Rep Power: 181

I've had a 21mm DC5 sway bar installed on my EM2 for about 5 days now, but ever since the install, there's been a disturbing clunk or knocking sound coming from the rear suspension and I'm not sure why. From the inside of the car, it sounds like the noise is on the passenger side, but outside the car it sounds like the driver's side.

I have double checked and ensured that all the bolts were completely tightened up, both the brackets and end links. I sprayed WD40 in the sway bar bushings too. I even checked other things like my wheel lugnuts and coilovers to make sure they weren't making the noise. On top of all this, I fabbed a foam guard for the sway bar so the exhaust does not rattle on it, but still there is a loud clunking noise.

It only occurs at slow speed and usually when the wheels are moving up and down independent of each other. This leads me to believe that it's actually the torsion of the new bar making twisting a popping sounds. Is that all it is and I shouldn't be worried about it?

If anyone's had a similar issue, I'd love to hear it and get all the help I can. I doubt the noise is anything serious, but it doesn't sound too pretty...

Thanks

 
Rep Power: 285

Hard to say, it's possible the endlinks or bushings are bad. I would jack up the rear of the car and start moving parts by hand to try and pin point the source, there are many things that could cause this.

 
Rep Power: 234

It shouldn't pop. I surmise the extra stiffness is causing an already worn part to wear more.

Especially check every bushing in the rear end. There's also a top mount bushing in the strut assembly.

 
Rep Power: 367

back what said above 2 posts

 
Rep Power: 181

Could parts like end links and OEM bushings seriously be worn at only 55k miles? Also I've grabbed and shaken every component pretty forcefully but I can't seem to generate the noise by hand. Bouncing the rear end of the car won't do it either. Should I try tapping parts with a mallet?

I've heard rumors that EM2s make lots of confusing rattles and clunks when you start modifying them. Now I see exactly what they mean

 
Rep Power: 367

regrease the bushings?

 
Rep Power: 0

I had this same clunking with no way of replicating it from pushing down on the car. I changed out both endlinks and the bushing and the noise was gone.

 
Rep Power: 181

Spent the whole afternoon in the garage trying to locate the noise again. This time however, I found the problem rather quickly. It turns out that the sway bar wasn't perfectly centered between the right and left sides of the car. So one of the endlinks was severely angled while the other was straight up. I tapped the bar to the left a bit more and when I tightened it all up again, the noise was gone. I think it was putting some unnecessary stress on the passenger side endlink and that was somehow causing the sound.
The bar was centered when I installed it, but one of the brackets was a bit loose, causing it to shift.

 
Rep Power: 285

Good work