Scubaboo Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 (edited) I have a clunkity clunk at low speeds in the front left side that sounds like sway bars and/or end links. Problem is I already replaced these. I've also replaced both LCA bushings and ball joints. All parts installed were Subaru OE from the dealer. I had an alignment after all that and the tech did not say anything about the tie rods so I assume they are ok. Could it be the top hat? Rubber is fine, nut under dust cover is tight and so are the hat bolts. Any other way to check these? Oh, what about the steering rack bushings, can these cause a sway bar-like clunk? Sometimes its a single clunk when I go up a speed bump. Other times it's a few clunks in series over slightly rough roads. EDIT: I just realized the Bilsteins that come as OE in our market are inverted struts. Could I have inverted strut clunk?? EDIT 2: SOLVED! Yes it was the strut. Inverted strut clunk from worn bushing like 4th gen Legacy Bilsteins. Edited July 16, 2019 by Scubaboo SOLVED! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Rumble Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Honestly, check that the main center top hat bolt on that side is fully tight. One of mine was only 1/4 turn loose after my Koni install, but it was enough to cause a horrid clunking. Tightening just that one nut solved it. 2012 Legacy 3.6R Build Thread 5th Gen Legacy BM/BR Body Kit Compendium Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchy Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I just did my top hats today.The noise mine was doing is when the car was in park i would turn the wheel from all the way left to all the way right and a binding noise would come out off the defective top hat. I dont speak English to good but I French alot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Humble, did see that thread here on clunking and saw a lot of people mention that nut. I had high hopes that would be it. Went at it with an allen key and a box wrench, it didnt move one bit. Top hat bolts I was able to tighten but I held off cranking on it because it felt off. I checked torque specs and saw somwhere here they were only 14 ft-lbs and apparently a lot of people post that they break them off lol! Frenchy, thanks for describing how your busted hat felt like. Mine is smooth doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cww516 Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 You haven't had the struts pulled apart, have you? I had that same binding when I installed the upper spring seat without clocking it correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PremLegacy Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 I am having the same noise... front passenger side strut... the suspension is fully stock with about 70k miles on it. I just thought it developed a slow leak out of the seal... I also have noticed that when the ambient temperature is around 40 degrees, that the strut makes a audible noise when you first drive the car... haven't had any time to check it out yet... Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 I am having the same noise... front passenger side strut... the suspension is fully stock with about 70k miles on it. I just thought it developed a slow leak out of the seal... I also have noticed that when the ambient temperature is around 40 degrees, that the strut makes a audible noise when you first drive the car... haven't had any time to check it out yet... Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk I have 47k km/31k miles on my stock suspension. Our local cars come with JDM spec suspension so it's Bilsteins, which are long lasting in general. Our roads look like they were at the recieving end of a mortar attack though so I wouldnt be surprised if I already have a busted strut. I just had the underside pressure washed a few days ago and did not see any leaking struts though. Any other ways to check if strurs are a noise maker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 9, 2018 Author Share Posted May 9, 2018 So I just realized I have inverted struts. Could it be something like STI strut clunk that people are posting videos about resolving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PremLegacy Posted May 10, 2018 Share Posted May 10, 2018 This clunk seems to be pretty common among these cars... many people claim it is the top nut on the strut that came loose... Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 11, 2018 Author Share Posted May 11, 2018 This clunk seems to be pretty common among these cars... many people claim it is the top nut on the strut that came loose... Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk Is it Subarus in general I wonder? I had an 07 Forester before the Legacy that was also somewhat "clunky". A search did mention the top nut quite a bit and I tried tightening it. It was on pretty tight. I also tightened every fastener I could see lol, it's still there. I am looking at disassembling and greasing the inverted struts next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PremLegacy Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Must be a more recent thing as well... I had a 2001 2.5Rs Impreza before that never had that problem... Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share Posted May 13, 2018 Ugh. The car runs nice but the clunking is so annoying! I just checked with the local dealer. The front Bilstein inverted struts cost $720...per piece! I'm wondering if I should just get a complete KYB Lowfer strut/spring set, but I'm not keen on lowering the car because of the roads here though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDWPgtp Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 I have a clunk in the front left from specific types of bumps that showed up after installing the Konis and 13-14 springs. I've tightened everything and cannot seem to fix it, although it doesn't seem to happen much in warm weather. I don't think that the koni and 13-14 combo is the cause, but merely makes it noticeable, since it is stiffer than OEM and 10-12 springs. I suspect that the OEM stuff absorbs the energy before it is able to cause the clunk in most cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PremLegacy Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 My car is fully stock suspension on a 2013 but yet I still have the "Clunk" in the front. However I am also having binding at very low speeds... So this sounds like it is not related to the struts at all but something else... check tie-rod/ball joint? Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nads Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 I've noticed lately a "clunky" sound over minor-ly rough roads at slow speeds. It sounds like a plastic on plastic slapping sound. More of a clap clap clap sound. No noise over speed bumps and no binding. All stock and presumed untouched 62k mile suspension too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootyologist Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 I have a clunk in the front left from specific types of bumps that showed up after installing the Konis and 13-14 springs. I've tightened everything and cannot seem to fix it, although it doesn't seem to happen much in warm weather. I don't think that the koni and 13-14 combo is the cause, but merely makes it noticeable, since it is stiffer than OEM and 10-12 springs. I suspect that the OEM stuff absorbs the energy before it is able to cause the clunk in most cases.I also have a clunk on my koni + 13/14 spring combo. it was also there with koni/rce and koni/eibach. I tried new top hats but it was still there. it was much worse in cold weather below 40, which is about 7 months of the year in Minnesota. I took them off and put on a fully assembled set of 13/14 oem struts and springs and the noise went away. during one of my spring swaps, I checked to make the inserts were bottomed out in the donors and they were. no idea where the damn noise was coming from. frustrating Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share Posted May 16, 2018 (edited) "Clunks and creaks is what makes it a Subaru" Lol just one of the quotes I came across looking for a solution to my clunking. Anyway...I do believe I have strut clunk. I see a lot of reference to it on 4th gen Legacies with Bilstein struts. Lack of lube or worn strut body bushing/bearing is quoted as cause. Essentially the inverted gas tube strut insert either sticks (dried out grease) or rattles around in it's strut body (worn bushing/bearing between strut body and strut insert) and causes the noise. I will be diving into the 4th gen forums as it looks like there are a lot more people there with experience with Subaru Bilsteins in general and I hope to get a find a solution there. Edited May 17, 2018 by Scubaboo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 The North American Legacy's made in SIA also have a different suspension than the rest of the world that are made in Gunma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nads Posted May 17, 2018 Share Posted May 17, 2018 I also have a clunk on my koni + 13/14 spring combo. it was also there with koni/rce and koni/eibach. I tried new top hats but it was still there. it was much worse in cold weather below 40, which is about 7 months of the year in Minnesota. I took them off and put on a fully assembled set of 13/14 oem struts and springs and the noise went away. during one of my spring swaps, I checked to make the inserts were bottomed out in the donors and they were. no idea where the damn noise was coming from. frustrating Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk My fix this morning wouldn't work. Damn Spotify wouldn't connect on my Pioneer deck so I could crank some Falco. Been down the chasing mystery noises path on other cars. At this point unless something falls off, becomes something I can identify or increasing audible I'm ignoring it. Mine is quiet until I drive on a washboard type road, then it's clap clap clap. My fix, I stoped driving on that road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 The North American Legacy's made in SIA also have a different suspension than the rest of the world that are made in Gunma. I do see a lot of references to that. I was wondering why people were complaining about soft suspensions here till I figured that out lol. The OE JDM Billies really do follow the road. I can even feel the minor dips in the floor of our parking garage. And at speed on decent roads it is confidence inspiring. City driving on rougher roads though, they do trade off a lotnof comfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 My fix this morning wouldn't work. Damn Spotify wouldn't connect on my Pioneer deck so I could crank some Falco. Been down the chasing mystery noises path on other cars. At this point unless something falls off, becomes something I can identify or increasing audible I'm ignoring it. Mine is quiet until I drive on a washboard type road, then it's clap clap clap. My fix, I stoped driving on that road. Yup this is my usual fix too, subwoofers do wonders in eliminating clunks lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Peterson Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 After about four years and 48,000 or so miles after I put a set of somewhat unique Bilsteins on our LGT, we started getting a clunk that seemed to be coming from somewhere in the left front suspension. Yup, turned out to be a strut nut working its way loose. Why it waited that long is a mystery, but "all's quiet on the suspension front" now. Norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 Lucky you! I've torqued and re-torqued every fastener I could find, and still have the old, faithful clunk. I hope when I get stage 2 on it will make me not notice it anymore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewdogg Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I found the clunk on a couple of my other Subies to be the slop in the steering rack. I could grab the rack on the WRX and shake it in the rack housing and it would make my clunk. I replaced the rack on the WRX, but there is an adjustment on it to take out that play. It's not good for things if that is too tight or loose, so it's a bit of a tricky adjustment. I would get noises over bumps and not just turning left/right too. Not saying that's anyone's issue here, but maybe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golferdude1087 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 My 13/14 springs with koni never clunked but used to creak until we used debinding spray..but no one seems to have an answer to this mysterious noise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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