Help: Koni Yellows with Dust Covers?

[amcmike]

Developed a clunk noise from the rear after a few miles of driving on the Koni Yellows. Shop that did the work is saying everything seems good, so blaming it on the poor fitment of the OEM dust cover over the Koni body shock. With the amount of noise I think it's extremely unlikely.

Anyone else with Koni's on the rear experience this?

 

[Secondtyme]

Did they re-use the OE shock mounts? If yes they shouldn't have. Could that be the "dust boot" they are talking about? Also, have you replaced your sway-bar bushings/endlinks yet?

 

[DougNuts]

Take a peek under there and see what you think. I reused my boots in the rear and everything is good to go, but boots do like to get hard and warp over time on some cars.

 

[amcmike]

Did they re-use the OE shock mounts? If yes they shouldn't have. Could that be the "dust boot" they are talking about? Also, have you replaced your sway-bar bushings/endlinks yet?

Which do you mean by "shock mounts?" Are you talking about this piece that sits above the main body looks like this?

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mklaL9Sz7_MQlQMZ1uDXMcQ.jpg

When you say they shouldn't have reused them, does that mean they should have replaced them with new OEM, gotten something different, or removed it altogether? I'm guess they have to be there as a fail-safe in case the suspension reaches full travel so the shocks don't get damaged.


When they say "dust boot" I think they're pointing the black thing in this picture.

 

[amcmike]

Oh, and no I haven't replace my bushings and endlinks yet. But it was fine back there when we brought it in. And it was fine for the trip home (about 5 miles - this is according to the wife). Then after driving it another 5 miles, it started clunking like mad, and been doing it ever since. So I'm thinking it's related. Although I wouldn't rule out the possibility that now the shocks good, it's causing an problem to become noticeable. But I would think it would have been immediately apparent.

 

[SonicBoy]

The dust boot consists of the orange rubber portion and the solid black tube. The silver aluminum piece in the picture on the left is the rear shock mount and it separates from the boot.

This video shows you.

This piece should have been replaced when the shock was replaced.

 

[Secondtyme]

^^^And if it wasn't it could be making the aforementioned clunking sound, there is a rubber bushing in the very top of that thing that isolates the top of the shock from the body. You may also be hearing the endlinks now that the shocks are new, but I rather doubt it. The shock mounts are meant to be replaced with new whenever the shocks are replaced, given the history of the 5 for suspension noises I would never gamble on re-using the old ones (though it seems you weren't given a choice) The good news is they are pretty cheap, I believe you can get them from VatoZone for about $12.50 apiece....

 

[amcmike]

Thanks. Wish I had seen that video before, I would have done it myself.

Well, I'm going to replace the swaybar bushings and endlinks and see if it goes away. If it doesn't I'll go ahead and remove the rear shocks. Probably do it anyways since I want to try a stiffer setting on the Koni's. But one change at a time.

 

[amcmike]

So what parts should be replaced when doing front struts? I'll go buy them myself and make sure they use them.

http://www.jimellismazdaparts.com/images/parts/mazda/fullsize/1C77131.jpg

Is there a cheap Mazda place online that sells OEM or better quality replacement parts (preferably with fast shipping!).

Should I go OEM, or are there better aftermarket stuff? I looked at some reviews of Moog & Doorman replacement parts and they weren't too flattering.

 

[Secondtyme]

Onlinemazdaparts.com is a great place to start, they will usually beat dealer prices handily, and they will ship as fast as you are willing to pay for. Part # 34-381 in that diagram is the rubber isolator and should most definiately be replaced.

 

[amcmike]

^^^And if it wasn't it could be making the aforementioned clunking sound, there is a rubber bushing in the very top of that thing that isolates the top of the shock from the body. You may also be hearing the endlinks now that the shocks are new, but I rather doubt it. The shock mounts are meant to be replaced with new whenever the shocks are replaced, given the history of the 5 for suspension noises I would never gamble on re-using the old ones (though it seems you weren't given a choice) The good news is they are pretty cheap, I believe you can get them from VatoZone for about $12.50 apiece....

Is 28-019a in the photo the isolator? I noticed these don't show up in diagrams until 2011 or 2012 (diagram is 2012). Possible noise fix? My 2009 doesn't show as having it. Would this slip over top, or bolt in between the mount and nut?

BTW, I removed the rear sway bar, and did a slow short test drive, and there was no difference. So don't think its the swaybar or endlinks. They actually looked to be in good shape too. I replace them anyways since it's out.

Thanks.

 

[Secondtyme]

If you mean 28-019E that is a really good question! I gotta look into trying those on my 06 when i get around to replacing the shocks (mine aren't blown, but a set of H&Rs and some Koni Yellows are calling to me)

 

[amcmike]

If you mean 28-019E that is a really good question! I gotta look into trying those on my 06 when i get around to replacing the shocks (mine aren't blown, but a set of H&Rs and some Koni Yellows are calling to me)

Well the parts dealer said it was a cap, so he thought it was only to keep the dust out, and wouldn't isolate anything. Wish someone with a 2012+ that did their rear shocks were on here to confirm. I'm going to remove the rear shocks this weekend, and see what I find. It really seems to be coming from that area from what I can tell.

