Tein Flex Coilovers Making Clunking Sound?

PhaseTuning · 11-11-2006, 09:12 PM

I put in a set of tein flex coilovers on my 05 sti and now I hear a clunking sound in the rear (not front) when I go over any bumps. everything was installed correctly and is properly tighten, I double checked, and I cannot figure out where the sound is coming from.

anyone have this happen before?

any ideas as to what I should check?

thnx
PhASe

pj21086 · 11-11-2006, 09:35 PM

New?? Old?? How old?? It may just be from your rear sway bar.

import111 · 11-12-2006, 08:22 AM

The more you modify/change the suspension, the more noise you get. My Teins squeek a lot over small bumps, and my swaybars or my brakes or something is causing a loud knocking sound when I slow down or stop.

PhaseTuning · 11-12-2006, 08:33 AM

the teins have a few thousand on them and the car about 20k

calisti · 11-12-2006, 09:17 AM

I've had the same problem on my Apexi N1 Type v coilovers. You have to keep the shaft clean. What's happening is that the shaft is sticking as it travels in the strut housing due to dirt and lack of lubricant. Spray wd40 on the shaft, wipe the shaft down and spray again. Don't apply grease to the shaft as some of these threads suggest because it will just attract debris where the seal where the shaft meets the strut housing will scratch the shaft plus the clunking will come back quickly.

SD 05 STi · 11-12-2006, 01:53 PM

place the spanner wrenches on the collars and take a mallet to them and hammer away. worked for me. but then the sound comes back after a while. i just repeat and it goes away.

i too thought everything was tightened, but i guess not >=/

sti752 · 11-12-2006, 02:05 PM

did you adjust the rear pre load before you installed them?

PhaseTuning · 11-12-2006, 06:22 PM

I did adjust them all to 8 which is the midpoint I guess so that I could see whic way I wanted to go

I checked my rear sway and its all good

I also cleaned the dampners and the problem is still there

someone told me that it could be that the rears are bad but it seems unlikely that both are bad

I am out of ideas........HELP!!!!!

MauroMotorsports · 11-12-2006, 06:53 PM

Have you checked your endlinks? I didn't see any mention of these. If they're stock I know they don't like much abuse. Mine created horrific noises from the rear which could be associated as a clunk too! Might want to look into this, but coilovers DO make some noise. Some get some clunking and others get nothing. It's hit or miss or it has something to do with installation. I think someone mentioned pre-load and that plays a big role here.

Let us know!

PhaseTuning · 11-12-2006, 07:12 PM

I disconnected the rear sway and checked the endlinks, I also drove the car with it disconnected and still had the sound

I have been doing some reading and I think it is the preload

HOW DO I ADJUST THE PRELOAD AND HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH?

slowsti05 · 11-13-2006, 08:34 PM

my k sports do the same exact thing!!! It drives me INSANE!!!! And sti 752 how do you set the pre load...ive been searching how to do this on the forum and my search came up empty...i kinda remember how to do this from a honda i worked on but i need my memory refreshed.

rmo55c · 11-14-2006, 08:56 PM

I have always had a loud clunk from rear tein's mostly when shifting and always thought that was just related to the pillowball mounts. I also get a slight one going over bumps but have never really cared much about it.

sti752 · 11-15-2006, 05:09 PM

You can adjust the preload by moving the top locking perches down you will have to move the entire shock up relative to the green part on the bottom that is bolted to the upright. Look at the manual and be sure to adjust the coilovers to Tein's intitial specs that will provide the greatest benefit as far as comfort. PM me if you have any more specific questions.

rmo55c · 11-15-2006, 07:52 PM

sti752, the way you said your last comment confused me a little. you're saying set the coilovers as tein says in the manual for the most comfort and least chance of clunk?

calisti · 11-18-2006, 02:36 PM

The clunk had come back on my Apexi N1 type v, but finally figured out when it was installed (not by me) that the preload adjustment wasn't done. I didn't know about this since this was my first set of coilovers and until I saw it mentioned earlier by sti572 on this thread. I had always thought why is the spring loose when I have the car on a lift, bad design? No, it wasn't installed correctly! After having these on my car over a year and a half, this was the reason.

This is so the spring sits snug between the two perches so it's not loose even when the suspension is not under load. I just had to loosen the locking ring under the bottom perch, then turn the perch counter clockwise so that it raised the spring up so it sits in the top perch snug without it wiggling between the two. Then to compensate for the height I loosened another locking perch at the bottom of the threaded body and with the perch wrench on the bottom perch I turned the whole threaded body clockwise so it lowered it into the bottom strut mount housing. I took a test drive with several quick left and right turns and some streets I knew with alot of uneven surfaces, no more rear clunking. I report back later on.

11-11-2006, 09:12 PM	#1
PhaseTuning Amateur STI Driver Posts: 49 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	Tein Flex Coilovers Making Clunking Sound? I put in a set of tein flex coilovers on my 05 sti and now I hear a clunking sound in the rear (not front) when I go over any bumps. everything was installed correctly and is properly tighten, I double checked, and I cannot figure out where the sound is coming from. anyone have this happen before? any ideas as to what I should check? thnx PhASe This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

11-18-2006, 02:36 PM	#15
calisti Professional STI Racer Car: 04 WRB STI Fav Mod: vf36 Location: 315 awhp 371 ft/lbs Posts: 810 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2004 Trader Rating: (4)	The clunk had come back on my Apexi N1 type v, but finally figured out when it was installed (not by me) that the preload adjustment wasn't done. I didn't know about this since this was my first set of coilovers and until I saw it mentioned earlier by sti572 on this thread. I had always thought why is the spring loose when I have the car on a lift, bad design? No, it wasn't installed correctly! After having these on my car over a year and a half, this was the reason. This is so the spring sits snug between the two perches so it's not loose even when the suspension is not under load. I just had to loosen the locking ring under the bottom perch, then turn the perch counter clockwise so that it raised the spring up so it sits in the top perch snug without it wiggling between the two. Then to compensate for the height I loosened another locking perch at the bottom of the threaded body and with the perch wrench on the bottom perch I turned the whole threaded body clockwise so it lowered it into the bottom strut mount housing. I took a test drive with several quick left and right turns and some streets I knew with alot of uneven surfaces, no more rear clunking. I report back later on. This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad. Last edited by calisti; 11-18-2006 at 02:46 PM.

