Sway Bar Popping Sounds?

[Anh5oi]

I installed the front and rear Hotchkis sway bars two weeks.
The front has been making noise and I can't seem to figured it out. I'll try this weekend when am back in town..
I can't believe so many people having issues with the sway bars and the whiteline end links.

[ohnoitsthefuzz]

Hey guys, to revisit this thread. I have been encountering the clunk with my front eibach sway. I hadn't seen this thread until today. I had been trying to fix it myself and after doing so much I was starting to believe it was my drivers front coilover clunking. Running Fortune Auto Coils. Can you guys confirm that when you go over bumps, when the sway clunks (drivers side only for me) that you can feel the physical clunk. It almost feels like something is loose. Just trying to make sure I'm experiencing the same clunk.

[fatalelement]

Originally Posted by qoncept

If anyone is still interested.. I finally silenced my sway bar again this week. Kind of cross-posted from my autox log: http://goo.gl/eOM2mf

So lets exhaust the subject. With any aftermarket front sway bar there are a number of potential causes of noise and interference. I've got to think I've encountered them all:

- Front sway bars have little clearance (Whiteline does, at least) and must be pretty precisely centered to avoid interference. Adjust collars by mounts to fix.

- The retention collars can/will interfere with the sway bar mounts, from my post above. Grind them down so they'll clear. More: http://goo.gl/gLp117

- End link studs can interfere with control arm and inner fender well. Adjust endlink length and add spacers to studs to fix. More: http://goo.gl/pZYBvz

- Preload and binding issues. Adjust endlink length with car on a level surface and suspension settled to fix.

- Jamb nuts backed off allowing endlink to work itself loose and adjust itself. Threadlocker on jamb nuts to fix.

- Maybe not important here, I just noticed Friday night that my race tires have been rubbing on both the sway bar and interior of the fender well. Part of my project for the week was to add camber bolts, lengthened wheel studs and 5mm spacers, so hopefully this is fixed. I'll check it out tonight. The race tires are 245/40-17 Hankook Z214s on stock wheels. http://imgur.com/rBU5n99

- Finally.. a loose fscking nut on one of the endlinks. This is what I chased all week. The 5th time under the car, with modified stock endlinks in hand and ready to install, I found out the driver's side endlink was just loose at the sway bar. Are you kidding me?

Between all these problems I probably have a good 48 hours of poking and testing invested. But now my car is quiet.

I had the exact same issue for a time, drove me crazy. Turned out my endlink bolt at the lca was loose. Not "loose", but just not torqued enough to allow heavy suspension load to pop it back and forth an itsy bitsy amount. When I finally figured it out it was the biggest relief. Congrats.

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[privfaith]

Oh holy shit, I have the same issues with these end links. Its driving me crazy. I need to thoroughly inspect to make sure they're not rubbing but im pretty certain concerning mine, the lower endlink keeps knocking against the bar. I am tempted to try the washer trick.

[Locust]

Originally Posted by qoncept

If anyone is still interested.. I finally silenced my sway bar again this week. Kind of cross-posted from my autox log: http://goo.gl/eOM2mf

So lets exhaust the subject. With any aftermarket front sway bar there are a number of potential causes of noise and interference. I've got to think I've encountered them all:

- Front sway bars have little clearance (Whiteline does, at least) and must be pretty precisely centered to avoid interference. Adjust collars by mounts to fix.

- The retention collars can/will interfere with the sway bar mounts, from my post above. Grind them down so they'll clear. More: http://goo.gl/gLp117

- End link studs can interfere with control arm and inner fender well. Adjust endlink length and add spacers to studs to fix. More: http://goo.gl/pZYBvz

- Preload and binding issues. Adjust endlink length with car on a level surface and suspension settled to fix.

- Jamb nuts backed off allowing endlink to work itself loose and adjust itself. Threadlocker on jamb nuts to fix.

- Maybe not important here, I just noticed Friday night that my race tires have been rubbing on both the sway bar and interior of the fender well. Part of my project for the week was to add camber bolts, lengthened wheel studs and 5mm spacers, so hopefully this is fixed. I'll check it out tonight. The race tires are 245/40-17 Hankook Z214s on stock wheels. http://imgur.com/rBU5n99

- Finally.. a loose fscking nut on one of the endlinks. This is what I chased all week. The 5th time under the car, with modified stock endlinks in hand and ready to install, I found out the driver's side endlink was just loose at the sway bar. Are you kidding me?

