3CH017

Hi guys, I'm kinda a noob with s2k and these forums, so my apologies beforehand.

I have Goodyear Eagle RSA 240 tread wear fronts and Mastercraft 440 tread wear rears.
My s2k is almost at 100k miles and seems to be in good working order; I owned this car for almost a year now; purchased at 97k miles.
Everything is absolute stock as far as i know. The previous owners were grandparents, so i assume they didn't "tune" it out.

I recently noticed (once it was getting cold) when i corner really hard (up to the traction limit for my tires), i suddenly hear a.......thud thud thud thud or a ping ping ping ping. Sound seems to be coming from the shifter /hand brake box area. I thought it was change or items just sitting in my car, so i cleaned up my whole car, and took everything out and drove the next day.
Same thing; corner hard going right and at about the apex of the turn, i hear it again. It almost sounds like if you dropped a dime sized marble on a solid steel table; it has that type of timing and sound. Pop........pop....pop..pop (timing of noise).

I am really confused! Everything runs fine! It literally sounds like a marble dropped on a hard surface with sound and the timing/frequency of noise; this makes me believe nothing is breaking in the car. I'm sure some noise that is caused from something defective would have a much more scarier sound. I'm starting to think a quarter is stuck inside the area where the handbrake and shifter is at and when i approach a certain lateral g, the quarter slings to the side of that box causing the noise.

Any thoughts? Has anyone dealt with this noise before and know what it is!? I will be taking my center box area apart and look for that coin (if my theory is true). But i recently took it apart to adjust my handbrakes and didn't see anything. Thank you!

LeonV

Have you re-torqued the axle nut? The how-to article is in this forum.

3CH017

I'm starting to think it is my frame. I think my frame is popping from aggressive driving. I'm thinking drifting the car all stock w/no additional frame support is loosening up the frame. Suggestions?

4forall

Your car does not have a frame. Nor would drifting even hurt the sub-frame design. There are no bushings, its bolted directly to the car with 0 play.

The car is plenty stiff from the factory, you can get 3 wheels off of the ground from jacking it up at a single point.

Only thing i can think of would be the axle nut as suggested above. Or your front inner fender lining is loose and your tire rubs it as your car rolls.

LeonV

Frame popping?

You didn't even both to respond to my original question. What's the point of helping you if you don't take the suggestions seriously?

3CH017

sorry, i am going to re-torque my axle nut soon and i will see if that is the problem. I typed that post thinking it could be something other than the axle nut, but after reading numerous post I am going to try. If that does not work then we can move on to other "theories"

I took that corner again yesterday and this time the popping was very loud and i could feel the popping it in my seat.

3CH017

Ok, i guess this car has no frame? anyways, i will re-torque axle nut and check the inner fender thing. I was just thinking it was more than the axle nut cuz I seen videos in forums of an axle bolt making noise. the guy slowly drives forward then back and you hear a small creaking pop.......this noise is ridiculously louder (i feel it in my seat) and it only happens when i corner very hard when the car is starting to wobble and hop from tires breaking traction . That is why i thought it was more than an axle nut and maybe a sub frame, tie rod, etc.......i'm sorry guys, i'm not a mechanic and don't know "terms" of car parts.

Should i re torqe only driver side or both sides?

s2kreeper

Both! Both sides can race as both sides are torqued too loosely.

s2000maniac

Seems Like the OP has two different tires front and rear.

S2KIrishman

yea dude, most unibody cars dont have a frame...and you really need to do something about your tires if youre taking the car to its traction limits...youre going to kill yourself or somebody else with mis-matched tires not to mention garbage tires