Hi all,

I'm trying to determine if I have a failed rear strut based on a rattle that I've isolated to the left rear suspension. I've checked the tightness of the usual suspects in narrowing down the rattle (sway bar, rear latch, mounting bolts for the strut, etc.). Is there a test I can perform to confirm the diagnosis? When the car is on jack stands and the wheel is off nothing seems to be loose or moving. Do I need to put load on the suspension to test?

Thanks,

Dave

 

Dave, the two most common signs would be a harsh bumpy ride, and i f you have the strut out of the car compress it and it will have little to no rebound.

 

I had a rattle back there for a while. It was from my swaybar endlink. I tightened it but the sound came back and never went away untill I got all 4 of my rear control arms replaced.

 

i blame it on my isp...

 

Thanks for the feedback. I took it to an independent shop and was told that the endlinks have excessive play, and should try replacing those before going for the struts. I'll keep you posted...

 

MiniStupidfun, Is this a bad strut?

 

I doubt that shock is blown.
It seemed like the shock had plenty of resistance

 

I'm pretty sure that video if of a "strutnapping", and the clip is part of the demand for ransom, given the gloved, headless perpetrator.

OK, so the main noise I was hearing was in fact the sway bar link on that side. With a new one installed I can still hear some faint strut noise which my technician believes is due to worn shock tops. Since the ride is fine and there is no leakage from the struts I will put off replacing them.

 

Thanks. It does seem to have good resistance; I was worried about how slow it came back up but thanks!

My issue is that I have replaced some Tein springs with the stock units and have hand issues with rattling from the rear ever since. Much like ProfDave I've check just about everything. The end links are good and tight, the swaybar is good and tight, the mounting bolts are good and tight and the hatch doesn't appear to be the issue. I've taken the entire shock assembly on both sides apart twice but the noise continues and I was almost hoping the shocks were the problem as I'm not sure what else to look into.

The strut has been returned to it's rightful location so any concern for it's safety can be laid to rest. :-)

 

Was the rattle constant or did it only do it when there was an uneven surface present? I am hav ing the rattling sound as well.

 

Update: Well, I suspect I have the same problem as nabeshin mentioned. The rattle is back after only two weeks of having my end link replaced. Anyone know what it costs to have control arms replaced (rear, one side only)?

 

I seem to be having the same rattle issue with the rear driver side. Damn Minnesota winter roads!

Everything is tight, and I don't see any broken parts.

I do, however, see a greasy residue on the driver side rear strut, whereas the passenger side is basically dry.

I installed Koni FSDs less than a year ago. Could this be the source of the rattle? If so, would Koni warranty this? They have 25,000 miles on them. Should both rears be replaced?

If Koni doesn't replace them, what else would you recommend considering?

 

I'm not sure why the endlink stopped rattling after the control arms were replaced. The part was not touched during install.

 

So it looks like my driver's side rear has a broken seal. I had Stinky up again yesterday, and the only apparent issue is oil residue all over the driver's side rear strut; spring and shock. I'm working with Koni on getting a warranty replacement.

Anyone have thoughts on whether I should chip in the extra money and replace both rears? I have over 25,000 miles on the FSDs. The additional cost would be $127 plus shipping.