So many problems... (rear/suspension)
09-04-2006, 03:56 PM
#1
Staging Lane
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So many problems... (rear/suspension) This will probably be a long read...
My car has been making more and more noises lately that I'll explain in a second. I took it to my uncle, a mechanic, and had him check some things out. The car got put up on a lift, some banging and tire turning was done, and I was told I have a bad rearend. So...
1. The rear - When the car was up on the lift, my uncle turned the tires back and forth. There was a clanging noise, and he said I had too much slop in the gears, and something having to do with the yoke was bad. The rear makes a noise when I put it in Reverse or Drive, but I'm pretty sure that's natural for an A4. I'm *fairly* sure there is no noise when upshifting through the gears, no noise when turning, but there is a thunk when downshifting, usually when I'm braking from speeds over 20. So, do I need to get a second job and buy a new rear?
2. Front driver's side shock - Just did this the other day. Car was on the ground, and I went around and beat on all 4 tires. The front driver's side made a noise, so I investigated. First of all, the plastic inner wheel well is not so much attached to the body anymore. I tried to screw it back in, but at least 2 of the screws attaching it to the wheel well are stripped, so they don't hold too well. Anyway, after opening the hood and beating on it more, there is definitely a sound coming from the top of that shock. When driving with the windows up, there is a slight wobbling sound coming from that general direction, so that could be it. Suggestions?
3. Front passenger something - This one's the doozie. Any time I hit the slightest irregularity in the road, there's a loud clunk/thunk/wobble sound coming from what I believe is the front passenger side of the car. When I bought the car, I was told it was a rear swaybar bushing. That seems to be a lie. This sound is also weird because it first sounded like it was coming from the rear, but passengers have said it's the front. There is no way I can reproduce the sound without actually driving it, and a quick visual check underneath didn't really reveal much. I didn't check every single nut, but nothing looked bad. Any help?
4. Rear calipers. This one goes back to my uncle. Before he said it was my rearend, he hit the wheels a couple times, listened, and said I had loose caliper bolts, and that I'd need new calipers. The car seems to brake just fine, and he later said that it was rearend noise. Any way to tell if my calipers are bad?
5. The locknut - The main reason I can't check out the suspension, along with not having jackstands yet. The douche that I bought the car from didn't give me the tool to loosen the locknut on my wheels. So I couldn't take these things off if I wanted to. Do you think I could get a replacement from a Chevy dealer or something?
Those are the major problems. There are other various noises, but I think those are the kind that could be fixed with SFC's. I'm going to try to take the car to a dealer sometime this week, but I don't want to get anally raped so I thought I might ask here first. Sorry for the length, but it sounds like my poor baby is going to fall apart when I drive it down the road.
Oh and anyone that lives by me that would want to ride in the car to get a better idea, just let me know. I'll buy you a six-pack or something for your time.
My car has been making more and more noises lately that I'll explain in a second. I took it to my uncle, a mechanic, and had him check some things out. The car got put up on a lift, some banging and tire turning was done, and I was told I have a bad rearend. So...
1. The rear - When the car was up on the lift, my uncle turned the tires back and forth. There was a clanging noise, and he said I had too much slop in the gears, and something having to do with the yoke was bad. The rear makes a noise when I put it in Reverse or Drive, but I'm pretty sure that's natural for an A4. I'm *fairly* sure there is no noise when upshifting through the gears, no noise when turning, but there is a thunk when downshifting, usually when I'm braking from speeds over 20. So, do I need to get a second job and buy a new rear?
2. Front driver's side shock - Just did this the other day. Car was on the ground, and I went around and beat on all 4 tires. The front driver's side made a noise, so I investigated. First of all, the plastic inner wheel well is not so much attached to the body anymore. I tried to screw it back in, but at least 2 of the screws attaching it to the wheel well are stripped, so they don't hold too well. Anyway, after opening the hood and beating on it more, there is definitely a sound coming from the top of that shock. When driving with the windows up, there is a slight wobbling sound coming from that general direction, so that could be it. Suggestions?
3. Front passenger something - This one's the doozie. Any time I hit the slightest irregularity in the road, there's a loud clunk/thunk/wobble sound coming from what I believe is the front passenger side of the car. When I bought the car, I was told it was a rear swaybar bushing. That seems to be a lie. This sound is also weird because it first sounded like it was coming from the rear, but passengers have said it's the front. There is no way I can reproduce the sound without actually driving it, and a quick visual check underneath didn't really reveal much. I didn't check every single nut, but nothing looked bad. Any help?
4. Rear calipers. This one goes back to my uncle. Before he said it was my rearend, he hit the wheels a couple times, listened, and said I had loose caliper bolts, and that I'd need new calipers. The car seems to brake just fine, and he later said that it was rearend noise. Any way to tell if my calipers are bad?
5. The locknut - The main reason I can't check out the suspension, along with not having jackstands yet. The douche that I bought the car from didn't give me the tool to loosen the locknut on my wheels. So I couldn't take these things off if I wanted to. Do you think I could get a replacement from a Chevy dealer or something?
Those are the major problems. There are other various noises, but I think those are the kind that could be fixed with SFC's. I'm going to try to take the car to a dealer sometime this week, but I don't want to get anally raped so I thought I might ask here first. Sorry for the length, but it sounds like my poor baby is going to fall apart when I drive it down the road.
Oh and anyone that lives by me that would want to ride in the car to get a better idea, just let me know. I'll buy you a six-pack or something for your time.
09-06-2006, 12:22 PM
#2
Staging Lane
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Bump...
I have the odd feeling that #3 is just a completely broken shock. Because #2 seems to be getting louder, and I know exactly where that sound is coming from.
Problem is, I don't know what a completely broken shock sounds like, or if it's just a bushing or something.
Can anyone help?
I have the odd feeling that #3 is just a completely broken shock. Because #2 seems to be getting louder, and I know exactly where that sound is coming from.
Problem is, I don't know what a completely broken shock sounds like, or if it's just a bushing or something.
Can anyone help?
09-07-2006, 05:37 AM
#3
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2 and 3 Replace the shocks w/ new ones.. yours are shot to hell and back.
4 take the brakes apart and bolt the calaper back in place w/ no rotor. have someone push the brakes and you watch the pistions and see if they move. If not, its bad. If so, take the part that slides off of the caliper and grease it real good and then put everything back together.
5 take it to a local tire shop, they can do it for like 10 bucks.. DO NOT go to GM, $50 min. then go get some from Autozone or something.
4 take the brakes apart and bolt the calaper back in place w/ no rotor. have someone push the brakes and you watch the pistions and see if they move. If not, its bad. If so, take the part that slides off of the caliper and grease it real good and then put everything back together.
5 take it to a local tire shop, they can do it for like 10 bucks.. DO NOT go to GM, $50 min. then go get some from Autozone or something.