Noise from under car - driving me mad

[Noddy90]

Hi, chaps,

 

Can any of you wizards help me with this?

 

Car is a 2009-plate Elegance with 72,000 miles; serviced and MOT'd within the last two weeks.  Problem has been going for about 4-6 weeks now.

 

o  Creaking and knocking from rear of the car (?). Sometimes sounds like a galleon in a storm.

o  Occasional chirping sound when releasing clutch and changing into 1^st/2^nd gear. May be coming from gearbox/lever or clutch, or may be from rear of car.

o  Undetectable when car is on ramp – needs to be driven.  Two garages now have found nothing wrong.

o  Tends to happen in low gears when drive is taken up; also when car pitches, side-to-side or fore-and-aft.

o  Sounds like exhaust knocking and/or suspension turrets.

o  Doesn’t necessarily happen over speed bumps etc.

o  Not noticeable in high gear on smooth roads.

 

Any clues?

 

Many thanks.

[bill2]

What is a stabilizer link on a car? | eHow UK

 

hi Ned

have a look at this you  have one of these on each corner of you suspension the ball joint goes after a while then you get a knocking sound.

 

bill

[Noddy90]

What is a stabilizer link on a car? | eHow UK

 

hi Ned

have a look at this you  have one of these on each corner of you suspension the ball joint goes after a while then you get a knocking sound.

 

bill

 

That looks very promising, Bill; thanks - I'll start creating a list of possibilities to take to the next garage.  Do you not think this would have been picked up at the recent MOT, though?

 

Kind regards,

 

Ned.

[Supurbia]

Suspension turrets on the front anyway will make a groan noise when you turn the wheel

 

I would if the garage says they see nothing wrong be looking at the shockers or semi siezed rear calipers myself.

Edited 22 July, 2013 by Supurbia

[Noddy90]

Suspension turrets on the front anyway will make a groan noise when you turn the wheel

 

I would if the garage says they see nothing wrong be looking at the shockers or semi siezed rear calipers myself.

 

Cheers.  Every diagnosis helps!

[Pesmog]

Hot weather can cause suspension joints to dry out. A colleague at work has the same problem with her Beetle that started as soon as it got hot.  Rather than spend a fortune, see if its still there after the weather turns.

[Noddy90]

Hot weather can cause suspension joints to dry out. A colleague at work has the same problem with her Beetle that started as soon as it got hot.  Rather than spend a fortune, see if its still there after the weather turns.

 

Interesting...  Not sure I can wait that long, though!

[Supurbia]

Interesting...  Not sure I can wait that long, though!

 

 

No need to, just get the hose out and drench it underneath and go for a quick drive and if it's still there it's probably not a suspension issue and could even be sound travelling from the front.

[superbdreams]

Mine is doing it too, seems to be coming from the rear springs but only when the weather is very hot.

Dealers did not find anything wrong and despite doing it before setting off it refused to creak whilst there.

[Supurbia]

Maybe the first thing is to get some WD40 onto all the bushings and hope that stops it, it does sound very likely it's heat related

[JakeBlade]

WD40 is a solvent.  It will eat away at rubber over the long term, and strip away lubrication.  If in doubt spray nothing under there.

Edited 23 July, 2013 by JakeBlade

[Noddy90]

OK, chaps; thanks for everyone's help, but you can now call off the hounds!

 

Bill was closest: it was related to the stabiliser links, but in an odd way.  I got a mechanic to come out with me and he immediately diagnosed front-left, not rear as I had thought.

 

When he got the car up on the ramp he found two small stones wedged between the stabiliser link and whatever is immediately above it.  He prised these out and sent me off for a test drive.  Result?  Silence.

 

He wouldn't charge, so I bunged him a drink.  This is Mark, of Priorslee Motor Services in Telford, in case anyone is close enough to take advantage of great service.

 

One for your scrapbook, perhaps.

 

Cheers, everyone.

[Danny 57]

Result

[Supurbia]

WD40 is a solvent.  It will eat away at rubber over the long term, and strip away lubrication.  If in doubt spray nothing under there.

 

 

I was always under the illusion it was a lube tool?

[JamKart]

Well you learn something every day!

http://lifehacker.com/5891936/when-should-i-not-use-wd+40

[Supurbia]

Well you learn something every day!

http://lifehacker.com/5891936/when-should-i-not-use-wd+40

 

Thankyou for that and indeed one does.

[Noddy90]

Well you learn something every day!

http://lifehacker.com/5891936/when-should-i-not-use-wd+40

 

Hmmm... might be a good idea to read the comments underneath the article.  They mostly assert that the writer is talking b*******.

[JamKart]

Hmmm... might be a good idea to read the comments underneath the article.  They mostly assert that the writer is talking b*******.

 

They don't seem able to agree in that article!!

 

This page...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WD-40

 

...does show some element of solvent (51%) but it also contains 15%+ mineral oil so who knows what you should spray it on :wonder:

[Supurbia]

WD40 is known to be a good cleanser so I don't think the article writer is far off the truth,

 

I suggested it as spraying oily grease will cause more hassle where the WD will mainly evaporate in a short time but provide clues as to the area it's coming from.

[JakeBlade]

I use something very similar to WD40 (GT85 which includes Teflon) as a very light "lubricant" on my mountain bike chain for very short term use (less than one day) only if it is very dry and dusty and I can't use a normal liquid lubricant.  When it's dusty, liquid oil would just gunk the chain up.  But when I do use GT85 as a chain "lubricant" the bike gets fully washed down same day, and I am lucky to get 6 hours of squeek-free chain.  Primarily I use it to disperse the water from bike cable guides and components (including the chain), so that they don't rust when I lay the bike up.  When the bike is dry I lube the chain and cogs properly with "proper" liquid lube.

 

If you look on the WD40 website for uses (note that these are posted by WD40 users, not necessarily endorsed or recommended by WD40 themselves) you will see "dissolving grease" on there, along with "lubricating suspension bushes".  I have no idea how one product can do both of these jobs properly at the same time, for a reasonably long period of time.

 

We (I've) gone way off-topic now, but finally this is what the WD40 people say under their FAQ section.  Again, I have no idea how something can de-grease and lubricate properly at the same time:

What does WD-40 Multi-Use Product do?

WD-40 Multi-Use Product fulfills five basic functions: 
1. LUBRICATES: The product's lubricating ingredients are widely dispersed and tenaciously held to all moving parts. 
2. PENETRATES: WD-40 Multi-Use Product loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts. 
3. PROTECTS: The product protects metal surfaces with corrosion-resistant ingredients to shield against moisture and other corrosive elements. 
4. REMOVES: WD-40 Multi-Use Product gets under dirt, grime and grease. Use it to remove gunk from tools, equipment and vehicles. WD-40 Multi-Use Product in liquid form (e.g., gallon) also dissolves adhesives, allowing easy removal of excess bonding material. 
5. DISPLACES MOISTURE: Because it displaces moisture, WD-40 Multi-Use Product quickly dries out electrical systems to eliminate moisture-induced short circuits.