Bad knocking sound on full lock

[Gti Dave]

Hey thanks for the input guys. My car has been lowered but the problem had existed prior to Amy lowering or downpipe upgrades and did go away for a while after lowering but has suddenly increased in frequency and volume. It kind of sounds like an initial creaking sound like a solid object is being twisted and then the moment the car gets moving the knocking sound occurs. This only occurs at close to or at full lock turning right. I've also recently noticed that it happens more so when the car is cold or first thing in the morning.

[Jmac]

Now sound like a strut top mount matey
Jmac

[Gti Dave]

Thanks Jmac. Any ideas what this may cost me if it is the strut top mounts? Hopefully it will be covered under warranty. Is it a common problem (with or without lowering)? Thanks

[noone]

Sounds similar to what I had before I changed mine.

Topmounts don't last long on lowered cars from what I've been told. Have a look at my topmounts thread for a picture of what the good bearings looked like (the bad ones went to pieces) and that was <20,000 kms.

Think the bearings were 40-60 each and the topmounts were a little more.

Something like $200 plus labour (from what Pierre told me).

[seangti]

I too think I have this same issue, car has done 23k, and maybe 8k since lowering. Is this perhaps due to the mismatched spring strut combo (with the H&R's) causing a massive increase in wear, or are others that have done the complete change getting this too???

I was actually thinking the sound was more likely to be the sway bar creaking in the bushes as the wheels "collapse" on full lock like they are meant too. I too have only noticed it on full lock turning right.

I'd struggle to believe it's a CV joint going already and the knock doesn't transmit back through the steering wheel - which I've felt on the odd car I've driven with buggered CV's.

[Jmac]

I too think I have this same issue, car has done 23k, and maybe 8k since lowering. Is this perhaps due to the mismatched spring strut combo (with the H&R's) causing a massive increase in wear, or are others that have done the complete change getting this too???

I was actually thinking the sound was more likely to be the sway bar creaking in the bushes as the wheels "collapse" on full lock like they are meant too. I too have only noticed it on full lock turning right.

I'd struggle to believe it's a CV joint going already and the knock doesn't transmit back through the steering wheel - which I've felt on the odd car I've driven with buggered CV's.

I agree , its hard to imagine a CV joint this early. Sean a pint you have picked up on there about the sway bars, i have noticed more so with the larger sway bars that they tend to creep left to right, the whiteline bars have stoppers on them to stop this but they seem to still move. The bar then hits the alloy console that houses the control arm bush, it has little clearance already and even more so when the big sway is on there. There is some fine adjustment on the console. This has an elongated hole to allow movement. Seeing this more and more,i fitted 2 clamps in adition to the whiteline ones to see if it stops this creep condition, ill await the result
cheers
Jmac

[seangti]

Jimmy, on the flip side of trying to stop it moving, would it be worth greasing it up so that it can move (within it's tolerance) which would stop the creaking/knock?

It's surprising how much noise will be reverberated into the car from the sway bar creaking. This was a common issue on the subaru's, though with after market rear sway bars. Add grease to the mounts and noises disappear.

I haven't spent enough time under the car to see how close the sway bar sits to other bits, all I know is it looks like a mongrel of a job to swap it over.

[Tim]

The problem with allowing too much lateral movement is that this will then cause the grease to slowly be shed as it then gets smeared/contaminated. That then leads to noise/high maintenance which tends to bother a lot of people

[Jmac]

Jimmy, on the flip side of trying to stop it moving, would it be worth greasing it up so that it can move (within it's tolerance) which would stop the creaking/knock?

It's surprising how much noise will be reverberated into the car from the sway bar creaking. This was a common issue on the subaru's, though with after market rear sway bars. Add grease to the mounts and noises disappear.

I haven't spent enough time under the car to see how close the sway bar sits to other bits, all I know is it looks like a mongrel of a job to swap it over.

I was meaning the sway creeps sideways, the creaking is during its spring action, gets pretty hot down there with the exhaust close by, thus making it dry, ive used high temp molycote on most of the sways ive doen and all seem to be coping with it so far
Cheers
Jmac

[noone]

I may have broken another bearing on the front right (can see part of the seal has split). I would not have done 1000kms on them.