Has anyone had any trouble with noise from their undertrays? I have been getting some knocking noise over bumps, and when I press on the engine undertray I can hit the swaybar and oil pan with it.

The tray isn't loose, but perhaps that's the trouble area.

Thoughts?

 

That things a POS, test drive the care with it off, if the noise is gone that's the issue. I bought an aluminum one, worth every penny!

 

^ +1 on the aluminum undertray. So worth it.

 

maybe ur missing a bolt thus causing the tray to bounce.

 

Good idea...i'll try that this week.

I'm missing like two bolts, but they're on the edges where there isn't any movement. The middle, I think, is the problem area.

 

Well I removed the undertray and went for a drive, but the noise is still there. So it looks like the undertray isn't the culprit.

I have no idea what it is now.

 

check ur ball joints or bushings or tie rods. probably one of them is bad

 

Sway bar end links get noisy when they go bad too, so check them out while you're under there.

 

They appear to be fine, but are there telltale signs to look for? I had a shop install the front swaybar for me, and I would think they would have let me know if they were bad. But I doubt they removed the endlinks completely.

The part of the endlink that bolts to the car on that side does have a thin beam of light that shines through if i'm looking at it though. I tried prying on it with a screwdriver to see if it would move but it didn't...

 

The best way to tell if they're gone (if you can't see that they're physically broken or if you're unable to see if the rubber is worn) is to get the car up on a hoist and grab hold of the sway bar and shake it. If there is excess movement, they're most likely worn and will make noise.

 

What about on ramps, or if I jacked up that one side of the car?

I'm beginning to wonder if it's actually my Energy Suspension compression rod bushings...

 

Could work, but be careful, you want to give it a good shake and you don't want to end up shaking them enough to make the car roll or fall off the jack.

Nothing ruins a day more than having a rear diff crush your skull.

 

Ramps or only jacking up one side of the car won't work. You want both front wheels up in the air to check the swaybar, so jack up the whole front end and use jack stands. Do not try shaking anything on the car while it's only being supported by the jack.

I doubt your ES compression rod bushings are making this noise. Mine only have made a creaking sound and thats when its really cold outside. Knocking or metal on metal noises would most likely be your ball joints or inner lower control arm bushings.

 

Update:

I went to two shops today and had them look at the car. Les Schwab said I had leaking front struts and that they were the problem. I had my struts replaced last summer, so I came home and lifted up the car and checked and my struts are NOT leaking. So they straight up lied to me.

Second shop discovered that one of my front sway bar brackets (connects the endlink to the control arm) is either bent or broken internally. He showed me and it is pointing at an upward angle whereas the driver's side one is level. I asked about the other components and he said all of the bushings and ball joints were tight. I drew the same conclusion yesterday as I checked the bushings myself.

So at this point I think it's a safe bet to replace the "Stabilizer link connecting rod". I found the part number to be 54618-AQ305 for future reference. Now to track down the part and replace it. I'll post up with results.

 

i have an issue where pretty much my undertray is like really low and its hard to stuff the jack under. i usually jack 1 side first then the other..but when i make a turn out of my driveway it sounds like a plastic noise moving always