BayAreaLex

Hi folks,

It seems that a smorgasbord of CL members have complained about their coilovers making noise - rattling, popping, clunking when going over uneven surfaces or when turning (most often at low speeds). Sometimes, these noises could be more or less noticeable at extreme cold or hot temps.

I've heard people say things like, "It's expected that aftermarket coilovers are going to have unwanted noises so just live with it." That's not true. Although coilovers typically aren't as durable as conventional coil springs/dampers and noises are sometimes common, there is absolutely no reason that your coilovers should be making unwanted noises if they are in good condition and everything is installed properly.

So for the folks that are experiencing the noise, what's causing it? Well, according to Megan Racing, the noises (assuming they are coilover related and not something else in your suspension and your locking rings and pre-load are set correctly) can come from two places.

The first is from the pillow ball bearings within your strut tower plate. If you are getting noises while going over bumps, this is a likely thing to look into.

The second is coil spring bind. If you are hearing noises when you turn, this is a likely thing to look at.


1.) Check the nut at the top of the coilovers and make sure that it is tight. These can get loose over time and cause problems. Since it's the easiest thing to check, do it first. If you have Megan coilovers, the top nut will be 17mm and the torque spec is 50-60 ft-lbs. You can use an Allen key to prevent the strut shaft from rotating along with a box wrench. You can also use an impact gun, but be careful to not over tighten.

2.) You may be getting metal to metal contact and may need to service/grease your coilovers. Unfortunately, this involves removing them. You can see in the image below where Megan Racing recommends that you apply grease (regular shop grease is fine) to the areas in green:

CoilBindRemedy.jpg?t=1282084397

Also, check the pillow ball bearings for play. They should be nice and tight with no up/down or side to side play.


The next two I've read about but take them with a grain of salt as I have not verified this myself.

3.) Some folks argue that if you are using a spring that has the coils (sometimes you see this with the dead coil) really close together, the coils can make contact under compression or rebound and make a sound when going over large (high amplitude) bumps or potholes. For these coils you can use a thin rubber sleeve to prevent the metal to metal contact, as shown below:



4.) Some folks argue that "helper" springs are critical when running coilovers. The helper springs put constant tension on the coil spring and prevent any gaps that make occur between the spring and the spring perches under high amplitude stress.



Here is more information from Megan Racing: http://www.meganracing.com/new/tech/...m%20coilovers?

I've owned coilover equipped cars with absolutely no noise of any kind coming from the coilovers, so it's certainly possible.

BayAreaLex

SUMMARY from Megan Racing:

A clunk on the front of a McPherson can be any number of things, as mentioned before, I would check these in the following order:

1) The top 17mm nut, is it loose? Tighten it to be sure. A 5mm hex tool/allen head will be required for this step.

2) If not #1, removal and disassembly of the coilover is required to check the following:

a) Pillow Ball mount-- there should be no play. It can pivot as it is a pillow ball, but the pillow ball itself should not have any play within its housing.

b) Upper and Lower bearing that is inserted into the pillow ball. Check for out-of-roundness, it should fit flush into the pillow ball mount.

c) If none of those are suspect, the strut itself may have incurred internal damage. If this is the case, the strut needs to be discharged and disassembled in order to be diagnosed.