My car has been making these loud POP noises while accelerating or decelerating for about the past 10,000 miles. Lately, it has gotten louder and sometimes scarily loud. I decided a couple weeks ago that enough was enough, and I got a brand new axle from Raxles.com figuring that it just HAD to be the stupid axle.

Well, I popped the new axle on, and it was fine for a day, then the popping returned. This is driving me CRAZY! I just spent $125 on a new f&*#$ing axle and it didn't do anything! Can it be the ball joint? I can't think of anything else! Help me out, guys!!

Anyone?!

Could it be struts or something? I'm a suspension n00b! Help a brotha out!

you're sure its coming from the suspension?

describe the pop a little better?

have you gotten the cv recall taken care of?

I'm not 100% sure it's from the suspension, but logic leads me to that conclusion.

I had the ball joint recall done.

I can actually "feel" the pop through the floorboard when it happens, and it only happens if I'm accelerating or when I'm decelerating, whether it be from normal braking or engine braking.

Doesn't do it all the time either. Sometimes, it'll do it at every accel and stop then it'll go away for 3 days, and all of a sudden come back unexpectedly out of nowhere.

Sometimes it's a little "pop" and sometimes it's a pretty damn scary "POW!!" Doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason as to the intensity of the pop...

Well if it doesn't do it during corning there is a good chance you can rule out bad ball joints.

Try checking the torque of the front 2 bolts on the center crossmember, if those are loose you will get a popping. I believe they should be at ~55-60 ft/lbs.

If that isn't it sounds like the might be your clutch.

welcome to the club lol.

Mine had been doing that for years. Only when I stop and then when i take off again. It wont do it while moving till I stop and go again. Sometimes it goes for months at a time then comes back for a week or so.

Suspension is fine, and axles are fine.

I should really check things out now that the engine is out thoough, lets get this figured out.

Oh btw, mine is ouder on the passenger side.

check the bushing on the sway bar, they crack easily causing the sway bar to smack against the frame

If you find out what it is, post back imo!

check your rear motor mount and bracket, check the bolts/mount for the compression arm where it mounts to the body. Liek stated above check the bushings in the subframe.

Terry

96 Eagle talon ESI
Star Stage II - Boost/oil/EGT gauges

97 Eclipse
Greddy header/evo exhaust - Stage 2 6 puck Sprung hub MIBA clutch - Shortened shifter - Koni Yellows w/eibach prokit - Stillen Fr/Rr swaybars - ceramic intake - DEI Keyless entry alarm - Niche 17" Shoks

Waiting to be installed: Apexi AFC, HKS EVC IV, 450 Turbo injectors, SFMU/return line, GSX Front brakes (need rotors)

can you feel the popping in ur steering wheel ? is it when you turn?

if its only when ccelerating and decelerating, are you sure its not a backfire? i've had a popping sound under those conditions but it was in the intake I think

In my case, there has never been any nois in corners.

I can turn while at a stop or moving np.

Its from a dead stop to go or comming to a complete stop.

Say if I Start of, clunk, I let off a bit And floor it no clunk, not till I stop again. Now im stoppped, I get rolling lightly, no clunk, I brake hard, no clunk.

get it? weird IMO. sounds like a pipe whacking your sheet metal firewall/floor board.

Originally posted by Chamuko
In my case, there has never been any nois in corners. I can turn while at a stop or moving np. Its from a dead stop to go or comming to a complete stop. Say if I Start of, clunk, I let off a bit And floor it no clunk, not till I stop again. Now im stoppped, I get rolling lightly, no clunk, I brake hard, no clunk. get it? weird IMO. sounds like a pipe whacking your sheet metal firewall/floor board.

Yep yep... exactly my problem. It's definitely not a backfire imo

Originally posted by BRU_ce

Originally posted by Chamuko In my case, there has never been any nois in corners. I can turn while at a stop or moving np. Its from a dead stop to go or comming to a complete stop. Say if I Start of, clunk, I let off a bit And floor it no clunk, not till I stop again. Now im stoppped, I get rolling lightly, no clunk, I brake hard, no clunk. get it? weird IMO. sounds like a pipe whacking your sheet metal firewall/floor board.

