Thunking / knocking noise coming from rear when going over bumps

[thefunkygibbon]

Originally Posted by Anker

The way to test whether its the trailing arms is to find a bump or a hole that creates the knock. Try driving over it while either accelerating or braking while the rear end is going over it. If you don't get a knock its one or two trailing arms.

ok i'll try that tomorrow.. so if the trailing arms are playing up you shouldn't hear the clunking noises whilst accelerating/braking?
if it does still make a noise, what could it be? what could i check from underneath to confirm?

[Anker]

Originally Posted by thefunkygibbon

ok i'll try that tomorrow.. so if the trailing arms are playing up you shouldn't hear the clunking noises whilst accelerating/braking?
if it does still make a noise, what could it be? what could i check from underneath to confirm?

It could be drop links, and almost any other bushing in the suspension. The test I outlined work well because the trailing arms' function is to provent rearward and forward motion of the suspension.

I don't know whether this is always true, but when mine started making noise they were quiet when cold, but as they heated up they would get noisier.

Good luck!

[BrokenLinkage]

Agree with above. Most likely trailing arms. I thought it was pretty easy to do with a jack and 2 jack stands, but higher / roomier is always better for work. I remember one side was difficult to access with the torque wrench b/c other hardware was in the way, I think I used a really long extension to do that chassis bolt.
Went with the Vertex polyurethane rebuilds and have no complaints over 3 or so yrs of use. Replaced the pair just because the poly bushing is a design change and I wanted to stay symmetric. If I had to do it over, might go back to conventional style just for theoretical reasons. Would probably use the 987 version, which reportedly fits perfectly.
BOL.
BTW Not a safety issue, but who knows if all that rattling around accelerates wear on other suspension components. Certainly wears on your pleasure of driving.