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11-11-2006, 09:35 PM	#2
pj21086 Senior STI Driver Car: 05 WRB STi & 07 AW 3 Fav Mod: Invidia G200 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 337 IWSTI Addict since: Aug 2006 Trader Rating: (2)	New?? Old?? How old?? It may just be from your rear sway bar.

11-12-2006, 08:22 AM	#3
import111 The Next Petter Solberg Car: Silver 05 WRX STi Location: Tucson, AZ. Posts: 934 IWSTI Addict since: Dec 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	The more you modify/change the suspension, the more noise you get. My Teins squeek a lot over small bumps, and my swaybars or my brakes or something is causing a loud knocking sound when I slow down or stop.

11-12-2006, 08:33 AM	#4
PhaseTuning Amateur STI Driver Posts: 49 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	the teins have a few thousand on them and the car about 20k

11-12-2006, 09:17 AM	#5
calisti Professional STI Racer Car: 04 WRB STI Fav Mod: vf36 Location: 315 awhp 371 ft/lbs Posts: 810 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2004 Trader Rating: (4)	I've had the same problem on my Apexi N1 Type v coilovers. You have to keep the shaft clean. What's happening is that the shaft is sticking as it travels in the strut housing due to dirt and lack of lubricant. Spray wd40 on the shaft, wipe the shaft down and spray again. Don't apply grease to the shaft as some of these threads suggest because it will just attract debris where the seal where the shaft meets the strut housing will scratch the shaft plus the clunking will come back quickly.

11-12-2006, 01:53 PM	#6
SD 05 STi Spec C Club Car: 05 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: Bride Zeta III / Advan RGII >=) Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,216 IWSTI Addict since: Jun 2005 Trader Rating: (7)	place the spanner wrenches on the collars and take a mallet to them and hammer away. worked for me. but then the sound comes back after a while. i just repeat and it goes away. i too thought everything was tightened, but i guess not >=/

11-12-2006, 02:05 PM	#7
sti752 Senior STI Driver Car: 05 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: Exige Location: Starkvegas, MS Posts: 387 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2005 Trader Rating: (6)	did you adjust the rear pre load before you installed them?

11-12-2006, 06:22 PM	#8
PhaseTuning Amateur STI Driver Posts: 49 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	I did adjust them all to 8 which is the midpoint I guess so that I could see whic way I wanted to go I checked my rear sway and its all good I also cleaned the dampners and the problem is still there someone told me that it could be that the rears are bad but it seems unlikely that both are bad I am out of ideas........HELP!!!!!

11-12-2006, 06:53 PM	#9
MauroMotorsports Senior STI Driver Car: 2004 STi Fav Mod: FP Green Location: Long Island Posts: 359 IWSTI Addict since: Feb 2004 Trader Rating: (0)	Have you checked your endlinks? I didn't see any mention of these. If they're stock I know they don't like much abuse. Mine created horrific noises from the rear which could be associated as a clunk too! Might want to look into this, but coilovers DO make some noise. Some get some clunking and others get nothing. It's hit or miss or it has something to do with installation. I think someone mentioned pre-load and that plays a big role here. Let us know!

11-12-2006, 07:12 PM	#10
PhaseTuning Amateur STI Driver Posts: 49 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2006 Trader Rating: (1)	I disconnected the rear sway and checked the endlinks, I also drove the car with it disconnected and still had the sound I have been doing some reading and I think it is the preload HOW DO I ADJUST THE PRELOAD AND HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH?

11-13-2006, 08:34 PM	#11
slowsti05 Junior STI Driver Car: 05 wrx sti Fav Mod: k-sports Posts: 69 IWSTI Addict since: Jan 2006 Trader Rating: (0)	my k sports do the same exact thing!!! It drives me INSANE!!!! And sti 752 how do you set the pre load...ive been searching how to do this on the forum and my search came up empty...i kinda remember how to do this from a honda i worked on but i need my memory refreshed.

11-14-2006, 08:56 PM	#12
rmo55c Silver Member Car: 05 WRB STi Fav Mod: PWT Points Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 971 IWSTI Addict since: Dec 2004 Trader Rating: (2)	I have always had a loud clunk from rear tein's mostly when shifting and always thought that was just related to the pillowball mounts. I also get a slight one going over bumps but have never really cared much about it.

11-15-2006, 05:09 PM	#13
sti752 Senior STI Driver Car: 05 Subaru WRX STi Fav Mod: Exige Location: Starkvegas, MS Posts: 387 IWSTI Addict since: Jul 2005 Trader Rating: (6)	You can adjust the preload by moving the top locking perches down you will have to move the entire shock up relative to the green part on the bottom that is bolted to the upright. Look at the manual and be sure to adjust the coilovers to Tein's intitial specs that will provide the greatest benefit as far as comfort. PM me if you have any more specific questions.

11-15-2006, 07:52 PM	#14
rmo55c Silver Member Car: 05 WRB STi Fav Mod: PWT Points Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 971 IWSTI Addict since: Dec 2004 Trader Rating: (2)	sti752, the way you said your last comment confused me a little. you're saying set the coilovers as tein says in the manual for the most comfort and least chance of clunk?