Between all these problems I probably have a good 48 hours of poking and testing invested. But now my car is quiet.

This is a really helpful post.

I've just developed a clunking noise in my front left wheel when taking hard right turns at auto-cross. It also happens when driving 5MPH over a very small bump. I'm hopeful that it's one of these issues (I'm still on stock suspension; I have the TRD springs from the factory because it's an RS1.0) because I have another event tomorrow and really don't want to deal with a second broken race car.

[D18]

Originally Posted by Locust

This is a really helpful post.

I've just developed a clunking noise in my front left wheel when taking hard right turns at auto-cross. It also happens when driving 5MPH over a very small bump. I'm hopeful that it's one of these issues (I'm still on stock suspension; I have the TRD springs from the factory because it's an RS1.0) because I have another event tomorrow and really don't want to deal with a second broken race car.

Exact same problem, developed it after 2 days of driving on the newly installed swayers and end links. The last point above was my problem too. The end link wasn't that loose, but I was just able to move the washer up and down ever so slightly. Tightened 'er up a bit and the popping sound is finally gone.

With the popping noise up front gone, I now hear a slight sound from the rear that must have been masked before... Oh well, I'll check it out the next time the car is up on jacks, its not nearly as bad as the front was!

I'm also on stock suspension otherwise.

[Ashikabi]

I've been having this problem a while. New perrin sway bars on stock end links. Rattled and popped a lot even though it was right. Replaced end links with perrin ones, no more noise.

[megamarines]

Are these issues just typically found on Whiteline EndLinks? I've been meaning to put Whiteline Front and Rear Adjustable Endlinks with my TRD Swaybars

[Ashikabi]

Looks like it had to do with length of endlink and how much mobility they have ie: a ball joint as opposed to a rubber bushing. I imagine any adjustable endlink will be fine

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[megamarines]

Originally Posted by Ashikabi

Looks like it had to do with length of endlink and how much mobility they have ie: a ball joint as opposed to a rubber bushing. I imagine any adjustable endlink will be fine

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I was thinking the same as well, but was wondering why no one as issue with the non-adjustable Perrin sets but plenty of issues with the Whitelines adjustability. Apparently the bolts hit the inside too much, but these posts make it seem as if they caused other issues instead.

[PeterFRS]

Originally Posted by Locust

This is a really helpful post.

I've just developed a clunking noise in my front left wheel when taking hard right turns at auto-cross. It also happens when driving 5MPH over a very small bump. I'm hopeful that it's one of these issues (I'm still on stock suspension; I have the TRD springs from the factory because it's an RS1.0) because I have another event tomorrow and really don't want to deal with a second broken race car.

this is the exact noise and symptom that I have.
were you able to solve this issue?

for others reading, I have the same problem as the above
but I am on Tein Flex coilovers with stock swaybars and endlinks.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by PeterFRS

this is the exact noise and symptom that I have.
were you able to solve this issue?

for others reading, I have the same problem as the above
but I am on Tein Flex coilovers with stock swaybars and endlinks.

The sway bar could be binding on the bushing. Jack up the car from the center in the front or back(not on the side), loosen the seat bar bushings and end links, set the wheels down on ramps(or blocks) then tighten bushings and end links. Then drive off ramps. The important part is the car is level with weight on the suspension when you tighten the bushings and links

[kmbkk]

I just ran across this thread and have a popping noise as well. I have Eibach pro springs and sway bars installed, stock endlinks, for about a year. I started hearing a popping noise when coming to a stop. It would also pop a couple times after I stopped. Any thoughts?

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by kmbkk

I just ran across this thread and have a popping noise as well. I have Eibach pro springs and sway bars installed, stock endlinks, for about a year. I started hearing a popping noise when coming to a stop. It would also pop a couple times after I stopped. Any thoughts?

Probably need adjustable end links. My stock ones were too long and were bottoming out. Before getting those, try disconnecting your sway bars and loosen the bushings and retightening everything with the car on the ground(or ramps). This will put even tension on both sides when tightening. This applies to coilovers too. Disonnect the sway bars before leveling or the tension they put out will botch your leveling attempts. Always tighten all bushing connections on the ground