Hi All
I have an interesting situation with my rear axle/suspension.
It started with some whirring at the wheels. I immediately thought this to be the rear wheel bearings. I have about 75K on the car, and I am sure they have not been changed by the previous owner. We jacked up the car, took off the wheels and turned the axles on either side to see if we could hear any whirring. We couldn't, they were silent, so it seems this is not the cause. I have also experienced a little bit of a knocking sound, when going over a sudden bump, and some creaking when the suspension travels full length over a long, wallowing undulation in the road. This all pointed to shocks seeming like they are worn - again I don't think they have ever been changed. After reading good suggestions on this forum, I ordered the Mazda 5 SenSen shocks for the rear. I am not really into modding up my car, I just enjoy it for what it is and I want it to work reliably, so I didn't order sports shocks!
I installed the shocks myself. Put everything back together and the knocking in the rear got really bad at low speed (it seems to settle down at freeway speeds), but when I go over a bumpy Houston road at 20mph or so, the knocking is really bad (and the whirring is still there too). So I figured maybe the shock mounts were worn, so I bought some new ones and installed those (after taking everything back apart (wow) ). I made sure I tightened everything up well, to ensure the knocking wasn't coming from any travel caused by loose bolts. No difference, the knocking is just as bad! I tried my best to inspect the various bushings around the multilink suspension pieces and the stabilizer bar, and they seemed to be OK, although I don't really know what I am looking for.
Does anyone have any suggestions, experience or insight into what may be causing the knocking or the whirring? The whirring seems to resonate worst at around 30mph and 60mph speeds. It seems to go away when I press the brakes at any speed. My brakes look fine, and they are not warped, binding or squeaking etc.
My thoughts are that something else on the axle/suspension is worn, and now I have put new firmer SenSesn shocks in, this has amplified whatever what causing the original knocking...
Anyway, I look forward to what you guys think. Thanks!
I have an interesting situation with my rear axle/suspension.
It started with some whirring at the wheels. I immediately thought this to be the rear wheel bearings. I have about 75K on the car, and I am sure they have not been changed by the previous owner. We jacked up the car, took off the wheels and turned the axles on either side to see if we could hear any whirring. We couldn't, they were silent, so it seems this is not the cause. I have also experienced a little bit of a knocking sound, when going over a sudden bump, and some creaking when the suspension travels full length over a long, wallowing undulation in the road. This all pointed to shocks seeming like they are worn - again I don't think they have ever been changed. After reading good suggestions on this forum, I ordered the Mazda 5 SenSen shocks for the rear. I am not really into modding up my car, I just enjoy it for what it is and I want it to work reliably, so I didn't order sports shocks!
I installed the shocks myself. Put everything back together and the knocking in the rear got really bad at low speed (it seems to settle down at freeway speeds), but when I go over a bumpy Houston road at 20mph or so, the knocking is really bad (and the whirring is still there too). So I figured maybe the shock mounts were worn, so I bought some new ones and installed those (after taking everything back apart (wow) ). I made sure I tightened everything up well, to ensure the knocking wasn't coming from any travel caused by loose bolts. No difference, the knocking is just as bad! I tried my best to inspect the various bushings around the multilink suspension pieces and the stabilizer bar, and they seemed to be OK, although I don't really know what I am looking for.
Does anyone have any suggestions, experience or insight into what may be causing the knocking or the whirring? The whirring seems to resonate worst at around 30mph and 60mph speeds. It seems to go away when I press the brakes at any speed. My brakes look fine, and they are not warped, binding or squeaking etc.
My thoughts are that something else on the axle/suspension is worn, and now I have put new firmer SenSesn shocks in, this has amplified whatever what causing the original knocking...
Anyway, I look forward to what you guys think. Thanks!
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. I now have new struts and new sway bar end links. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to what this could be? To provide more detail: The knocking seems to be coming evenly from both sides at the rear, and is much more pronounced at low speeds and over rough roads. Once I get up to speed on the freeway it is not really noticeable - maybe because the suspension is not traveling as far up and down?
