FamusFace

So I've had this '99 for about 2 yrs. Has 150k kim. But I've has this pop/clunk over bumps on the passenger side ever since I bought the car.

I ahve replace ball joints, bushings, endlinks, and even went as far replacing the bump stop in the suspension housing. All the frame bolts are tight and their isn't any looseness/play anywhere on the car.

The noise only occurs over dips and pot holes, any time I hit rail tracks the looseness of the suspension travels up into the steering wheel and doesn't feel firm and solid. The steering colum also has some play in it as well.

The servie manager at acura wants to use something called "Chasis Ears to try and find this problem. Has anyone ever heard of this suspension listening device?

Also if one else has any ideas about what could be causing the clunking it would be greatly appreciated?

fsttyms1

Did you ever have the sway bar "D" bushings replaced.

FamusFace

If those are the bushing on the front sway bar then yes

fsttyms1

They are what hold in in place under the car (towards the middle)

How old are your shocks? one more thing it may be is the upper or lower control arms. There are rubber bushings in them that cant be replaced (and is part of the reason honda says to replace the arm and not just the ball joint) They can be hard to test for play till there is a load on them (like bumps and dips)

totaledTL

I had a noise on another car that sounded as you describe. Turned out to be the 'D' bushings around the rear sway bar clamps as fsttyms1 mentioned.

david-s

I had this same problem, sounds to me like a blown strut.

FamusFace

In terms of this being a suspension linkage problem, I had it test, re-test and test some more and every tech that I talk to say that every single suspension component that could cause the noise is fine. Nothing under the care bushings, links, frames bolts are all solid. I even talk to another today and they road tested for about 15 minutes over some serious dips. We spent 30 minutes after while the car was hoisted and he said that their is no loose or worn parts that can be visibly detected.

He did here the clunk/pop sound but couldn't isolated the noise b/c everything that could case that noise was solid and had no play. He did noticed a slight loose steering column but b/c of no hard steering or leakage from the rack.. So as usual he wat at a loos like everyone else I spoke to.

I believe its the rack b/c its the only part that you can't physically check to see if its working and b/c it doesn't seem as firm on the highways as it should. Its kind of loose and wobbles oh so slightly

I changed the shocks b/c I thought it would solve the problem but same noise exist. The bushings that that hold the upper and lower control are are solid as rock. Strut are pretty new maybe 20k kim on them.

He suggested that I look at the strut mount or steering rack as being the main issues.
Can anyone else suggest anything else................... PLEASE

fsttyms1

With it on a hoist you could tell if it was the rack by the amount of play in it by yanking on the wheel

FamusFace

Nah man wheel is solid as a rack, no play whats so ever.