Weird noise after shocks/struts replacement

Tiny
JGONZO2398
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  • 2002 FORD TAURUS
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Back with another concern. So just yesterday, I had my shocks and struts replaced, all four. I also had my front lower control arms and rear stabilizer bars replaced. This got rid of my clunk issue that I have had for a while whenever I went over ditches or hit the brakes so that fixed that. However, I have noticed there is this creaking/tapping noise coming from the back right passenger seat whenever I am driving, now I do not know if this is the bolts from the top of the rear seat trim or just a bad installation of the stabilizer or the strut, but I have uploaded a video to show you how that noise sounds while I am driving.
Monday, March 26th, 2018 AT 10:36 AM

35 Replies

Tiny
JGONZO2398
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Here is another video I took of me pushing the car up and down from the back right wheel to hear if there is noise coming from there. Did not really hear anything.
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Monday, March 26th, 2018 AT 10:38 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Noises can be hard to track down. I have a couple different systems, a chassis ear that uses piezo sensors to "listen" to vibrations from loose/worn parts and a couple cheap digital recorders that I set in the area of the suspected noises.

For the noise you have. Toss some weight in the rear seat and see if the noise changes or goes away. It could be the seat retainer clips or something loose under the seat. It could be that the other noises masked it and now you hear it because they are gone.
It is also possible it is something in the trunk or in the door and it is telegraphing the sound.
You can also just feel around and push/pull on the trim, seats etc and see if something is loose.
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2018 AT 10:09 AM
Tiny
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I will try and check all of that, thank you.
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2018 AT 10:18 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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I wiggled the back seat, do you think this is the source of the noise?
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2018 AT 5:42 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Could be easily. Toss some weight on it or stuff something under it and see if the noise goes away. If it does pop the seat out and see what is loose. Could be a bad latch or bent support or?
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2018 AT 6:19 PM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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I will have someone sit back there and see if there is any noise, and also have them listen if that does not make the noise go away.
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Tuesday, March 27th, 2018 AT 6:53 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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That should work. Keep us in the loop.
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Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 AT 9:13 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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So I went ahead and put a heavy box on top of the seat, noise is still there, I will shuffle around the rear trim.
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Wednesday, March 28th, 2018 AT 9:47 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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So I sat in the right passenger's seat while someone drove my car. No noise heard as I sat there, I am guessing one of the latches or bolts that holds the seat is loose or something.
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Friday, March 30th, 2018 AT 1:21 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Those come out real easy. Push the seat toward the rear of the car while lifting up. Then tip it up and pull it out. That will let you check to see if the latches are bent. From the motion of the seat you showed I am going to bet the tabs are bent and letting the seat bounce as you drive.
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Friday, March 30th, 2018 AT 5:53 PM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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So I am sure it is not the lower seats. When I pull on them, they do wiggle but after listening to the noise many times, it is not that. It seems as if the sound is coming from behind the seats, almost sounds like a creaking noise. Here is a video:
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Friday, May 11th, 2018 AT 3:14 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Really could not hear anything. However, if it sounds like a creaking video and they just changed out the shocks/struts it could be a bushing creaking. That can be a common thing if a suspension bushing it work and twisting in the socket or if a bushing was not tightened down with the vehicle weight was not on it. You could take a can of silicone spray and spray the various bushings to see if you can stop the noise but that would be a temporary thing.
Common bushings that creak would be the stabilizer bar mounts, the A arm bushings and the strut mount. You might want to visit the shop that did the work and let them see if they can find it. It is possible that it's something that would be covered at no cost.
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Sunday, May 13th, 2018 AT 5:41 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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Well the weird thing is whenever someone sits or if I sit on that side, the right side where the noise is coming from, there is no noise at all. As if added weight removes the noise?
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Sunday, May 13th, 2018 AT 7:02 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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That sounds like a bushing then. With the added weight the bushing compresses and cannot move. It could even be that a nut/bolt is not quite tight enough and it is letting the rubber move and squeak. But as it did not make that noise before the repair I would give them a chance to fix it before tearing into it myself.
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Sunday, May 13th, 2018 AT 7:13 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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What bushing though?
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Sunday, May 13th, 2018 AT 9:43 AM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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That is the question. I would look at every one they replaced. If the noise was not there before those would be the place to start.
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Sunday, May 13th, 2018 AT 11:38 AM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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So I went ahead and sprayed the entire rear suspension with silicone lubricant. I also forgot to mention that the rear stabilizer links were replaced alongside the shocks and struts so can I rule those out?
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Wednesday, May 16th, 2018 AT 8:49 PM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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After I sprayed the lubricant, noise is still present.
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Wednesday, May 16th, 2018 AT 8:49 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
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Look over all the bushings, including any that were replaced. You are looking for twist or cracks in the rubber or areas where the paint around the bushing is rubbed off indicating contact. It also may be that you cannot get the lube into the area that is causing the noise. However, it also possible that the noise is related to whatever is causing the lean/pull in your other post. It almost has to be bushing related as you said that having someone in the seat stops the noise. I guess it could be that a trim piece is creaking but setting in the seat will not usually stop that unless the person is setting on the trim.
Does the noise go away or change if they set on the other side?
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Thursday, May 17th, 2018 AT 4:28 PM
Tiny
JGONZO2398
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No the noise does not go away if they sit on the other side, and I doubt it is the actual bottom seat latch because the seat does wiggle if you pull on it but that would make a distinct noise. I took a video after I took the rear right tire off, of the brake drum and suspension, I did not see anything out of the ordinary really but this one bushing or rubber boot looking thing on the top left corner looked noticeably cracked, there is a bar sticking out of it that connects to the stabilizer bar, I recorded that. Do you think that could be the issue?
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Thursday, May 17th, 2018 AT 5:06 PM

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