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Clunkity clunk clunk. Top hats?


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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 by Scubaboo
SOLVED!
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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.
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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.

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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

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.
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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

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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.
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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

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"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 by Scubaboo
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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.

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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.

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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!

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  • 2 months later...

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

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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...

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