The Acura Legend & Acura RL Forum - View Single Post

antik · 11-25-07, 03:05 PM

Haha... good lookin' out having a shop on hand and everything!

Clunks over bumps could be any of the dozens of parts in a suspension unfortunately. If you would prefer to DIY I'll take a stab at what you should look into... I'm sure some folks who've done more suspension work then I will have plenty of info as well.

Start by moving to each corner of the car, push down on the fender so that the spring is loaded and release... the car should snap back to it's normal position but not bounce beyond it an oscelate. If there's no oscelation whatsoever, odds are your struts are ok. For added certainty, crawl under the car and examine each strut: when they blow, the dampener fluid contained inside of them leaks everywhere and you should be able to see it.

Decide which is making more noise: front or back.

Raise the car so that a wheel on the side chosen above is well off the ground. Position your hands at 12 and 6 o'clock and push/pull - any movement here suggest worn ball joints. On the front, do the same at 3 and 9 o'clock: movement here suggests worn tie rods.

Could also be the end links on the sway bars: the only way I know to test that is to crawl under the car and look at them, make sure the sway bar bushings are intact and look good as well as the arms on either and of the sway bar.

Finally, check the control arm bushings - their appearance should reveal enough about their condition to judge whether or not they need replacement (as far as I know).

If you're going to examine all these things, be sure to do it in an order that doesn't have you lifting the same side of the car up and down multiple times and always use caution when climbing under a car (jackstands ftw!).

11-25-07, 03:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
antik Obsessive Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 3,927 Car 1: 98.5 BMW M3 Coupe 5MT Car 2: 95 L Sedan Car 3: 95 6MT Coupe (Dad's) iTrader: (5)	Haha... good lookin' out having a shop on hand and everything! Clunks over bumps could be any of the dozens of parts in a suspension unfortunately. If you would prefer to DIY I'll take a stab at what you should look into... I'm sure some folks who've done more suspension work then I will have plenty of info as well. Start by moving to each corner of the car, push down on the fender so that the spring is loaded and release... the car should snap back to it's normal position but not bounce beyond it an oscelate. If there's no oscelation whatsoever, odds are your struts are ok. For added certainty, crawl under the car and examine each strut: when they blow, the dampener fluid contained inside of them leaks everywhere and you should be able to see it. Decide which is making more noise: front or back. Raise the car so that a wheel on the side chosen above is well off the ground. Position your hands at 12 and 6 o'clock and push/pull - any movement here suggest worn ball joints. On the front, do the same at 3 and 9 o'clock: movement here suggests worn tie rods. Could also be the end links on the sway bars: the only way I know to test that is to crawl under the car and look at them, make sure the sway bar bushings are intact and look good as well as the arms on either and of the sway bar. Finally, check the control arm bushings - their appearance should reveal enough about their condition to judge whether or not they need replacement (as far as I know). If you're going to examine all these things, be sure to do it in an order that doesn't have you lifting the same side of the car up and down multiple times and always use caution when climbing under a car (jackstands ftw!). __________________ ~Ben Canterbury Green '95 Auto L Sedan ADDCO \| MLS \| KNUKONCEPTZ \| ALPINE \| ECLIPSE \| JL AUDIO \| BOSTON ACOUSTICS