I am at wits end, I have literally replaced everything under this vehicle and can not find where this noise is coming from. I get a rattle of some sort when driving over rough spots in the road or speed bumps.

I have replaced struts, springs, all ball joints, and links, I have replaced CV's...twice in a year, I have kicked yanked and shaken all components under the vehicle and the only thing I can find that appears to have any slop is the inner cv joint going into the trans axle. you can grab these (one in each hand on either side of trans axle) and move them up and down. I have gone as far as to mic the machined surface in comparison to the second set of axles I replaced and found them to be the same.

I have found a tread where someone has asked if this can be the cause of the noise in question, but answers pointed toward spindle bearing,(mine appear to have no play at all) has anyone else had this problem and was able to fix? maybe remaned axles are inferior quality or the carrier bearing in trans axle is bad? this car was a hand-me-down so I didn't mind putting in parts its still less than a monthly payment. but enough is enough I am fairly mechanical and can fix a lot of things, this just has me completely stumped.

any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

hmmm...

I think we will need better info on the noise.

When does it happen? Highway, turning, bumps.

Which side of the car does it seem to be coming from?

I will tell you that solving suspension problems over the internet is not the easiest thing to do.

Hopefully someone with more experience with the front suspension will read this thread and chime in.

 

the noise can be heard on the highway if you hit a rough patch or pot hole, it can be heard when crossing speed bumps, and even better still if crossing them at a slight angle so one wheel crosses first. pulling into or out of a driveway, its a quick low pitched rattle from...well it feels like under my feet.

if I am on good smooth road there is no problem, there is a lack of said roads in rural TX

I am leaning toward the CV's rattling in the transfer case, can no longer buy factory parts(discontinued) wondering if I can tape a microphone under car and listen while I drive this vehicle has 192,000 miles but was all highway miles and is has meticulous service records. I know its a good car, except for this one little noise,

 

did you replace the upper strut mounts when you replaced the struts?

 

kyle, I went with the full strut assemblies all the way around, the vehicle, then replace the front ones again 6months later under lifetime warranty because I thought they were causing the noise.

I replaced strut assemblies, CV's all ball joints front and rear, as well as sway bar links, and upper control arm, then I took it all out and RE installed and torqued everything with a certified torque wrench. I also replaced the rotors and installed ceramic pads.
I was gun-ho to make this car run another 200,000

I was leaning toward just replacing all bushing and rubbers, and after reading a few more stories from others I decided I would start with the sway bar bushing they were the least expensive and easiest to do.....I saw no sign of wear or damage, but the rubber was a bit hard. I think that was the ticket. I have eliminated 90% of the noise and am completely happy with the result. I have ordered the rears as well and I think I will stop at that point.

then on to paint work, the car is heather mist silver and all the clear has burnt through and pealing off

Thank you all,

 

jo,

Thanks for posting a followup. My 96 suffers from what appears to be similar noise issues, and I was leaning towards starting with the sway bar links. It's tough with rattles and odd noises because it isn't always clear where the sound is coming from. Out of curiosity, did you go with OEM bushings or aftermarket?

 

Merlin,
I went with MOOG from my local auto parts store, it was less the 11.00 for the front.
I think the only thing OEM I've used in the last 2 years is Honda power steering fluid, and Honda ATF.

 

that is good news buddy.
Those sway bar bushing have been problems for a lot of guys.

Paint, yea my clear coat burnt off as well.

I painted it myself last year and it looked much much better but I cheaped out on the paint and already it has a lot of scratches on it.

I am going to redo it again soon with a higher quality paint.

Good luck with yours!

 

Hey, I just came about this while researching another issue I was having. Read your response and had to ask; have you checked the heat shield for the exhaust manifold? I have an 05 Accord and am not sure if it's the exact same spot on yours. Either way I began getting this noise in the summer, particularly at low rpm start up (manual tranny). Found it to be the lower bolt on the shield, when the engine vibrated or moved enough it replicated that sound. Just a thought.

 

My car does the same its a sway bar bushing. If you notice it when your Suspension flexes( one wheel maxed high and one wheel maxed low) that's what it is. I just let mine rattle ... no bushing left at all haha