Does Your Is200 Have A Rattle, Knocking Suspension?

[catnap]

1 hour ago, Ben01 said:

Probably rather I have no idea about IS suspension's details. If IS stays normal on the ground, could you simple unscrew top "stick" of absorber from inner part of top-mount? (not top-mount form the body!). Is there access? (maybe there is some cover over top-mount, but lets presume it was removed before). Is it "safe", as - absorber is not self-loaded, nothing drop or jump, and absorber could be "extended" back into top-mount more-less easily, and screw back into?

Idea is if you "loose" absorber and could a bit test drive, you could eliminate absorber itself, and whole top mount and lower mount of absorber. If there is still same knockin, you have a half of the suspected elements to think about. Like [censored] spring end rubbing against [censored] top plate, it was the case I figured once in this kind of test (somebody advised me). BTW maybe this is your case guys, everybodys mine included presumption was "spring is heavy loaded, could not knock or rattle".

The top of the shock absorber pokes through the top mount. If you unscrew it, it's still under compression, but it's now dangerous. If you loosen the absorber it's not going anywhere because the weight of the car is compressing it. There's no way to do what you're talking about.

[catnap]

15 hours ago, rincewind said:

Been there done that, didn’t make any difference.  

Agreed, not sure it's top mount. I've got the shocks that were on the car, in my garage- replaced with 60k mile units from a breaker to try and stop the noise. I've had them to bits and the top mounts look totally fine- rubber's not split, no witness marks, nothing.

[Ben01]

3 hours ago, catnap said:

If you loosen the absorber it's not going anywhere because the weight of the car is compressing it.

OK, if absorbers are pre-loaded (means, laying on bench they self-expand fully and need to be compressed to mount), forget about my story, it was about "free-move" absorbers, like simple acctuators.

[rincewind]

Bumping this to see if anyone's had any luck getting to the bottom the issue

[catnap]

Had replacement upper arms on (from RockAuto in the US) for a while now with no change. The old arms were worn out but the ball joint wasn't loose enough to worry me. Still no clue what's doing it and I don't want to just fire the parts cannon at the thing but I see KYB (OEM) on eBay for £77 each and I wonder if I just throw two of them at the problem...

In my mind it's between the shocks (which would support the noise getting worse with more people in the car) or the front lower control arm no. 1 (not the big one with the bendy arm) bush. And I guess it should really have new shocks as it's done over 160k now. I wish someone could wave a magic wand and and say "it's this"!

[doog442]

Wow I posted on this thread nearly 10 years ago and we are still none the wiser, I'm just 10 years older. Despite having nearly everything changed that could be changed it was still knocking when I moved it on.  

[rincewind]

Doog442 I’ve had my IS200 for nearly 13 years and never been able to get rid of the ‘knock’.  Pretty much given up now, just ignore it.  

[rincewind]

21 hours ago, catnap said:

Had replacement upper arms on (from RockAuto in the US) for a while now with no change. The old arms were worn out but the ball joint wasn't loose enough to worry me. Still no clue what's doing it and I don't want to just fire the parts cannon at the thing but I see KYB (OEM) on eBay for £77 each and I wonder if I just throw two of them at the problem...

I put new KYB shocks on mine, it made no difference at all, knock still there.

[rincewind]

Anyone know if the upper ball joint is an integral part of the wishbone I.e. it all needs changing, or can the balljoint be changed on its own?  On mine it seems to be pressed in to the wishbone.

[catnap]

7 hours ago, rincewind said:

Anyone know if the upper ball joint is an integral part of the wishbone I.e. it all needs changing, or can the balljoint be changed on its own?  On mine it seems to be pressed in to the wishbone.

I've seen them for sale separately, it'll just be a circlip holding it in. Though the entire arm is available for £notmuch at Rock Auto and comes with new bushes.

 

If you did shocks and no dice, I'm thinking lower control arm no.1. Just a pain that if you touch the camber bolt you'll need to get it aligned again, and you need to touch it to get it off and inspect. I wonder if I could tippex the position of it and try to get it back in exactly the same place.

[catnap]

Anyone done engine mounts? Because that's the only thing left that could move, that's one per side of the car really.

