Car is a 2007 Infiniti M35x which was lowered in Feb. of 2013 on BC Racing coilovers. Car has 120kmi on it. Coilovers were installed at 101kmi. Also, all four stabilizer links (front and back) were replaced at the same time. I did the installation of both myself, but the suspension was ‘fine tuned/adjusted’ to it’s proper height by Albany Speed Shop.
Recently (within the last 2-3 months), the car has started to develop a knocking/clunking sound when going over bumps or dips in the road where the travel of the suspension is great. On smooth roads or gradual dips, all is quite. But when there is a pot hole, a quick dip in the road where the suspension ‘drops’ (and then the weight of the car coming down on it), the noise occurs.
Everything looks tight/right on the car…and BC has agreed to honor the warranty once it gets warmer and I can record the sound going over bumps with my GoPro…but I was wondering if anyone here had any recommendations on what to check.
If it helps, the feedback in the steering wheel suggests it is at the top of the strut…and it also sounds like it’s just under the hood. However, I could be way off. I did a check just now of the nuts holding the top of the strut and all was well.
so many things could be going on. if BC is willing to help that’s rad. have you been winter-pigging the car on the BC coils?
this may not be helpful at all but as a guy who has done a number of nissans with coilovers this is just a part of owning one. just be happy your grounds have gone all fucky yet.
Hah, yeah…that’s why I need some assistance on what to shoot for. I can work on my car myself, but understanding or finding the cause of an issue isn’t as easy as being able to install a part.
Yeah, it is my DD. However, I wash it at least once a week and sometimes 2-3 times a week.
I’m really considering scratching the coilovers and going to a static drop. I had a 99 Maxima with Tokico struts and H&R springs and that thing rode like a dream and had no such issues.
I don’t know shit about lowering or nissans but my guess would be either sway bar links or possibly the upper control arm contacting the spring. check the coilovers for any marks indicating contact with the uca and check torque on the sway bar links or disconnect the sway bar links and go somewhere where the noise consistently occurs and see if it is still there with the sway bar links removed then that is not the issue…hopefully this is of some help.
this is def the wya to go on a DD where we get real winters. i didnt even consider coilovers on my G coupe when i had it. I went with Tokico / Tein with SPL arms and a good alignment and then properly fitted wheels / tires / spacers. Went through 3-4 iterations of the whole set up before it felt right. However, afterwards it held the road better than a new BMW 335i msport which i test drove as a replacement.
It may be very hard to find a static drop for the X though. you might have to look into something semi-custom from Koni / Bilstein but if you plan to keep the car it would be worth it.
Yeah, I’ll have to see if BC will replace these (if it is indeed the coilovers that are the issue) first so I can sell the replacements and not lose too much money.
There is only one real option for the X, the Espelir springs (which, funny enough, I have owned two sets of but never installed lol - DOH!)…problem is there isn’t any nice after market struts/shocks…so most guys install them on OEM replacements which may be KYB?
My old slammed TL made noise too, turned out to be uca hitting. Some honda bois cut out the sheet metal where its contacting… im not a smuck, i raised the car instead.
Hmm…I never changed the end links, etc. only stabilizer links (are those different?)…will have to check that…
Thanks. That pic doesn’t do it justice, here is some others which are better IMO (sorry, all from my Instagram lol):
Hahah word. No jerry rigging here…I like to have things done the right way as much as possible.
These are 19x8.5 BE By Breyton GTS-AV’s. Got them on TireRack with tires (245/45/19) for like $1,200 mounted and balanced I believe. Somewhere around there.
poly bushings in those dampers? Cold = stiff as a rock and any slight clearances between fastners/sleeves will cause noises and clunk feelings.
what are the strut hats like? bearing plates or bushings? are they part of the BC stuff, or OEM parts the BC stuff bolts to?
You said you did links, but what about sway bar bushings? And dont count the links out, usually lowering will put the links at odd angles at all times and wear them out quicker.
