Suspension problems
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 27
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From: Illinois
Suspension problems Just recently changed my shocks all the way around on my 98 z28...it got lowered like an inch and a half. I took it out to test it when i was done and heard a knocking noise on my drivers side when going over bumps most of the time. So i took the front suspension apart again and made sure everything was right and everything was tight and in place. It is still doing it!? I coulnt see anything hitting against anything. Evrrything else is working fine amd nothjng else is outta wack so im just stuck. some help would be most appreciated. Thank you!
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 555
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From: NearHouston, TX
I just rebuilt my entire suspension last summer. Dunno the noise but maybe upper and lower A arms under stress, or maybe shocks are worn. check your bump stops at rear wheels, mine were tattered and I replaced with Strano red ones (had to cut off lip on chassis to fit, common). Still, could be hitting. Well, I go over bumps even with everything replaced and I DEF feel it, and suspension makes noises it didn't before but I went with the Vogtland spring which IS LOW. I replaced torque arm and first bump I hit I realized bolts were hitting chassis up there under well, so instead of removing and reversing bolts I just used pry bar and made a space for it to move freely in (a body shop guy told me that trick).
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 36
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From: Ontario
When I did my car, I did two things that caused this problem.
On one side I didn't replace the upper spring perch. Because the old one had so much corrosion on it, I actually broke out the piece that kept the shaft of the shock on the bottom side of the perch. When I had the assembly together, the nut and washer on top made it look like there wasn't anything wrong because the spring pushed it flush, but when I put it back in the car, the shaft of the shock would slide through and make the nut hit the inner wheel well.
The second time I did my suspension, I didn't tighten down the nut on the top of the shock enough, which was an easier fix
Hope this helps
On one side I didn't replace the upper spring perch. Because the old one had so much corrosion on it, I actually broke out the piece that kept the shaft of the shock on the bottom side of the perch. When I had the assembly together, the nut and washer on top made it look like there wasn't anything wrong because the spring pushed it flush, but when I put it back in the car, the shaft of the shock would slide through and make the nut hit the inner wheel well.
The second time I did my suspension, I didn't tighten down the nut on the top of the shock enough, which was an easier fix
Hope this helps
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are you fully compressing the spring and tightening down the nut with no pressure at all on it from the spring? or using the nut to compress the spring the last little bit?
sounds like you know what you're doing it but I've seen it done countless times and it causes noise
sounds like you know what you're doing it but I've seen it done countless times and it causes noise
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Was the metal sleeve intact on the upper mounts? The shock's shaft slides through that sleeve and there should be no play or wiggle in it. You also have the dog bone isolator piece put inside the mount?
New mount, intact:
Isolator:
Spring sits on the seat (looks like this) compressed with the spring compressor, mount goes on top and should sit on top of the shock shaft and not on the spring (if it does, spring needs compressed more), then the isolator fits down inside the mount, then the nut is fully tightened. Then the spring compressor is released (making sure the mount is aligned properly with the base so it can bolt up to the car straight).
I'm just trying to cover all the bases and verify.
I always recommend replacing the mounts. More often than not, if you don't replace the mounts (and I just get new isolators too, only $5/ea), you run into problems. Been there, done that! I too took apart the one side several times due to a banging noise and found that the metal sleeve had pulled out of the mount, so the shock shaft would freely move through the mount and then tap on the inside of the shock tower. Handling on that side also sucked due to the shock not damping the spring properly.
New mount, intact:
Isolator:
Spring sits on the seat (looks like this) compressed with the spring compressor, mount goes on top and should sit on top of the shock shaft and not on the spring (if it does, spring needs compressed more), then the isolator fits down inside the mount, then the nut is fully tightened. Then the spring compressor is released (making sure the mount is aligned properly with the base so it can bolt up to the car straight).
I'm just trying to cover all the bases and verify.
I always recommend replacing the mounts. More often than not, if you don't replace the mounts (and I just get new isolators too, only $5/ea), you run into problems. Been there, done that! I too took apart the one side several times due to a banging noise and found that the metal sleeve had pulled out of the mount, so the shock shaft would freely move through the mount and then tap on the inside of the shock tower. Handling on that side also sucked due to the shock not damping the spring properly.
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 27
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From: Illinois
Yeah i replaced both the mounts on each side. I thinking that its the upper ball joint due to the fact there is a creaking noise everytime i lower the vehicle now. and when i went to put the new mounts in i swiveled around the a-arm that sits on that spindle. The noise is defiently coming from the upper part of the wheelwell. Thats the next things im going to be trying and if that dont do it im getting it looked at monday
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 555
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From: NearHouston, TX
When I replaced my suspension, we noticed my rack and pinion was leaking so we just replaced with a rebuilt from Autozone. It had new inner tie rods already installed. We put moogs on the outside.
