could it be the shocks ??

[z24forlife]

Ok well you guys know me iv been having this clunky knocking noise when i hit some bumps.. went to the garage today to check the top plates and, my mechanic told me that it could be the shocks aswell.. and im also hearing the same kinda knocking coming from the back end.. Now do you think it could be the shocks knocking... what are the symptoms of a faulty suspension.?? and if he does change the plates and shocks, will my car need to ne aligned.. Damn this car is costing an arm and leg ..

[muff34]

Originally Posted by z24forlife

Ok well you guys know me iv been having this clunky knocking noise when i hit some bumps.. went to the garage today to check the top plates and, my mechanic told me that it could be the shocks aswell.. and im also hearing the same kinda knocking coming from the back end.. Now do you think it could be the shocks knocking... what are the symptoms of a faulty suspension.?? and if he does change the plates and shocks, will my car need to ne aligned.. Damn this car is costing an arm and leg ..

well yo may have to take his word for it about the front end and yes you should have an alignment done after. The back clunk could also be strut mounts( top plates as you call them) if you have ruled out everything else back there ,muffler,junk in the trunk etc. You can do the back yourself ,no big deal. you cannot tell if strut mounts are bad until you take struts out, you`ll know when you see it. the spring does not have alot of pressure on them ,so you should be able to pull it apart and re-install new struts and strut mounts. I did my 2000 sunfire in the back yard last summer ,no special tools required.
Good Luck

[z24forlife]

thanks...

Ill let you know what it is exactly... im taking it in this morning again.

[Scrapper]

yes it could be dry shocks as you call them. but it could be upper bearing plates and yes you got to take them off to check the play in them..good luck.

[z24forlife]

well i was told that everything is in perfect condition on my car.... and that the rattle noise(sounds like the top plates).. is coming from inside my fenders. Is there anything i need to check or tighten..?? I know its very cold here and, I cant go under my car to really examine everything.. but is there anything i should check.?? The noise is intermiten... and, some days i can drive my car and everything is tight and makes no noises... Can anyone call the shot here..??? Would be great to hear from you guys on this.

Thanks.. bye

[z24forlife]

Ok im pretty convinced that my shocks need to be changed.. and, probably my top plates too.. Id like to know how much all of this will cost me in canadian money.. ?? Of course i will need to put good quality parts to go with this... So how much are we looking at..???

[Classicrocjunkie]

struts should be changed every 50K miles..

i will tell you again, your mechanic is a fucking retard, change your damn strut mounts.

Buy yourself the pre 200o ones that are one piece.

[z24forlife]

Ok so your telling me that I should change only the strut mounts..?? as in top plates for all four shocks... True that the shocks dont really bounce and they still seem tight..but those clunking noises are really annoying.. So if I order the top plates, which ones should I order..?? Do i get 1999 ones.. and, will they fit on my cavy z24 2002.. I really need to get rid of those noises and, it seems that with the cold its worse.. my car only has 53000kms...

[Classicrocjunkie]

Originally Posted by z24forlife

Ok so your telling me that I should change only the strut mounts..?? as in top plates for all four shocks... True that the shocks dont really bounce and they still seem tight..but those clunking noises are really annoying.. So if I order the top plates, which ones should I order..?? Do i get 1999 ones.. and, will they fit on my cavy z24 2002.. I really need to get rid of those noises and, it seems that with the cold its worse.. my car only has 53000kms...

If you push down on the front or rear of your car really hard and let go, if it continues to just go up and down, your struts are blown. When you change those strut mounts, you'll be able to tell for sure. If you push in on them and they don't come back out, they are shotski

You don't want top plates. You want the whole fucking unit itself. Go to your local auto parts store and tell them you have a 95-99 cavalier. You want a new strut mount be it front or rear... I am done with this thread. Its like a broken record. I've told you what needed to be done. Not trying to be rude, but this is getting old.