HardFlip

Whats up guys. So i have been driving recently with a creaky rear passenger suspension. At first it was fairly benign sounding, and was only noticeable at slow speeds over bumps. I tried to get under the car to diagnose the sound, but to no avail. I was unable to pinpoint the cause of the sound. And because this is my daily, i have driven on it more than I should, and have noticed significant wear on that one side with the problem noise. (All OEM suspension)

Here is what i have been dealing with trying to figure out the problem:

The car only makes the sound when the wheel is on the ground... So the wheel is in its natural position, as I begin to jack up the rear the wheel shifts and the noise can be heard each consecutive "pump" of the jack, all the way until the wheel is off the ground. This makes me inclined to think its a Tie-rod connection, due to the change in camber as i'm jacking up the car. (maybe a ball joint?). Also, If I lower the car again to the ground, and jack it back up WITHOUT ROLLING THE CAR to seat the suspension back to its natural position, it will not make the sound. Its only when I roll the car back and fourth a couple times to let the wheels set again, is when the sound comes back during the lifting process.
There is definitely a change in feel when driving, and I notice a significant amount of bump-steer from that same side.

Something that should be noted; I recently had to replace a boot strap on the outboard side of my half-axle on the same wheel, because I had a new wheel bearing pressed in (same side). During reassembly, the mechanic snapped the boot strap and used a less than optimal strap from another car. This failed, causing the CV grease to evacuate and I ran for sometime with little to no CV grease on that wheel. I repacked and resealed the boot with an OEM strap so that wouldn't fail again. But the time I spent driving without grease, could have some effect and possibly the culprit joint is making the noise?

I also recently installed Hasport Diff mounts due to failing OEM diff mounts, but this didn't effect the noise. (I originally thought the noise was from the diff mounts, so I upgraded to stiffer mounts, but this didn't fix the problem) I know for a fact that I didn't pre-load the sway bar properly. I intend on doing that, but I doubt that is the problem because the noise was there before I installed the diff mounts or disconnected the sway bar.

I plan on taking it back to the alignment shop because there is obviously an alignment issue affiliated with the noise, because there is significant wear on that tire. But I wanted to see what you guys thought it could be first, before I let them tell me how much I need to spend LOL. Thanks guys, sorry about the discombobulation. Any help is Greatly appreciated.

-Hardflip
AP1 2002

B serious

Sounds like a worn lower ball joint and a car in need of an alignment.

B serious

Preload...the.. sway...bar?

HardFlip

Not sure if this is a question, or a sarcastic response haha. But yes, I know that I have not pre-loaded the sway bar properly when reinstalling. But I dont believe that is causing the issue. Although it may be aggrevating the alignment/tread wear issue. The only reason I havent fixed it yet is because I cant get under the car without my jackstands and they are current being occupied by my roommates broken ass nissan! lol.

But yes, I also have suspected a ball joint to be the culprit. Is there an easy way to test this without pulling it? I have pulled the lower ball joints before, but it was a pain in the ass...I needed to use a gearpuller to get those bastards out. I have a feeling that its either a ball hoint or tierod end...My issue is its very hard to replicate the sound with the wheel off, as I can not supply enough pressure to the suspected areas to make the sound. I can only really make the sound when the car is on the ground in motion. I even bought a stechoscope to see if I could pinpoint it that way. Im pretty bad when it comes to suspension/alignment related issues, I may just take it to a shop to see if they can find something.

B serious

I'm just not sure why one would preload a sway bar. Or how.

Swaybars don't need to be preloaded.

HardFlip

http://imgur.com/QbxThIi

Number 6 from the service manual.

'Honda calls it a stabilizer bar..But none the less, you're either supposed to attach the bar to the endlinks either with the car on the ground, or with a jack under the control arm so as to replicate the suspension being under load and in its natural position when the car is on the ground. Otherwise, if you dont do this (as I know that I did) when you attach the bar before preloading the suspension, the built up tension in the bar will cause the suspension to decompress over bumps in the road. essentially the stabilizer bar then acts as a spring and pushes the wheel away from the car. Sorry for not explaining my situation clearly enough.

HardFlip

All that sway bar stuff aside...Anyone else have any ideas? Im leaning toward ball joint replacement. However I originally thought upper arm bushings might be the cause of the clunky/creakyness...

B serious

Try injecting grease in the lower ball joint. Use a feeding syringe. Work the grease in with your fingers over the boot as best as you can.

Does the noise go away when it is re-assembled and put back down?

You'll need to seperate the joint from the knuckle to do this.

If this cures the noise....then you need a new joint. The grease is a bandaid at best.

Your symptoms point to lower ball joint issues.

Edit: read the link more carefully. They're loading the bar so that the link ends up in the upper portion of the LCA hole and doesn't loosen over large impacts. But...it won't pertain to your issue either way.

HardFlip

Awesome, I will definitely try this week to repack the balljoint with grease to see if i can alleviate the noise. Im sure theres a good thread on aftermarket ball joints somewhere, or if someone knows off hand a good brand that would save me some time. or Bserious, if you know some good recommendations or where to start looking that would be great. Thanks for the help man!

B serious

No problem. I believe Honda does sell LOWER ball joints seperately (definitely not uppers).

Try bernardiparts.com or hondapartsnow.com