On my '95 Corolla I have had an issue where the right rear makes this sort of loud thudding sound whenever I drive over rough pavement. Best I can tell it is from the shock. I've jacked the car up and the wheel seems to be solidly attached to the suspension. Is this dangerous? The noise and bad ride don't bother me (beater car) but if my wheel is going to fall off I'll spend the money to replace all my shocks/struts since they're all original.
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How dangerous is a thudding shock?
- Thread starter Sukhoi
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JulesMaximus
No Lifer
Thudding? Is your suspension bottoming out? A shock shouldn't make that sound since it isn't actually holding up your car...your springs do that.
Driving with bad/blown shocks is not safe. Basically, your wheels will bounce up and down, not maintaining optimum contact with the pavement, because there is nothing dampening the movement of the weight of the car over the roadway (which is what a shock absorber does).
Driving with bad/blown shocks is not safe. Basically, your wheels will bounce up and down, not maintaining optimum contact with the pavement, because there is nothing dampening the movement of the weight of the car over the roadway (which is what a shock absorber does).
Bignate603
Lifer
Loud unexplained noises are bad. If you can't figure out exactly what it is and fix it you need to take it in to a mechanic. If it is the shock it sounds like you've completely blown it out. It will need to be replaced. You probably should have the other rear done at the same time.
exdeath
Lifer
Could be either the shock is blown and it's hitting the bump stop or one of the mount points are loose and clunking.
It's not going to come apart, but it's going to drive like crap and be real loose on rough pavement, cup and wear your tires badly, and wear out other things like control arm bushings. Just get it replaced, waiting will never save you money.
It's one of those things you won't have to do again for 100k+ miles and as soon as it's fixed you'll beat yourself for not doing it sooner.
95 Corolla uses struts on all 4 corners. You can replace the entire strut assembly, mount, spring, and all, for around $160 a wheel if you or someone you know can do it. It's no more difficult than changing a tire with the preassembled quick struts. Throw in $50 for an alignment after.
It's not going to come apart, but it's going to drive like crap and be real loose on rough pavement, cup and wear your tires badly, and wear out other things like control arm bushings. Just get it replaced, waiting will never save you money.
It's one of those things you won't have to do again for 100k+ miles and as soon as it's fixed you'll beat yourself for not doing it sooner.
95 Corolla uses struts on all 4 corners. You can replace the entire strut assembly, mount, spring, and all, for around $160 a wheel if you or someone you know can do it. It's no more difficult than changing a tire with the preassembled quick struts. Throw in $50 for an alignment after.
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exdeath
Lifer
Don't know the brand or quality but for a beater they can't be worse than known bad ones:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
The car isn't bottoming out...it does it on just rough pavement on city streets. It probably is some sort of loose mount, though I don't understand why the wheel felt completely solid when I yanked it around while it was in the air.
Good to know they're struts at all 4 corners. I figured the rear were plain shocks. I'm probably going to be laid off next week so maybe I will try to replace them myself since I'll have time. How hard do you think it is going to be to get the bolts off if they've been on there for 15 years and the first 12 years were in a snow climate? Last thing I want to do is break something off back in the carport behind my apartment where it would be near impossible to get a tow truck into.
With a 15 year old suspension would replacing the rear strut pair be enough or do I really need to do all 4?
Good to know they're struts at all 4 corners. I figured the rear were plain shocks. I'm probably going to be laid off next week so maybe I will try to replace them myself since I'll have time. How hard do you think it is going to be to get the bolts off if they've been on there for 15 years and the first 12 years were in a snow climate? Last thing I want to do is break something off back in the carport behind my apartment where it would be near impossible to get a tow truck into.
With a 15 year old suspension would replacing the rear strut pair be enough or do I really need to do all 4?
thedarkwolf
Diamond Member
I say its more likely you have a bad bushing somewhere.
jlee
Lifer
I'm guessing you have bad swaybar bushings...
If you go over a bump, does the car bounce several times before settling, or does it even itself out immediately?
The bolts are probably pretty stuck, but they're big and shouldn't break. If you're up for a road trip to NH, bring parts and beer and we'll take care of it. 😀
If you go over a bump, does the car bounce several times before settling, or does it even itself out immediately?
The bolts are probably pretty stuck, but they're big and shouldn't break. If you're up for a road trip to NH, bring parts and beer and we'll take care of it. 😀
JulesMaximus
No Lifer
To check your struts, push the car down forcefully at each corner and see if it comes back up and stops or if it bounces up and down before stopping. If it bounces, your struts are shot.
exdeath
Lifer
Because a person isn't going to replicate 1000s of lbs yanking on the wheel with his bare hands. 🙂
I tried pushing on both sides of the rear to compare. They both come back up past the equilibrium point a little bit, then go down to the equilibrium point. So the shocks are working decently well, and I'm thinking the right-rear shock probably isn't the cause of the noise.
That is a good point about the probably coming from sway bar type bushings. Given that the clunk comes on flat rough pavement it seems like it is caused by a rearward force rather than a vertical force. The Haynes manual for my car doesn't list a sway bar in particular, but it has a strut rod that runs horizonal lengthwise down the car to restrain the wheel in the front/rear direction. Seems like the bushing at one end of that rod may be dead. Is that something that I should be able to visually identify?
Autozone sells a sway bar repair kit for $53. Is this probably what Haynes is calling the strut rod? It's hard to tell from the pictures, but if they're not the same I have no clue where the Autozone part would be installed.
That is a good point about the probably coming from sway bar type bushings. Given that the clunk comes on flat rough pavement it seems like it is caused by a rearward force rather than a vertical force. The Haynes manual for my car doesn't list a sway bar in particular, but it has a strut rod that runs horizonal lengthwise down the car to restrain the wheel in the front/rear direction. Seems like the bushing at one end of that rod may be dead. Is that something that I should be able to visually identify?
Autozone sells a sway bar repair kit for $53. Is this probably what Haynes is calling the strut rod? It's hard to tell from the pictures, but if they're not the same I have no clue where the Autozone part would be installed.
Lotheron
Platinum Member
Jack the rear end up and grab each tire and see if there is any front to back and up and down motion in the assembly that would be separate from a shock issue.
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