So, I believe my STi has joined the rear strut clunk club.
For several days I was trying to figure out what was rolling around in the trunk, or back seat, or somewhere. A dissettling feeling that occurs when stopping or accelerating.
Then I started to suspect the suspension. I can reproduce the clunk sound by pushing the the driver side rear of the car up/down.
Push push push = clunk clunk clunk
I read several posts at this site, as well as the 22 pager on NASIOC regarding the topic. My symptoms appear consistent with a right rear strut problem. I will be taking the car into the dealer next week, and post their diagnosis.
I'm already part of the club, welcome i guess. I've got a call from my dealer that my replacement struts are in and would I be able to bring my car in Monday AM. Ummm ya I can do that. They are replacing both rear struts under warrenty even though I have Pinks and tophats. I beleive they will want to align it also. I get the most noise when there are very small movements like backing off the driveway onto the street or driving slowly on broken surfaces. If I stand on the rear door sill and bounce it does the same thing as what you're discribing. clunk, clunk, clunk. Mine does it on both sides. :evil:
I assume by replacing the struts that this noise goes away? I too have this and took it into the dealer and of course they couldn't reproduce the noise or the feeling.
Mine's an'04 with 44,500kms, a little shy of 30k miles. It should all work out in the end. I'll know Monday night. I was told that it is an "internal strut failure." Hope you are able to get yours fixed under warranty.
I assume by replacing the struts that this noise goes away? I too have this and took it into the dealer and of course they couldn't reproduce the noise or the feeling.
ScoreBo, have one person sit in the rear seat on the side in question. With the door open, stand on the door sill and gently bounce. They should hear the noise right behind them from the package shelf area. Hope that helps, good luck.
I just pushed on the outside very lightly and heard the noise. I have been feeling the "dissettling" feeling and tried to explain this to my dealer with no avail. I am making an appt on Monday to get this taken care of. I am going to see if they will put on pinks and tophats too. Thanks for the help.
Change the rear strut will solve the problem for short time and it com back. I hear people say the main problem is the sturt top mount is too soft for high rate spring and the strut itself. if you change to groupN top mount will solve the problem, i may try it later. In winter time it make more noise and louder. It is so lound when i go in the undergroup parking.
I have not been monitoring the clunk for more than a week. It is a soft reverberant sound that feels like something heavy loose in the trunk. The sensation is the most prevalent during sharp stops, and softer at quick acceleration. It is easiest to detect when stopping quickly while out of gear and without distractions (e.g., no radio, windows up, etc.).
Now that we're on the 30's, I hear my clunk more noticeable. Under warm temperatures it gets worse, so come spring I'll buy a new strut.
I haven't been monitoring it long enough to note relationships to temperature. You should ask for warranty service like Sideoiler - the worst they can do is say "no."
===========
As for endlinks... it is an excellent suggestion, and something I've been considering. A cursory visual inspection indicated nothing out of the ordinary -- but I have not raised the rear of the car and done a true inspection. It is so damn cold in the garage - I'd rather just take it to the dealer. [/lazyness]
Change the rear strut will solve the problem for short time and it com back. I hear people say the main problem is the sturt top mount is too soft for high rate spring and the strut itself. if you change to groupN top mount will solve the problem, i may try it later. In winter time it make more noise and louder. It is so lound when i go in the undergroup parking.
I have the group N top hats installed. My noise got progressively louder over time no matter what the outside temp was. Recently hit -52C and the sound level didn't change, although the entire cabin rattled like a WW1 tank.
I think if I have the struts replaced and they fail, I'll look to the aftermarket for solutions. I mean they aren't that complicated, and there are many options to consider, I'd just rather not have to fork out the extra coin but I will to remain sane. It's that annoying.
So the groupN tops don't help eh?! As far as I've heard, that seemed to be the only solution to this problem??
I'm suprised Subaru didn't catch this problem on the production lines. They are definately aware of this but are slow to react. A friend of mine wrote to SOC explaining the suspension knocking, he got a reply letter stating that they were aware of this problem, but it hasn't caused "performance issues" with the cars handling so they're not really looking into it that much...???
Well, I have this problem was well. I have an 05 with 11k miles. It started a good month ago and has been getting louder. Sounds like my left strut is falling off when I accelerate from a stop or come to a stop. Its a very annoying sound that makes our 34k sports car sound like a Hyundai. Is Subaru's only fix for this to replace the rear struts?
I guess I'm stuck bringin it to the dealer. Been too lazy to even do that...lol.
Mine started last week, and I have had pinks and group N hardened tops for 2 months. I have about 11k miles. It sounds like something is loose and banging in the trunk, especially when going over bumps at low to moderate speeds. Checked the tightness and position of everything -- It's got to be the struts. This is something Subaru knows about but won't address. I have too many aftermarket parts on the car for the dealer to warranty the struts. Very frustrating, to say the least.
Yeah, I'd definately get them to look at it. I'll take a look at the old ones that come off my car tomorrow and see if I can see anything that would account for the noise.
I actually read a large portion of that NASIOC thread. There were a couple of mentions of lubricating under a dust seal on the strut and they did not have the problem come back. Has anyone tried this? Got any pics of this lube point? I don't have the clunk (yet) but it would be nice to have a solution if and when it shows up (or maybe prevent it).
I contacted my local dealer and made an appointment for Thursday. The clunk sound is much worse today - which makes me wonder if...
a) While my car make it to Thursday?
b) Is the sound temp related, like others have suggested? It is about 20 degF warmer today than the previous week.
One funny thing on my brief phone call. The service manager said... "Do you have an Outback or a Legacy?" :lol: I thought they sold a few more models than that. Kind of reminded me of one of my favorite Blues Brothers lines... "We have both kinds - country AND western."
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: That's classic!! I had mine replaced yesterday, took about three hours and everything is back to good.
Here I thought you drove an STI all this time... :wink:
Jeff
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
IW STi Forum
4.1M posts
121.3K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to Subaru Impreza and STI owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, engine builds, exhaust, modifications, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!