So part of me wants to go and check all the torque specs of the front suspensions main bolts, like lower control arm bolts, sway bar, struts, etc. I have seen some news with Tesla’s having some suspension bolts not being torqued down and they slowly back out and eventually the wheel rips itself off. I want to see if any of these noises could be related to something not being torqued down correctly. I have had my lower control arms replaced once back when I first got the car due to noise, which I still have. And the other day after driving over a speed bump and a bump in the road I got this very loud metallic sounding noise when I hit it, it sounded really bad, and the other time I went through and intersection at about 50 and the road pavement dropped about .5-1 inches and the noise I got sounded just absolutely terrible, like banging metal metallic noise. So if I could get anyone’s help on getting the factory torque specs, I am going to go check every bolt, I have 2 very high quality torque wrenches, maybe we will find a problem!

 

Dunno torque specs, but first thing to check is the spare tire and tools. It's really embarrassing to rip a whole car apart and then figure out it was a loose spare causing the clatter. ( Been there ).

Lug nuts and steering components are good to check for looseness or play, cuz those are the things that can kill you.

From what you describe I'd be tempted to check motor mounts as well. And battery strap.

It's possible you just bottomed out the suspension onto the bump stops. That's why they are there. IIRC there was a problem a while back with the rubber gasket on top of the struts getting displaced on another Honda/Acura vehicle. ( MDX and/or Pilot ).

But a collapsed fluid-filled bushing could cause what you describe ( lower control arm? ). Ball joints are another thing to check. And it pretty much goes without saying that a loose suspension bolt would be bad, but if the car is driving OK and you only hear the noise with "big hits", that seems a bit unlikely. Usually that kind of thing will cause a frequent clatter.

 

anyone with a subscription to techinfo?

 

From an old book with yellow pages:

BTW, lug nuts get 80 ft-lbs.

Next thing I would check is sway bar links and strut to steering knuckle bolts.

After that, I suggest checking the dealer's service schedule. They worked on it, they should fix it. A failure in the steering could spoil your day.

 

this is accurate for a 3rd gen RDX?

 

No idea if it's accurate for 3rd-gen RDX. This is for 2001-2007 MDX and Pilot. AFAIK some things tend to stay the same, like lugs nuts, strut mounting bolts and sway bar links.

So I wouldn't start messing with the steering without validating. It's only $10 for a one-day subscription to Honda Service Express if you're committed to this task.

BTW, a random thought occurred to me as I was driving around in the slush the past couple days:

If you get frozen slush built up around the wheels in winter, it's very possible to have the tires slam into it when you go over bumps. Or a chunk can break loose and bounce up into the undercarriage, sounding like cannon shot. ( I'm pretty sure this exact scenario played out yesterday... I even inspected my sunroof glass after the horror stories about that. ).

 

Have you tried lifting the car up and just playing with the various suspension parts to see if there's any play? If that sound is as evident as you claim, it should be very obvious

 

i actually realized I pulled the pdf for the suspension when I had a techinfo subscription, so I have all the torque specs!! We havnt had snow stick around enough to get built up in my wheels and suspension, half the days in Colorado it’s in the 40-50s during winter

I havnt really heard any other noises or noticed anything, when I do my oil change I check the different components, but putting a torque wrench to them will really tell me

 

My noise was coming from sway bar bushing.