Need help fixing this problem (shocks)

[BennyLava]

Hi all, I'm needing some help on my 2009 Yaris Sedan. Try as I might I can't seem to get rid of this problem. The other cars that I have seen, do not have this issue. I recently put new KYB shocks on the front of the car, because it has 200k miles on it, and that seemed like a good excuse to go ahead and try to solve this issue.

I was hoping that with the new set of shocks, maybe I could somehow get to the bottom of what is causing this big gap between the top of the shock and the shock tower. I am inclined to say that it is not an issue of tightening the nut. Maybe it is, but if so, that nut needs to be so tight that to go any further, will surely break my allen wrench (aka hex wrench?)

I can barely keep tightening with the regular wrench. But with the force of holding onto the allen wrench while tightening, there isn't much more the allen wrench is going to take before it breaks. It seems right at the limit. So that is what leads me to believe that the nuts on top are about as tight as they can go. Because that would seem like the logical way to fix it, right? Just tighten the nut more and it will cinch down. But they don't seem to want to go any tighter.

So I'm kind of at a loss here. The new shocks came with everything. Everything that came off of the car during the repair, had a replacement in the box with the new shocks. Including those bushings that go at the top. Nothing appears to be missing. The only thing I can think of to do, is to maybe get some kind of spacer to put in there. But I'd really rather find out what the real problem is and fix that. What do you think it could be?

[BennyLava]

Sorry about the picture size. I tried to go back and resize them, but it looks like you can't edit images that you already posted.

But I wanted to add that if you jack up the car, those things go flush like they're supposed to be. And I think they are responsible for a clunking noise that I hear when going over bumps.

[tmontague]

That is completely normal when the car is on its wheels and goes away when lifted. There have been a few threads in the past of people being concerned about this.

The clunck you are experiencing is something else, check sway bar end links and make sure there is no play in your wheels when off the ground

[WeeYari]

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45847&highlight=strut+gap+top+hat

Check the posts in the last half of thread that discuss Control Arm bolt.

[BennyLava]

Wow that is good to know. Thanks!

But I screwed up when I made that post. I don't know why I typed "clunking" but I guess my brain wasn't working right. What I should have typed, and what I meant to type, was something more along the lines of "popping and creaking". There is a popping and creaking noise when you get on the brakes, or sometimes when you accelerate. Its also there often times when you turn. At 200k miles, I figured there was no harm in replacing the shocks. Car does ride better now for sure.

But as I mentioned in a different thread, I recently had to replace the passenger side control arm because my wife ran over a median and killed the ball joint. Got the control arm off, and sure enough that ball joint was quite dead. Do yall think that perhaps this popping and creaking metal noise, could somehow be related to the new control arm? From those threads, it sounds if a control arm bolt was loose, its more of a clunking sound.

[tmontague]

Check your brakes, if they are seized at the sliders they will bind to the rotor causing a noise at accel and decel

[06YarisRS]

Popping and clicking could be your cv axle(s) and would happen under all of the conditions you describe, especially when turning.

[BennyLava]

Well I looked for it myself, and couldn't determine anything. Then I took it to the alignment/suspension shop, and they couldn't determine anything with a quick look either. They reported that the tie rods, ball joints, sway bar links, all seems fine. They said I'd need to drop it off when I could leave it for several hours and let them look it over closelier.

But they put on a new set of Michelins. And oh, buddy... :thumbup:

[06YarisRS]

But they put on a new set of Michelins. And oh, buddy... :thumbup:

Defenders?

[BennyLava]

Yes sir. Didn't really need the ice ones in TX

[Billiam]

Have you checked the lower control arm bolts? Sounds like one may have snapped

[BennyLava]

Have you checked the lower control arm bolts? Sounds like one may have snapped

Dealership fixed it. They said the bolts needed tightened. The noise completely stopped. Anyone know the torque specs of the control arm bolts? What is it like, 120 foot lbs? lol

I impacted them on there. Then later when the problem came back I checked with a ratchet and I didn't want to risk trying to get them any tighter. There is some kind of poor design or something, going on with these cars, when it comes to the control arm bolts. I guess next time I have to work on the control arms on one of these cars, I'll get a torque wrench and some ARP bolt grease.