clunking sound driver side rear, any advice?

Hi guys, I have a clunking noise in the driver side rear. Any time I go over any sorts of bumps, it clunks loudly, like what it would sound like if there was a big wrench in the wheel well where the spare tire goes. It almost sounds like bad ball joints sound like. I believe it is something directly connected to the wheel/axle. I can replicate the noise somewhat by putting a breaker bar on one of the lugs and make a tightening motion, when the wheel moves, it makes the clunk, and it's definitely coming from that specific area. When I try the breaker bar on the passenger side, it is silent. I have already checked all of the rear suspension components, everything is tight. Please give me some info on how to fix/diagnose this. From the searches I've been doing, I think it's possible that it's a bad wheel bearing, can anyone confirm that this would happen in that case? If I do replace the bearing, should I get one of the "axle repair package" ones, it says that it will allow the bearing and seal to ride on a different part of the axle in case there is wear. The axle repair one is $25 as opposed to $11 for the regular replacement bearing. I think it may be a good idea, even if the axle shaft isn't visibly worn or pitted where the original bearing made contact. I'd rather fix it the first time than pull it apart again. Any thoughts?

I have it... but i also have a ton of miles.. My torque arm bushing is fried(waiting to install new one) Sounds like a bouncy ball in the gas tank.

Low control arm bushings
Torque Arm Bushing

My best guess

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Originally Posted by JoshieDoom

I have it... but i also have a ton of miles.. My torque arm bushing is fried(waiting to install new one) Sounds like a bouncy ball in the gas tank.

Low control arm bushings
Torque Arm Bushing

My best guess

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I have poly LCA's, and I know what those sound like when they decide to start squeeking lol. I don't think it's the TA , I forgot to mention it ONLY makes sounds when the driver side back tire hits the bumpy areas, and I can hear it coming only from the back driver side. While driving, it does feel like it's somehow directly connected to the wheel. Like I said earlier, it reminds me a lot of bad ball joints. I think I'm going to replace the bearing tomorrow and see if the axle is pitted at all, who knows.

Yeah. Same noise during the same times here.. if you find the cause tell me :)

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Originally Posted by JoshieDoom

Yeah. Same noise during the same times here.. if you find the cause tell me :)

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lol I'll let ya know, I will track track it down somehow.

yeah i have the same prob on the passenger side. hella irritating, got fixed once chevy dealership said it was e-brake. I didnt think that was the problem i think they just didnt want to deal with it. does it even when i kinda accelerate fast.

That's interesting, I hadn't considered the e-brake. Maybe I'll unhook it and it it that changes anything.

I have had this problem before numerous times, hopefully it's your problem.
1.) Make sure that the sway bar is tight and secure at all points, I found where the link is that the bushings wear and leave open space to rattleover a bump. Check this first.
2.) The other problem I've found is the torque arm mount at the rear seems to loosen bolts aftera few track outings or a few months on rough pavement. WHere it attaches to rear end.
3.) This has happened many times as well, after track passes. Check the panhard bar that goes form the rear end to the body, I've had to tighten mine a few times from being loosened.

Hope this helps, Good Luck~!~

I've checked every bolt back there, so I'm fairly confident it's not 2 or 3. I didn't really think about it, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to change to poly for the swaybar end links and bushings. I did change the wheel bearing and installed my rear konis that were sitting in the closet, I was hoping that the stock shock had gone bad from lowering but it didn't. I'm also going to install a stock phb and then lca's to see if that gets rid of the noise. The phb has rod ends, the lca's are poly, I'm pretty confident it's not the lca's, I've heard them being noisy before and it's nowhere near the same.

I took all my shit apart the last two nights. Replaced the torque arm bushing. Had a good two inches of play in it.. While moving the torque arm i could tell that is none of the suspension. Its the rubber exhaust hangers being worn out and the arm smacking the bottom of the car, my muffler is also rubbing the panhard bar.

Hope this solves yours. :)

Interesting, I haven't checked the torque arm bushing yet, but I will now. My exhaust is good though. Thanks for the idea.

im also having the same problem on the passenger side. if i fix it i will let u know what i did

Sweet I'll let you guys know when I track down the issue.

