake and i hear a Bang in my rear end its just the brakes nothin to really worry about but if ya want to get rid of the noise just take the drums off and have them machined i believe this should solve the problem. Me i havent messed with mine yet and i dont plan too.

[Daniel]

Sometimes noises can sound (or feel) like they come from the back when they infact are coming from the front. If the noise happens when you hit a bump or excelerate it is most likely a bad bushing or sway bar end. If it tends to make noise more often when you are turning it is more likely a ball joint or a cv joint. Because of the mileage I would check all of these anyway.
As far as type of oil I would use what ever brand and type is recommended by the manufacturer.
As far as the tapping, you might want to do a tune-up and see if that helps. Check the trans fluid too.
I just found this site today, it may be helpful if you have to replace anything http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairinfo/repairInfoLanding.jsp

[EricTheCarGuy]

Finding noises

Suspension noises

[Pat]

im not very familiar with that model car, but dont rule out the transmission mounting bracket on the cross member if it is a rear wheel drive. “heck maybe even a front wheel drive too, not sure about that one tho.” but if it is mounted to a cross member and the mount uses a rubber type bracket to give it flex “as i had on an 89 ta” then ya. thats probably the problem trans flexing too much and hitting the bottom of the car on take off “lead foot syndrome” also i would check for a broken or loose exhaust hanger. it would allow the same type of “bump” when the car squated on takeoff.

HOpe you get her fixed. have a good one

[Author]

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