HELP!!!! Front shock knock?????

[sticman]

Hey boys,

More dramas from my wagons front end.
I finally pulled finger and changed out my wagons front end with the KMAC control arms and V8 lowered shocks and springs last weekend and after having probs with the swaybar link pins, now I have a knocking coming from the front Passengers side.

Its not a big knock but sounds bad enough inside, kinda like metal on metal. It only happens on small bumps in the road, when the suspension just moves a little bit
So I put it up on stands and rechecked everything that I had changed on the front. All the bolts and nuts are tight and everything seems normal.

After I put the wheels back on I did this:
click here for vid

Seems to be coming from the shock itself. Them it is transferring the noise thru to the shock tower and into the rest of the body.
Can the shock itself be rooted?

Any help, once again, is appreciated

Cheers

[dannysebxr6]

Hi sticman,

Are the top shocker mounts to the strut tower ok? could be possibly worn or cracked?
Ive also found before the top ball joint for the arm to the stub axle can have excessive movement.
Also your spring could slightly be out of its seating position but hard to see.

Regards

[Jake]

My front end became noisy when I installed the KMAC kit as well, its hard to tell if that noise is the same as what I have, since I only listen to it from in the car. I just assumed its the different position the arm moves at now, I noticed when they are both evenly spaced, the noise is almost gone.. but mine are set to give me a bit of extra castor, so I've just been putting up with it.

Its more noticeable to me when I reverse out of my drive way.

[sticman]

Hi sticman,

Are the top shocker mounts to the strut tower ok? could be possibly worn or cracked?
Ive also found before the top ball joint for the arm to the stub axle can have excessive movement.
Also your spring could slightly be out of its seating position but hard to see.

Regards

Thanks Danny. Everything in and around the shocker and mount is ok and nothing out of the norm.
Had new balljoints 2 years ago and were the 1st things I checked when I noticed the noise. No rattles at all around that area at all.
I checked the spring/spring seat/mounts and all seem ok with no movement or rattle at all.

My front end became noisy when I installed the KMAC kit as well, its hard to tell if that noise is the same as what I have, since I only listen to it from in the car. I just assumed its the different position the arm moves at now, I noticed when they are both evenly spaced, the noise is almost gone.. but mine are set to give me a bit of extra castor, so I've just been putting up with it.

Its more noticeable to me when I reverse out of my drive way.

I thought that the KMACs were the cause too but everything seems all good and tight there, thanks for the input mate.
I hope that you can get to the bottom of your noise too!
I forgot to grease the bush where the control arm mounts to the KMAC properly and now am getting punished with a HELL squeaky noise over speedhumps and mean bumps. I'll see how long I can put up with it before I fix it....

It seems to me that there is a small amount of movement, then a 'clunk' from the shocker as it takes up the strain. Does that even make sense?
I mean that when up-force is applied to the shock, there is 5-10mm movement in the piston before the noise, so any little bump on the road is causing it...

[Rollin]

Did you move the shocks all the way through their travel several times before you installed them?

[sticman]

Did you move the shocks all the way through their travel several times before you installed them?

Nope. Just grabbed them from the garage and banged them in.

[Rollin]

Hmm... you're supposed to do that. When they're sitting around in the shop for months they can get air in places it's not normally supposed to be. Working them moves everything around and lubricates bits and pieces.

Try taking them out and doing it, then putting them back in.

[sticman]

Damn. I thought it sounded like the shocker had a lil bit of 'slop' in it.

Thanks Rollin, I'll take them out this weekend and pump them up.
I'll keep you posted...

[elanefairlane]

also if that doesnt fix it try checking the sway bar mounts either loose or rubbers worn and check the subframe as i had that problem and the subframe was loose

[hypeboy]

the fronts are shock and struts mount will make noise when they are going bad. consult owners manual for warranty info. not sure if it will be covered as it is a wearable item. always replace shocks or struts mount in pairs.