V
Mysterious Knocking Sound
- Thread starter BurgerGuy
- Start date
Flapenn
2011 Wheel Gap Champion
- Location
- Long Beach
well so much for your buddy or that dealership hahahhaha
He's a good guy and knows his stuff. He probably checked the problematic bolts (rear two) and it was also before I hit that wicked bump in the road so it may not have even been broken at the time...maybe just loose.
Bumping this as my lovely clunking/cracking sound is still present. Here's what else has been done since my last update:
-All sub-frame bolts replaced and torqued
-Swapped out rear LCA bushing with Whiteline ALK
-Replaced front LCA bushing with new OEM bushing
-Replaced bolts/nuts for FSB brackets
Upon examination of the stock rear LCA bushing housing it was clear that when I bottomed out in Atlanta that they made contact with the ground. The front facing lip of the housing was marred and bent backward at a 75* angle vs. the flat 90* a brand new one would be (if using the car from front to back as a 180* line). I've acquired a used set of FSB brackets to see if perhaps the ball joints are going bad or already bad, but there's no visual indication that they have. How could I check this?
Other thoughts:
-Ball joints?
-Tie rod end?
-CV joint?
-Some other part of the car that I don't know could be causing this sound?
Symptoms listed above in original post are all still the same, however, the loudest cracking/clunking occurs when making right-hand turns. I verified this last night by making sharp turns in col de sacs
I also have the Unibrace XB and UB installed on the car, but the noises happen nowhere near those areas. I don't want to put any additional money towards the car hoping to fix this issue until I know what it actually is. The sound can also be clearly heard outside. Perhaps louder there than inside the car itself.
-All sub-frame bolts replaced and torqued
-Swapped out rear LCA bushing with Whiteline ALK
-Replaced front LCA bushing with new OEM bushing
-Replaced bolts/nuts for FSB brackets
Upon examination of the stock rear LCA bushing housing it was clear that when I bottomed out in Atlanta that they made contact with the ground. The front facing lip of the housing was marred and bent backward at a 75* angle vs. the flat 90* a brand new one would be (if using the car from front to back as a 180* line). I've acquired a used set of FSB brackets to see if perhaps the ball joints are going bad or already bad, but there's no visual indication that they have. How could I check this?
Other thoughts:
-Ball joints?
-Tie rod end?
-CV joint?
-Some other part of the car that I don't know could be causing this sound?
Symptoms listed above in original post are all still the same, however, the loudest cracking/clunking occurs when making right-hand turns. I verified this last night by making sharp turns in col de sacs
I also have the Unibrace XB and UB installed on the car, but the noises happen nowhere near those areas. I don't want to put any additional money towards the car hoping to fix this issue until I know what it actually is. The sound can also be clearly heard outside. Perhaps louder there than inside the car itself.
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waht kind of suspension are you on? if you're dropped , you may need lower front end links... that will get rid of the angle that you have....
http://golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107928&highlight=endlinks
http://golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107928&highlight=endlinks
Bumping this as my lovely clunking/cracking sound is still present. Here's what else has been done since my last update:
-All sub-frame bolts replaced and torqued
-Swapped out rear LCA bushing with Whiteline ALK
-Replaced front LCA bushing with new OEM bushing
-Replaced bolts/nuts for FSB brackets
Upon examination of the stock rear LCA bushing housing it was clear that when I bottomed out in Atlanta that they made contact with the ground. The front facing lip of the housing was marred and bent backward at a 75* angle vs. the flat 90* a brand new one would be (if using the car from front to back as a 180* line). I've acquired a used set of FSB brackets to see if perhaps the ball joints are going bad or already bad, but there's no visual indication that they have. How could I check this?
Other thoughts:
-Ball joints?
-Tie rod end?
-CV joint?
-Some other part of the car that I don't know could be causing this sound?
Symptoms listed above in original post are all still the same, however, the loudest cracking/clunking occurs when making right-hand turns. I verified this last night by making sharp turns in col de sacs
I also have the Unibrace XB and UB installed on the car, but the noises
happen nowhere near those areas. I don't want to put any additional money towards the car hoping to fix this issue until I know what it actually is. The sound can also be clearly heard outside. Perhaps louder there than inside the car itself.
