fiveskin

afternoon all.



ive got a mystery here so hopefully someone can help me out. Im getting a strange clunking knocking noise at the rear passenger side.


bare with me here, im going to put as much info as possible.....


last night i went out to pick up some mates...... on the way there, everything was normal and i was in the car on my own. had a nice slow plod there as i was followed 90% of the way by the old bill. No harsh driving at all.
once loaded up with 4 mates (all around 14 stone) it began making a clunking noise. rear passenger side.


later on after a few hours of the car at rest, i drove back home (just myself in the car) and the clunking noise was still there.

the sound is almost as if the boot has nothing in it apart from a football bumping around inside.
i took the jack and spare out completely and emptied every single item in the boot.... noise still there.


this morning there was no noise at all.
i jacked it up, no play in the wheel whatsoever, rear pads are near new, tyre is new.
i got my old man to sit in the rear seats and the noise appeared again. With me in the back and him driving, no noise.. he's 18 stone and im 14 so definately a weight thing causing it.


you can 'feel' it in your **** cheeks. its almost as if the wheel has bolts missing and is popping back into line now and then.
theres no play in the wheel at all. the strut still looks brand new with no leaks. theres no play in any part of the suspension, no visible defects at all.
infact, apart from being dirty it all looks like a brand new car under there.
it still happens when rolling out of gear with the clutch fully pressed.


today its far less then yesterday and when im in the car alone it only seems to clunk when im rolling almost to a stop or just after ive crept forward or backwards a little.
it feels almost like somethings popping back into place.


ive been to my tyre man and the balancing of the wheel is fine as is the fitment of the tyre. also whilst up on the ramps they couldnt see anything wrong under there either.




any ideas chaps? its a hawkeye wrx. 57 plate. 18,000 miles. all totally standard suspension.
i gave it a hammereing on a straight up to about 60-70 and theres no wobble or unstable feeling at all (along with no noise).
seems to be a low speed and under weight thing.


excuse any spelling mistakes or repeating myself... im typing this under the influence of alcohol trying to kill the pain of chronic hayfever.

f4la k

iTrader: (1)

I know this is nothing to do with weight, but check your brake pads and see if they are loose (spring missing). Or you could put a heavy dude in the back and drive with one foot on the brake (slightly) and see if it still occurs.

fiveskin

cheers mate.
yeah i did have that clunk a while back which was indeed due to rear pads. about 4 months ago now so the pads themselves are fine. at the time it cured the clunk i had back then. the pad was floating about and knocking on turns or bumps.


i just went out and had another look and noticed that on my strut in line with the back of the wheel there is two tiny radial shaped marks. not scuffs, but as if somethings brushed past and took the dirt off.
im wondering if the wheel is touching the strut when theres weight in the back.......either that or its just marked from when i took off and put back on the wheel.

if it IS touching, has anyone any idea why this would suddenly just start? or what to look for that could be causing it.
the worrying thing is everything looks so perfect.

f4la k

iTrader: (1)

Whats the inside of your back tyres like. Is there any extra wear on the inside of the tyres.

superstu55

Sounds like the old common Subaru rear strut problems to me, search on here for rear knocking or rear struts knocking & you'll find loads about it. Mine done it so it jacked it up pushed up the gaitor that covers the shock shaft & coated the said shock shaft with spray on lithium grease, 6 months on i have not heard it since, think i'm right in saying the shocks peform fine apart from this noise mainly at low speed which i believe is caused by some problem with the grease inside the shocks going hard?? Hope this helps but do a search & you will find loads of info on this..

greg320

iTrader: (15)

^^^
as said its probably your rear struts,the bearing sticks inside them causing the clunking noise,get it back to the dealers to sort it under warranty

fiveskin

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fiveskin

cheers chaps, great help.
Well i had a butchers at the back of the wheel and tyre, theres absolutely no marks whatsoever. The tyres only been on there a week and the back of it stil looks as new. Smooth as anything.
So either the couple of scuffs are either from where i stuck the wheel back on the first time, or maybe it only touches for split second every now and then enough to make the noise but not enough to do anything but rub the dirt off.
Again though i dont see why it would do that in the first place.


I think its the hardening strut oil suggestion. I got the old man to sit inside and bounce his massive weight up and down. There was a definite clunking going on and if i put my ear on the tyre i could feel/hear it.
The other side did this as well but just so quiet you couldnt hear unless your ear was on it.


Had a search round and saw some of the yank owners had this too on the 06....is this something subaru recognise or a typical 'nothing to do with us' dealer fob off?
All the true dealers near me are gone :-(