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Originally Posted by JAGUAR5822

Sweet I'll let you guys know when I track down the issue.

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i think mine may have to do something with the bushings, it may be the same story for you. whenever u jack the car up, there is no load on the suspension stuff so you really cant tell if something is jacked up or not. at least thats what i think

Did you ever clear up the clunking from the driver side rear?

No, I screwed up the seal when I installed it so the fluid started leaking out when I drove it, and I just now started working on it today =) I'm planning on finishing replacing the seal and bearing tomorrow, and then I'll be back to trying to find the rattle.

Mine went away. UMI LCAs, A torque arm bushing and i replaced my exhaust rubber hangers

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Originally Posted by JoshieDoom

Mine went away. UMI LCAs, A torque arm bushing and i replaced my exhaust rubber hangers

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I have the same sound. Going to put my UMI LCA's on next weekend and I'll also check the exhaust hangers. Its these little things that piss me off so much.

Check for shiny rub marks on the over axle exhaust pipe, and also where it goes over the pan-hard bar upper support.

Even if you have clearance it doesn't mean the exhaust isn't hitting anywhere.:true:

Got the car back together tonight, sound still there of course lol. I'll be taking a very close look at the exhaust, just to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time.

wow i thought it was just my car... this seems to be a trend here. But as you said i only hear it when i go over a speen bump or something of that nature. So when i have it on a lift i have no idea where to look. But i did find one place wher a thump/rattle was coming from, it was the heat shield on the gas tank. May or may not help you but its not as loud anymore

Isn't the heat shield there to protect the plastic gas tank from....heat?;)

I did actually check that and everything was tight, I couldn't get it to rattle at all.

Have you checked your spare tire and jack to make sure their secure and not moving around?

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Originally Posted by Blue28

Have you checked your spare tire and jack to make sure their secure and not moving around?

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Just a can of fix a flat for me :)

lower control arms...its hard to diagnose because moving the lcas by hand is tough sometimes

I FINALLY solved the problem last night, I got under there and started to retighten everything again and found out it was an exhaust hanger, to be specific, it's the one that the rear part of the exhaust slides a flat blade into, on the passenger side near the top of the exhaust. It appeared to be just fine, and I have to shake the exhaust pretty violently to get it to bottom out and hit the metal on the hanger (the bushing is too old I guess). So I put a piece of rubber in there temporarily until I buy a new hanger for it. Thanks for all the ideas guys, and if you have a clanking, make sure you shake the exhaust violently before checking other areas. Also, it sounded WAY different and quieter from under the car, I couldn't believe it was as loud as it was inside the car, I think it was turning my entire rear unibody into a sound board like the back of a piano.

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Originally Posted by JAGUAR5822

I FINALLY solved the problem last night, I got under there and started to retighten everything again and found out it was an exhaust hanger, to be specific, it's the one that the rear part of the exhaust slides a flat blade into, on the passenger side near the top of the exhaust. It appeared to be just fine, and I have to shake the exhaust pretty violently to get it to bottom out and hit the metal on the hanger (the bushing is too old I guess). So I put a piece of rubber in there temporarily until I buy a new hanger for it. Thanks for all the ideas guys, and if you have a clanking, make sure you shake the exhaust violently before checking other areas. Also, it sounded WAY different and quieter from under the car, I couldn't believe it was as loud as it was inside the car, I think it was turning my entire rear unibody into a sound board like the back of a piano.

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Post 10 explains it all my friend.. LOLOL.. told ya hah

Man I know right, I wish I would have realized it before I changed my wheel bearing for no reason.

LOL, yeah my lower control arm sqeek is comming back. Im gonna pop them out again and grease them up next weekend.

Always something

Right on man thanks i'll have to check it cause that noise is driving me crazy.

i had the exact same clunking sound on my driver side, and it was the lca... just so everyone knows it won't always be the same thing. I put in a new set of poly lca's, and it fixed that...