A friend suggested this, but I had read elsewhere (here or Vortex) that changing the length of the end links would alter the geometry. I'm no suspension wizard so it made me a bit wary. I suppose the real question then is how much shorter would they need to be? I know a local guy who built a set of FSB end links that are adjustable.
My signature has most of the mods that are on the car. I'm running on H&R Supersports w/ Koni Yellows.
Edit: That guy is actually the dude who posted a link to his own thread in the one you linked me to about making a set of adjustable end links
My signature has most of the mods that are on the car. I'm running on H&R Supersports w/ Koni Yellows.
Edit: That guy is actually the dude who posted a link to his own thread in the one you linked me to about making a set of adjustable end links
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A friend suggested this, but I had read elsewhere (here or Vortex) that changing the length of the end links would alter the geometry. I'm no suspension wizard so it made me a bit wary. I suppose the real question then is how much shorter would they need to be? I know a local guy who built a set of FSB end links that are adjustable.
My signature has most of the mods that are on the car. I'm running on H&R Supersports w/ Koni Yellows.
Edit: That guy is actually the dude who posted a link to his own thread in the one you linked me to about making a set of adjustable end links
short enough so that the angle becomes 90 degrees agian.
doesnt hurt to try!
Bumping this again for an update.
Installed a set of adjustable front sway bar end links and wow! I gotta say it feels a lot better. After taking the car for a spin I got no clunking noises whatsoever. I did also change the setting on the front bar to the stiffest from the middle which is probably why it feels a bit better.
There is some bad to this though. On my way home from work today I got the clunk/popping noise when braking and also got it when going up the curb into my driveway. Nowhere near as loud, but it's still there. I'm wondering what else could be causing this noise. Perhaps sway bar brackets? I didn't see any rubbing on the upper portion of the sub frame indicating that it's moving around, but that spacer fix is pretty inexpensive. Thoughts?
Installed a set of adjustable front sway bar end links and wow! I gotta say it feels a lot better. After taking the car for a spin I got no clunking noises whatsoever. I did also change the setting on the front bar to the stiffest from the middle which is probably why it feels a bit better.
There is some bad to this though. On my way home from work today I got the clunk/popping noise when braking and also got it when going up the curb into my driveway. Nowhere near as loud, but it's still there. I'm wondering what else could be causing this noise. Perhaps sway bar brackets? I didn't see any rubbing on the upper portion of the sub frame indicating that it's moving around, but that spacer fix is pretty inexpensive. Thoughts?
Built adjustable end links. Same hardware that rbradley used in his thread: http://www.golfmkv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123258&highlight=endlinks
I have the Unibrace underbody brace on the car and I'm going to try loosening all the bolts and re-tightening them to see that's it. I've had the opportunity to drive around a bit this week and the car has been quiet in all the sections of road around town that typically caused the noise to occur. The ball joints could just be a little noisy, but I'm not certain. Since the pop/clunking sound has become much quieter and infrequent I'm no longer frustrated, but curious as what else could be causing the sound.
I have the Unibrace underbody brace on the car and I'm going to try loosening all the bolts and re-tightening them to see that's it. I've had the opportunity to drive around a bit this week and the car has been quiet in all the sections of road around town that typically caused the noise to occur. The ball joints could just be a little noisy, but I'm not certain. Since the pop/clunking sound has become much quieter and infrequent I'm no longer frustrated, but curious as what else could be causing the sound.
I'll have to check the end links again this weekend as the popping/clunking noises have increased. I'm thinking the suspension settled more than it was when initially lowering the car off the jack stand which means I need to re-adjust the end links again. Best way to get this right (in my mind) is to loosen the jam nuts, disconnect the lower end of the end links, let the car sit overnight, and then adjust them the next morning. I'm getting back to the :mad0259: state. Would be wonderful if I could get it fixed for good...
update please!!
Cbus mkv
Lowcally Famous
- Location
- Dayton, Ohio
such an interesting thread, ive had a million different types of clunks, rubs, scrapes, rattle, etc noises. Im out to just replace everything OP has and maybe everything will go away like magic :thumbsup: great thread!