zwaldo

FIXED!!
07/27/2012: Problem solved! The verdict......Loose nut on the right swaybar endlink. Thanks for everyone's input on the matter. Looking at the posts, I'd have to say random 84 won the guess this noise challenge! Congrats, I ow ya...something :P

Put this video together to show the popping sound, which was a lot like someone smacking their knockle on something. and what I did to fix it. Hope this helps future members!



Initial problem!
07/24/2012eveloped a popping sound in the rear right of the car yesterday. happens only when turning, and doesn't seam to affect the car while driving in any way noticeable. if i swing the car left to right you can get it to do it.

I laid my phone down to take this video, and sat it on the fire hydro so not the best quality work :P


but the car will do it almost every time when backing out of my friends driveway when the wheel is turned.

did drop the clutch going about 45 in second gear yesterday before I heard it. Not saying it had anything to do with it, but just saying I might have popped something with torquing it up :P

at first I thought that maybe an exhaust pipe was smacking something, since i just put mufflers on last week, but i'm sure that's just wishful thinking...cause that would be easy to fix :P

any help in helping figure out what it is as always appreciated

anyone else have a problem like this and find the issue?

zwaldo

spent most of the day trying to figure this out...had it on on all 4 jackstands, pulled on this, twisted that, etc and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. the ball joints that connect to the swaybar move freely, but no play in it. I think i'm stuck till I get some advise on here, or actually take it to the chevy dealer...which I never want to do!

SUB VETTE

Sounds like sticking positraction clutches. Change the differential fluid using the recommended DEXRON LS Gear Oil 75W-90 that contains the limited slip friction modifier. Do the dozen or so figure 8's in a parking lot after the change and see if your popping goes away.

zwaldo

I'll try that right after this storm passes. Won't hurt to change it anyway...

Random84

Swaybar endlinks are another common problem over uneven surfaces.

Joe_G

Is it a Z51? If so the rear lower ball joints have grease zerks and will clunk when dry.

It's a good idea to get little caps for the zerks after you fill the joints...they leak and will mess up the barrel of your rims with grease for a while until they eventually quit.

LMBC6Brian2

This

zwaldo

yeah it's a 2005 z51. I did see that they have the ability to be greased, and am going to get a grease gun tomorrow.

did another video tonight. it just starts in the parking lot, and you can hear the "tap" pretty plainly at :07, :45:56 the crunching sounds are from the top in the back. should have taken that out to do the video.
I start to be able to really reproduce the sound around



1:29 ish it does it several times during accel and decel.

around 1:50 is when i started to make the correlation with the steering wheel.

it's at 2:30 ish where i start talking to myself because I noticed that almost every time i turn the wheel to the right about 45-90 degrees it will make the noise.

I'm starting to feel that the noise might not be the right wheel section as much as the back middle of the car.

went to autozone today and saw a wall of differential fluids. was going to buy the mobil 1 ls 75w-90 but since it was 10 bucks a bottle i decided to go home and research a bit more...since there wasn't anything on the bottle about additives, or dextron. to many dam choices! I will tell you that i went to Orileys, and they wanted 20 bucks for royal purple, and 15 for lucus. and they pipe things hanging to the left there, the easy pours..where 2 at bucks at autozone, and 499 at o rileys.

Joe_G

If you swap the rear fluid, I'd advise sticking with factory spec. I've had trouble with my posi in two cars using non-factory spec fluids.

But that isn't a posi sound to my ear. The grinding when the posi binds is longer in duration and is turn related than bump related. So I don't think swapping fluid is going to do it.

I predict greasing the ball joints will.

zwaldo

Thanks for the advise on the fluid. after playing with the car a bit in the second movie, I started to think that my description of the sound in the right rear, and my shooting angle was misleading to sound like the posi.

I'm not a mechanic as you can see, but the sound is definitly related to turning the car to the right in some manor. either throwing weight down in one direction is making the balljoints pop, or the swaybar pop.

Joe_G

Diffs tend to grind when the posi clutches are sticking, not just one pop like your problem.

Greasing the ball joints is the much easier option, swapping diff fluid in an 05 isn't very easy as the rear leaf spring is in the way.

If you take your car into a quick oil change place, they will grease the ball joints for free when they do the oil change if you advise them they exist (watch them to make sure they do it as communication from top to bottom isn't always 100%).

I'd try the easy option first, personally.

SUB VETTE

Use the GM Dextron fluid I mentioned above. Don't screw around with something else from the local parts store. You can find it on the internet if you don't want to buy it from the dealer. GM experimented for years with this problem, using various fluid combinations until they got it right with the DEXTRON mentioned above that has a friction modifier in the formula. It works for sticking clutches that pop and pop. I know because it solved that problem for me.

zwaldo

I greased the toe links in the back and it didn't do anything to help..but i now have lucus grease back there ;0

tried to take another video last night, but the wind noise is so bad I'm going to try and make another. car seems to want to make a pop sound just rolling in neutral, or in a gear everytime i'm over 5 mph, and turn the wheel to a certain point to the right. does not matter now fast or hard i turn it. sounds like its almost coming from the middle of the car now..

LFZ

Tighten the hell out of all 4 endlinks. I had the same problem, and even though I thought they were tight, I gave them alittle extra snug and it cured it. If that doesn't work....I don't know.

corvette4595

Look at your exhaust pipes on both sides right above the rear differential. That was the cause of my mysterious clunk that sounded just like that. The diff and pipe would touch during certain turns at low speeds.

zwaldo

I'm thinking about taking both mufflers back off at the h pipe then driving around to see if it stops, just to see if that is the problem or not

you know when i went under the car and looked the first time, that is one of the areas I looked at. the left muffler pipe would not make a sound, but the right one would make a sound if i wiggled it pretty hard... smacked right on the diff. so i'll take that one off, and see if it does it.

zwaldo

i'll tighten those up while i'm taking the exhaust off :P

zwaldo

Problem located, and solved. explanation was edited in the first post with a video for future members having this problem.

swaybar endlink nut was very lose!

Joe_G

Good deal. And shame on me...I had that exact issue on my c5 after aftermarket exhaust was put on it...I should have suggested that!

zwaldo

any suggestion was a good suggestion in my cause. even if it wasn't right, it gave me inspiration to try and fix/find it myself