I've got a noise in the front end of my 2008 CR-V that is apparently rather hard to find. It's been to the dealer twice now. First trip, they replaced the sway bar end links. That didn't fix it. I replaced the sway bar bushings myself. That didn't fix it. This week, the dealer installed new struts. That didn't fix it.
There's a very rough section of super old asphalt in front of our building at work. It's not rough as in it's been patched a bunch; it's just very pitted and pocked, like it's been there for 50 years (it probably has). If I roll across it at a moderate roll (15 mph), I can hear a rattle in the front end. Sounds JUST like loose sway bar bushings, like a continual series of dull thuds. I can't tell where it's coming from, seems to be from the right side, and I can't tell if it's coming from up high or down low. I seem to be able to feel the noise in the floorboard. Seems to be coming from the center of the car as much as anything else, but there doesn't seem to be anything making contact under there.
But as I roll, as soon as I drag the brake, the noise disappears. I don't have to drag it hard, certainly not hard enough to stop the car. Just enough to cause a slight drag.
This weekend, I am going to rebuild the brakes, just to take those out of my mind; I feel the noise may be coming from one or both of the front calipers. I need to get a tube of M-77 from Honda, and some caliper pin lube from the store. Pep Boys has a set of front brake hardware, including the new caliper slides for the brake pads and new pin boots. I read one report on the internet of a dealer telling a customer that they could grease the caliper pins and make a rattling noise disappear, but it would only be temporary.
Everything seems tight. The sway bar is tight. The tie rods seem to be tight (I can't feel any movement in them). Ball joints seem good. Rocking the tire at 9-and-3 and 12-and-6 doesn't produce any movement. I have a large pry bar, and the control arm seems tight on its bushings, the subframe seems tight. I can't find any movement anywhere.
The frustrating thing is 98% of the time, it's quiet (which makes it a bear to diagnose). It's got to be a very particular type of irregularity for it to make the noise. A very "smooth" railroad crossing (where there's just slight suspension movement). Thick thermoplastic crosswalk tape stripes are perfect for this; it'll make the noise every time. A relatively flush manhole cover works also. And of course very old and pocked pavement. It's got to be a very slight suspension movement. I can go over very bumpy or heavily patched pavement all day long and it's quiet. And it's quiet on smooth pavement. It takes very slight (but sharp) impacts to make the noise. Seems to do it more at slower speeds, like 35 mph or less. I can sometimes hear it at faster speeds, but at those types of speeds, you don't tend to see the types of road surfaces required to make the noise.
Does anyone have any experience with something like this? It drives straight, it drives smooth, and it drives quiet 98% of the time. Unfortunately, our neighborhood has a number of crosswalk tape stripes, so I hear it every day coming and going.
There's a very rough section of super old asphalt in front of our building at work. It's not rough as in it's been patched a bunch; it's just very pitted and pocked, like it's been there for 50 years (it probably has). If I roll across it at a moderate roll (15 mph), I can hear a rattle in the front end. Sounds JUST like loose sway bar bushings, like a continual series of dull thuds. I can't tell where it's coming from, seems to be from the right side, and I can't tell if it's coming from up high or down low. I seem to be able to feel the noise in the floorboard. Seems to be coming from the center of the car as much as anything else, but there doesn't seem to be anything making contact under there.
But as I roll, as soon as I drag the brake, the noise disappears. I don't have to drag it hard, certainly not hard enough to stop the car. Just enough to cause a slight drag.
This weekend, I am going to rebuild the brakes, just to take those out of my mind; I feel the noise may be coming from one or both of the front calipers. I need to get a tube of M-77 from Honda, and some caliper pin lube from the store. Pep Boys has a set of front brake hardware, including the new caliper slides for the brake pads and new pin boots. I read one report on the internet of a dealer telling a customer that they could grease the caliper pins and make a rattling noise disappear, but it would only be temporary.
Everything seems tight. The sway bar is tight. The tie rods seem to be tight (I can't feel any movement in them). Ball joints seem good. Rocking the tire at 9-and-3 and 12-and-6 doesn't produce any movement. I have a large pry bar, and the control arm seems tight on its bushings, the subframe seems tight. I can't find any movement anywhere.
The frustrating thing is 98% of the time, it's quiet (which makes it a bear to diagnose). It's got to be a very particular type of irregularity for it to make the noise. A very "smooth" railroad crossing (where there's just slight suspension movement). Thick thermoplastic crosswalk tape stripes are perfect for this; it'll make the noise every time. A relatively flush manhole cover works also. And of course very old and pocked pavement. It's got to be a very slight suspension movement. I can go over very bumpy or heavily patched pavement all day long and it's quiet. And it's quiet on smooth pavement. It takes very slight (but sharp) impacts to make the noise. Seems to do it more at slower speeds, like 35 mph or less. I can sometimes hear it at faster speeds, but at those types of speeds, you don't tend to see the types of road surfaces required to make the noise.
Does anyone have any experience with something like this? It drives straight, it drives smooth, and it drives quiet 98% of the time. Unfortunately, our neighborhood has a number of crosswalk tape stripes, so I hear it every day coming and going.
