Front suspension popping. Replaced strut. Noise still present.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mypriuscious, Mar 18, 2016.

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  1. mypriuscious

    mypriuscious Member

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    So I replaced the front strut and the popping is still there. When I removed the old strut it seemed like that would be the problem as there isn't any play in the ball joints and tie rod end.

    Anyone else experience this or something close to it?
     

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    #1 mypriuscious, Mar 18, 2016
  2. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    Is it popping when you turn the wheel? Does it happen at low speed while you are turning the wheel quite a bit (e.g. maneuvering in a parking lot, into a garage)? If so, I think you are hearing "spring bind." It's fairly typical on coilovers, but I also heard it on my car when I had the factory springs on as well.
     
    #2 mrstop, Mar 18, 2016
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  3. lar.smith42

    lar.smith42 Active Member

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    Last time I had a popping sound in the front end you could only hear it when turning. Turned out they had to replace left front axle assembly because the boot got knocked off , leaked all the oil out and ruined the bearing. Thank God for extended warranty .
     
    #3 lar.smith42, Mar 18, 2016
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  4. mrstop

    mrstop PWR Mode

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    Yes, CV joint would be my other guess. Probably not tie rods or ball joints as you would probably feel more vibration as you are driving.
     
    #4 mrstop, Mar 18, 2016
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  5. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    how many miles?

    Did you only do the one side?
     
    #5 yeldogt, Mar 18, 2016
  6. mypriuscious

    mypriuscious Member

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    Nope. Anytime I'm on the road, no matter the speed, going straight or turning. A bump still bring the sound out.
    No. It isn't a half shaft. It only happens while driving, going over bumps in the road.

    Ironically, earlier in the day I had replaced one of my sister's half shaft on her car.


    204k. Currently, I didn't know I needed boots as well. I thought it came with them. And only one place had ONE in stock. So I wanted to get rid of the sound, thinking it was only the strut. But I ordered another one to complete the project next week.

    Did everyone notice the old strut wasn't extended out? Never seen that before.
     
    #6 mypriuscious, Mar 18, 2016
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  7. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    at 200K + ... they can't have much life in them.
     
    #7 yeldogt, Mar 19, 2016
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  8. solrunner

    solrunner Member

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    When replacing struts it's recommended to replace the strut mounts, too. That's the top part where the strut mounts to the engine bay. Also you're supposed to replace struts and shocks in pairs. Left and right at the same time.
     
    #8 solrunner, Mar 19, 2016
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  9. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    99% of coil over popping is usually spring bind. Where the spring is not seated properly on the strut mount. The spring may be worn out and not seating properly. Try spraying some lubrication where the spring sits in the lower mount.

    How did you get the spring on the strut when you replaced it? Its pretty hard to diy that and get the spring on correctly. And like the other poster said the top bearing assy is just as important as the strut. You won't believe how much harder it is to turn with a 200K mile bearing assy. Really hard on the rack.

    But its a moot point anyway as at 200K + miles the whole front suspension is pretty whipped.
     
    #9 edthefox5, Mar 21, 2016
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  10. mypriuscious

    mypriuscious Member

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    Well, I did immediately order strut mounting plates for both sides along with the other boot that nobody else had in the the following morning. I used an AutoZone rental to compress the spring. But I've got a much nicer tool coming when I redo the driver's side and the passengers side for the first time.
     
    #10 mypriuscious, Mar 21, 2016
  11. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Its a real pain and very unsafe to compress the spring yourself. Tough job. Most auto parts stores have a service to do that now.
    Its hard to get the spring seated in the perches correctly when your diy as there's no fixture to hold the whole assy while compressing the spring.
     
    #11 edthefox5, Mar 22, 2016
  12. mypriuscious

    mypriuscious Member

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    Yeah, it's like I said. I've got a nice tool for that.
     

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    #12 mypriuscious, Apr 2, 2016
  13. toyotechwv

    toyotechwv Toyota Technician

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    Sway bar end links are common, especially given the mileage on the car.

    SM-G900V ?
     
    #13 toyotechwv, Apr 2, 2016
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