Yep yep... exactly my problem. It's definitely not a backfire imo

got the same problem here.. i think it has to do with fron sway bar

kinda sounds like my situtaion...

when i back up i hear a metal slapping kinda sounds from the passenger side, and also when i go over bumps. I thought my wheel was going to fall off or something. I noticed today that my caliper is only on by the top bolt and the bottom kinda flies up and slaps back down on the rotor i guess. I have no idea how it happened, but maybe check and see if your calipers are secure. I didnt notice any difference in driving or breaking either, just the sound. it was like that for a few weeks now, would come and go. I never thought to check the caliper until i was walking towards my car today and i noticed the bottom of it wasnt resting on the rotor.

Originally posted by farmdogg55
kinda sounds like my situtaion... when i back up i hear a metal slapping kinda sounds from the passenger side, and also when i go over bumps. I thought my wheel was going to fall off or something. I noticed today that my caliper is only on by the top bolt and the bottom kinda flies up and slaps back down on the rotor i guess. I have no idea how it happened, but maybe check and see if your calipers are secure. I didnt notice any difference in driving or breaking either, just the sound. it was like that for a few weeks now, would come and go. I never thought to check the caliper until i was walking towards my car today and i noticed the bottom of it wasnt resting on the rotor.

Originally posted by farmdogg55
kinda sounds like my situtaion... when i back up i hear a metal slapping kinda sounds from the passenger side, and also when i go over bumps. I thought my wheel was going to fall off or something. I noticed today that my caliper is only on by the top bolt and the bottom kinda flies up and slaps back down on the rotor i guess. I have no idea how it happened, but maybe check and see if your calipers are secure. I didnt notice any difference in driving or breaking either, just the sound. it was like that for a few weeks now, would come and go. I never thought to check the caliper until i was walking towards my car today and i noticed the bottom of it wasnt resting on the rotor.

Yes I get the same I feel it through the steering wheel, The book says axles but had new BJ's installed and axles checked all o.k had mounts looked at o.k?? pissin me off now can't figure it out HELP US??

BUMP!!!!! Did anyone ever figure this problem out? I have had the same thing going on for a while!

Do you have coilovers?

yea check your strut mounts, and make sure all the bolts are in the motor mounts

lol, mine does it too... From a complete stop only, and usually occurs when i take off a little fast.

YUP! That's the same problem more than a dozen people I have talked to in a week are having. My ride is in storage right now, but one of the guys on here said his right front motor mount was demolished so he is replacing it tonight... should have an update on that here shortly. Anyone else having this problem: What have you attempted so far to get rid of the issue?

Steps I've taken
1. examined ball joints (fine)
2. looked over bushings (sway bar looks a littel worn, but not serious enough to cause this extreme of a noise)
3. tightened every single bolt I could see in the passenger wheel well (that's where the noise seems to be emitted from)
AGAIN this only happens from a stop to a start shifts from 1st-2nd 3rd-4th so on are not effected.

I have a soild FMM but didn't even think to look at the others iff this fixes the problem I will be pissed I didn't think of it... Definitely more to post on this in the future as so many people seem to have this problem.

hi, were u the one that mailed me? I tried to reply about 5 times , but it always got sent back.

Ive been looking everything over while im doing my gsx conv, and suspension. I hope to find the culprit.

Also, I was thniking, could it be the exhaust hitting?

My 99RS does it too, when I'm braking or accellerating hard in straight line and hit a slight bump or pothole. It's LOUD. Sounds like you're winning a free ball on a pinball machine, hollow metal THUNK. No clue what it is, Mitsubishi refused to cover it under warranty.

FINALLY FIXED THIS GOOD GRIEF!!!!!
It was one of two things... I replaced two things at once though. The sway bar bushings, and I had a solid FMM, but went ahead and replaced all the other engine mounts too, and I have not had the "clunk start stop noise" once in over 2,500 miles

I would say it was the motor mounts because the front right mount in my car was loose and very worn.

It's motor mounts that cause this. Usually the rear.

I should check this section more often, i could have told y'all this last year.

I just replaced an axle that I thought would be the culprit...didnt work.

I have ALL new motor mounts and the car is TOTALLY stock, but I am still getting the clunk or pop when I start to accel or decelerate.

I will check over the motor mounts again.

Anyone else have a success at finding the cause yet?

So, I still haven't fixed it, but it's pretty much dissapeared on it's own. I haven't heard a popping noise in a couple thousand miles... the only exception to this is when it is RAINING!

For some reason, the popping noise comes back when the car gets wet. I know it sounds stupid, but as soon as I wash my car or it starts to rain, the popping comes back and progressively gets louder. Once the sun comes out and everything is dry, the popping subsides and dissapears over the course of the day, never to emerge again until the RAIN comes!

Weird, no?