Another piece of information. Since I already removed the rear bar, and the endlinks and swaybar bushings seem to be problematic on these cars; I decided to upgrade and replace those as well,l and get better handling in the process. Bought takeoff MS3 FSB/RSB off eBay. These use larger endlinks which I hoped would be stronger. I also went with Moog endlinks with grease fittings for maintenance.

The fronts came with used bushings and brackets, the rear only had used bushings (no brackets). I wanted greasable bushings anyway, so I bought Prothane (note: bought them before the bars arrived as I wanted to get this back together and not have to wait on bushings). From what I read, everyone says MS3 bars are 26/26mm F/R. Well when the bars finally came I found the 26mm bushings I bought are kind of loose. On the front, it seems to just fit, but not as tight as the stockers that came with it. The rear, there is definitely play. Funny thing is a lot of MS3 people have been using these on both. I used calipers and came up with F/R 25.7/25.2mm where the mounts sit. I'm hoping a local store will have 1" bushings for the front and 25mm bushings for the rear so I can see how they fit on the bars in person. I don't have a lot of followers on this thread, but I'll keep everyone up to date anyway.

 

[thaxman]

So what parts should be replaced when doing front struts? I'll go buy them myself and make sure they use them.

http://www.jimellismazdaparts.com/images/parts/mazda/fullsize/1C77131.jpg

Is there a cheap Mazda place online that sells OEM or better quality replacement parts (preferably with fast shipping!).

Should I go OEM, or are there better aftermarket stuff? I looked at some reviews of Moog & Doorman replacement parts and they weren't too flattering.

IDK of any other OE warehouse, but I am preparing a purchase through Tasca, since I will be buying both Mazda & Volvo parts. They are a better price on many things and the Swedespeed community uses them a lot.

http://www.tascaparts.com/parts/?siteid=213668

 

[amcmike]

Well I removed the rear shocks and replaced the silver mounts. Couldn't find a replacement boot. Retuned the rebound for 1 turn from most firm (since it was out). Even added some think rubber washers where the mount touches the body to act as an isolator. Also removed the swaybar endlinks. Should have mattered anyway with the rear bar still off, but I figured take it off while I was under there.

Still no change! I'm really frustrated. So if it's not the shocks and it's not endlinks or swaybar bushings, what the heck is it!

 

[Silentnoise713]

Are you absolutely sure the noise is coming from the rear? Unless the shock mount is cracked/deformed, I would not replace it. I can’t see how the dust boots (integrated to the bump stop) can cause a clunking sound.

Did you tighten everything with the suspension preloaded? Put in on ramps and pull/shake/tap with mallet on everything obvious to see if anything moves. Did you try removing the spring and ensure it is seated properly?


Free plug for Arlington Mazda
http://parts.arlingtonmazda.com/

Or rockauto.com

 

[amcmike]

I didn't try removing the spring, however, I decided I will remove he shocks tomorrow 9 short low speed check). Don't have experience with removing springs. May have to borrow tool. How to check that it's seated?

 

[amcmike]

Ok, so I removed the shocks entirely. The clunk went away, but there is a rattling sound. They sound very different, so really unsure if they're related.

But this is interesting:
As I was getting ready to reinstall the shocks, I decided to confirm they were set the same. I did this by pushing both down simultaneously until they bottomed out and then watching them come up. They were way different. I thought maybe I adjusted one the opposite of the other by accident (like starting turns from firmest on one and softest on the other). So I did them again, starting from full firm... still very different (one is like 3x as fast). I did it again, this time starting from full soft, same thing.

I also noticed that each time I compressed them, one was easier to do than the other. Keep in mind, these single adjustable shocks only adjust rebound, not compression.. I thought maybe I was biasing my weight, so I swapped them, and the amount of compression force needed followed the shock. I then set one 1/4 from firm, and the other 1/4 from soft... roughly the same rebound rate., still more force required on one to compress. I think either one is damaged, or at least has incorrect valving. So no more troubleshooting until I get replacements. :-(

If I were to do it again, I would just go with Koni FSD or Bilstein (recall I'm using stock springs, so the FSDs will fit properly). Unfortunately I wasn't aware of FSDs until after I already bought Yellows, and I found Yellows cheaper than I could find the Bilsteinsn (actually my Yellows were cheaper than FSDs). Plus there was the allure of adjust-ability, but given it's only rebound, seems pointless to me.

 

[eyeballs]

I've heard before about the yellows not having consistent adjustability, so sending them in for a new pair may or may not give the desired result. That being said, I've had standard and race valved konis in the past and have been happy with them (though I didn't do any bench testing on them).

 

[Secondtyme]

There went my plan to get Koni Yellows! What a pain in the ass, especially given the cost....