rear air shocks

[mjtr21]

I've been looking around for a closeup picture of the rear mount part but cant seem to find one. I took the shocks and mounts off in such a hurry that when it came time for me to put the new shocks and mounts in I forgot which position the washers and mounts even go on. I know there are two concave washers but where exactly is each one placed on the mount?

[00Beast]

There is only one way the mount can go in, and you only use one concave washer, with the concave facing up, away from the mount. Both the shocks and the mounts come with them, but throw one set away.

[mjtr21]

Alright I got them put on and fixed the right way. I found a picture that helped me out. But that still didn't fix my rattling/clunk noise. The noise is coming from the left rear tire area and it rattles when I drive over small bumps in the road no matter what speed. But if I'm driving slow over a big bump the second the left rear wheel hits it there's a loud pop noise. I checked everything I could in that area. I even thought something was loose inside the rear left door panel but there isn't. Anyone have anything similar happen to them. I seen something about someone having to replace bushings on a suspension part in the rear but cant remember.

P.S. it's not the lateral arms/adjust links that are making the noise because those were replaced a few months ago and still look brand new with no play.

[Ken_W]

You might need new bushings on your rear lower control arms. There are several recent threads on this topic (including my own). I am taking mine to a shop tomorrow (Thursday).

It is also possible that your rear suspension rubber frame mounts are bad, but this seems less common than the control arm bushing issue.

Ken_W

[Hans]

I have the same problem on my 01, assumed it was the upper strut mounts and so did a mechanic that was riding with me one day, however have not looked at the lower control arm bushings yet.

[mjtr21]

I actually found another post right here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=13804&p=145308&hil ... ts#p145308

I do believe this is where my rattling is coming from. It's the same exact place I'm hearing the rattle and this person's description matches mine. Do I just get underneath the car while its sitting in the driveway, remove the bolt, add a washer, and put the bolt back in?

[mjtr21]

Well this was just about the easiest fix I've ever done. I did exactly what the guy in my previous post did, and took out the bolt for the rear suspension frame mount on the drivers side. To my disbelief it didn't take much effort to remove the bolt since it was already WAY too loose. I cleaned the area up as there was a lot of dirt and dust buildup. Found a washer and installed the bolt back as tight as I could. The FREAKING NOISE WAS GONE. It was simply a loose frame bolt that caused a rattling for months and months that I could not locate.

[Ken_W]

Sometimes things work out.

It would be interesting to hear if it is still solid in 6-12 months. If you could report back to us with an update, that would be appreciated. In the meantime, enjoy your quiet car!

Ken_W