[runsgrateasanut]

Clicked on this thread just in case it gave me the answer to a rattle that has developed and I can hear with the front window down.

No vibration to car at speed or other symptoms.

Skipped to latest answer so may have already been found?

My Mechanic checked for loose Heat Shields and any suspension issues whilst on the Ramp doing an oil change. Nothing seen.

Yesterday I think I discovered what it is.  Too blowy to do a repair. Found drivers side (which it seems to be coming from) Air cowl on front bumper for flow to Brakes? loose, the top rivet has perhaps corroded away. Guessing with wind and vibration this is the cause. Passenger side firm.

Will sometime this week try to fix and report back if new fixing solves the poblem. 

[catnap]

Swapped back to the original shocks and springs I had sitting on the shelf in the garage- noise is virtually gone instantly. I didn't touch anything else. I do think that when they sit for a while, they must relax or something and stop making the noise.

Long story short, new shocks (KYB) and top mounts (also KYB) arriving today or tomorrow, being fitted Monday. Fingers crossed.

[rincewind]

Catnap, I’m really keen to hear the result of this. I’ve had 3 sets of shocks on mine all to no avail. As you said though, the noise deffo goes away for a short while when the suspension has been relaxed.


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[catnap]

I'm not overly optimistic, but the front of the car was only off the ground for an hour while I swapped them over and if the noise takes a few days to return- well, a rubber bush should go back to where it was almost instantly, shouldn't it? Plus I have poly on the no.2 lower control arm so that won't be it (and didn't cure it anyway).

So yeah I'm shotgunning parts at the thing but I'm really at a loss to explain what else it can be. The engine mounts won't relax while the car's jacked up, the upper control arms are brand new, the drop links won't relax and are also new, the ARB mounts are poly.. the last thing is the no1. lower control arm but I looked at that and it seems okay, if a little worn. Plus it means adjusting the camber bolt if I take them off.

I'll report back- aiming to swap them on Monday sometime, weather permitting. Bloody car.

 

[Edit] I should note, I have noise back on the left of the car now- minor, but it's back where they was hardly any before. And the noise on the right has virtually stopped. I do think it's shock/top mount related.

[rincewind]

I share your frustration. It’s the only thing that spoils the car. I’ve thought hard about what it could be and not yet got to the bottom of it.


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[catnap]

Yep. I also now need to superglue or replace the upper control arm boot, as the tool I was using tore the boot as I put it on- brand new upper arms too 😠 Never ends!

[rincewind]

Have you looked at the upper ball joint, the one on the end of the wishbone?


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[catnap]

Yep they're brand new from Rock Auto- only done 1k or so on them. That's the boot I ripped when I was separating the wishbone from the UBJ. The old ones were knackered but weren't making the noise.

[rincewind]

Thanks - I was looking at that as a possibility. Now excluded from the list.


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[catnap]

Doesn't hurt to check them sometime of course- my ball joint was pretty loose but wasn't clicking. So worn but not horrible. The bushes were kinda gone though, I'll see if I can find a pic.

[catnap]

Like I said, not horrible but definitely seen a few winters of road salt.

[rincewind]

Bushing looks ok though. The fact that the noose goes away briefly when it’s all been relaxed seems to point to shock or top mount, but both have been changed on mine. I’ve changed:
Top mount
Shocks (x3)
Lower ball joint
Drop links


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[catnap]

Top mounts looked okay when I took the strut assembly apart, but I'm doing them regardless. I did notice a slight steering wheel shimmy this morning on my usual road at a certain speed and place that wasn't there before. The IS300 repair manual says this can be a symptom of a worn shock- so maybe I've got two sets of somewhat worn shocks. I don't think they've ever been changed and she's done 165k now so they're probably overdue.

Thing is, I've had the car up in the air for multiple hours before doing the upper arms, brakes, etc. At no point did the noise change- only when I change the shocks.

It'd be sods law that we have a noise coming from a different place and we're ruling out things that the other's done, not knowing if we're ruling out things that are the cause. If you ever find yourself down in the South East, shoot me a PM...!

[rincewind]

Where are you mate?


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