Noise from the front or back, you mentioned feeling it in the wheel so that suggests front, but sounds can play tricks with you and their locations. In a parking lot going slow with alot of steering angle hitting dips and humps does it do it, do it more, or do it less? As mentioned look for contact whitness marks on components. jack stand it up and look at full drop (like when you crest a rise fast does it clunk then?) at what components are close to contacting eachother. then jack one side of the car up a bit and look under the side on the ground (loading it and making it go higher up in its compression travel) and do the same. lastly, how much tension is on the spring itself in the colars? if its really low, the spring can be somewhat loose on the body of the damper.
The entire coilover is one assembly. The only thing I re-used when installing them was the cardboard/paper ‘gasket’ between the coilover and wheel well where the assembly bolts up to the car. Everything else came as one entire unit. I don’t know how to take the coilovers apart to check the internals, etc. Is that what’s needed to check the bushings/bearing plates or is there an easier way to check/access those?
You do bring up a good point…it did seem to start as temperatures got colder (and we all know this winter has been one of the most brutal in recent memory). However, I installed these in Feb 2013 (20kmi ago) and this definitely wasn’t happening after the installation all the way up until the beginning of winter (very last part of 2013 - so I went roughly 15-16k without issues)…it only started when the temperatures dropped this winter.
I did the stabilizer end links at the same time as the install, so 101k…at 120k I probably should do the rest of the suspension like ball joints, sway bar links, etc. I guess I could loosen the end links and see how much play is in them…I have a lift with full assortment of tools so it would only take a minute. I’m sure if can install the ball joints and swar bar kit myself or if not, my father could definitely assist.
Noise is definitely in the front. I had noise in the back too, but I think I solved that for good (the rear is a different setup - the spring is separate from the shock). My rear left stabilizer link busted a nut (lol) so it was just flapping around held on by one nut (lol). I bought a new link and made sure it was all proper and the rear is quiet now. But the front sounds like it’s driver side front more than anywhere…towards the top where the strut bolts to the car and I do feel feedback in my steering wheel when it clunks. It happens when going straight over rough road, even when going over speed bumps it’ll do it sometimes.
I don’t have spring lock/ping or whatever it’s called…I had then when I first installed the kit but A.S.S helped me out and by tightening the collars, we got rid of that.
Could definitely be sway bar bushings, or a control arm bushing or ball joint. Not saying it isn’t something with the coilovers but they have less miles than all the OEM parts that haven’t been changed.
You have to jack it up and look for play.
To the OP: stabilizer link, end link, sway bar end link, or link pin all equal the same thing. These are a very common cause of a clunk in the front and rear of a car, worth re-inspecting even though you changed them recently.
if you have a lift put her up and grab a long pry bar and start fishing around. thats all there is too it.
what I would not do, is start throwing parts at it. Bushings, balljoints, etc. until you proven they are worn. As for ball joints, without looking them up myself, 9-10 times a “ball joint replacment” means you are replacing the entire controll arm as a loaded unit (bushings and bj already on a new control arm).
Updated - - -
my $ is on front sway bar bushings.
If you hit the bump/dip with equal pressure at both left/right tires then the sway bar isnt twisting, its swinging. so instead of the bushing holding the bar and letting it twist on the chassis, its holding the bar from lifting off the chassis as whole. if they are loose the bar will move up/down as a unit. Salt and shit gets in there and wears the bushings and the paint/steel on the bar quicker becasue its not sealed up anymore and tight. Add in the cold weather and stiffer bushings and you have more impact transmitted.
Another thing to check- if they have the same setup as alot of the more common coilover kits I’ve seen, it probably has spherical bushings for the camber plates/upper strut mounts- I had a set of KSport coilovers- these tend to wear rather quickly and those (KSports) were serviceable. Same thing that has been mentioned by a couple people though, jack it up completely and start shaking/tapping/prying on joints/bushings and see where the noise/slack is originating.
I’ll have a look next week as I’m off from work and no classes due to spring break.
As for throwing parts at it…I’ve had the car since it had 30kmi on it…I will probably go ahead and do the basic things that I can (without doing the control arms) since it’s bout time they need to be done. I don’t mind throwing $150 in parts at it from time to time…car has 120kmi on it and other than this suspension and some body blemishes (due to age and elements) this car drives and runs like it did when I picked it up with 30kmi on it back in May 2010. I’ve kept it running this well so far by being anal about the maintenance, no sense in stopping.
