Metallic clunk in left rear

I have a 1998 SC with 97k miles that just developed a clunking sound in the
left rear mostly when going over bumps. Nothing looks broken to the casual
observation. My daughter says that it makes the noise more when the back end
has some weight in it like a full gas tank or something in the trunk. Any
ideas before I drag it in to a shop this weekend?

Thanks in advance!

 

Check the rear sway bar end links, which connect the sway bar to a bracket
connected to the struts. They should move freely. If they bind (due to
rust or corrosion), it causes odd noises.

Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]

 

I will check that out in the AM. Thanks Lane! If I remember right, you are
just down the road from me in Green Bay. I am from the Appleton area.

 

we had a similar thing repaired on our 93 SL1. It was the rear struts.
Replaced then and all is well.

marx404

 

I was leaning that way myself, but I will see what the sway bar looks like
in the AM.
Funny thing is it is hard to replicate the problem sitting still. Thanks
for the reply!

 

OK, I went to the local Midas shop and them look it over. Estimate came in
for $722!
Seems the driver side strut mount is worn out and causing the strut to clunk
back and forth. (2 struts $160, 2 strut mounts $142, installation for all is
$212 and a 4 wheel alignment is $55.) Does this seem a bit extreme for 1
bad strut mount?

Have many others had this type of problem before? TIA!

 

Canadian or US dollars?

Seems high except for the alignment - mine is usually about $100 and makes
my dealer a little nuts (my perception) because the car is lowered.

At carparts.com they have the rear strut assembly for US$70 each in a
Gabriel brand - I bought KYB's some time ago and I see them over at
tirerack.com for US$48 each.

There is something at the tirerack site called a strut and shock mount for
US$41 ea - but unless yours are trashed, I don't get why you might need
them (someone else maybe can clarify).

So a pair of KYB's installed should be under $200 in my thinking.

....if it's in the budget and you plan on keeping the car, I'd go for
replacing all 4 (just a thought).

 

That was US dollars. Sorry for the confusion. Not that I am on a budget per
se, but the car isn't worth all that much to begin with ;-) I would like to
get by with the least amount to make the car safe and quiet to drive.

 

I had a knocking, and it turned out to be the struts. Here is the totals, in
Canadian dollars, by Saturn.

Front Struts $345.46
Shield (Rubber CV Joints) $58.90
Labour & Four Wheel Alignment $382.70
Total $787.06
Taxes $118.06
Grand Total $905.12

 

Makes sense - let us know how you make out...

 

There is something at the tirerack site called a strut and shock mount for

Here's why it's a good idea to replace these before you need to.
http://www57.pair.com/lane/Pics/strut.jpg

If you replace your struts, it's a good idea to replace the mounts too.
While 4 new mounts aren't cheap, they sure are cheaper than a strut rod
going up through the hood or the rear window while you're driving. I
replaced my struts at one time but didn't replace the mounts. This happened
at about 120k.

Lane [ l a n e @ p a i r . c o m ]

 

Lately I’ve been hearing a knock in the trunk when I turn sometimes.
Sounds like something is tipping over in the trunk. Since it’s a 2001 SC1
there’s no sway bar to make noise.

From the looks of the picture, bad strut mounts should be replaced. Are
the replacement strut mounts stronger? My car has less than 40000 miles.
I hope the replacements are better.

 

Point well taken with the picture! Is this another fine GM engineering job?
I wonder if the guys designing the GM V6 intake manifold gasket took the day
off and designed the strut mounting system.

Like Skid asked, do you think the replacement strut mounts are built to
last? I am about 99% sure I will only be doing the rear struts at this time
to nurse this 98 pig along.

Thanks for your replies Lane!

 

You win the prize Lane. One of the sway bars was binding. Boy that made a
gawd awful noise!