Hi,

A few months ago I replaced my rear springs and shocks and after that I noticed a very annoying 'ticking/tapping' noise as I went over slight bumps in the road. Naturally I thought it was the shocks/springs that needed tightening, so I checked them and they're fine.

Not only did I check the top & bottom shock absorber bolts, I also checked the rear seat backs, tailgate, spare wheel, exhaust, handbrake/brake cable, parcel shelf & checked for any loose items in the rear door cards etc...

All these seem fine - I actually drove the car with the rear seats folded and parcel shelf removed. I also adjusted the two little rubber screws which hold the boot lid, but to no avail.

My head still thinks its the shock bolts/springs, but having checked them, and even having a garage check them have found them to be fine. The noise is probably best described as a 'light tapping' noise, but can get annoying.

As for ''when does it do it'' - rough road surfaces only. Doesn't happen on pot holed or smooth roads.

Sorry for the long post, hope you can help.

Matt.

My aunt had a noisy rear end. It was fine after she changed her diet.

Seriously, have you checked over the exhaust system for looseness, or the back box for a loose baffle?

Exhaust heat shield?
If a couple of rivets let go it can tap on the rear box, but you wouldn't notice it over potholes above all of the other noises.

Funnily enough I changed my diet, but sadly to no avail... Haha

Yes, I checked the exhaust and the heat shields are fine. It does all seem rather odd tbh.

Could it be the shocks I've used, could they be making the noise? They're not OEM, they are Anschler. Maybe that's where my fault is, but the mechanic who also checked the bolts, said the shocks are fine. But, although visually fine, could they be causing this noise?

Out of curiosity, when I replaced the suspension springs I did aim to put them back in the same position but lets say I didn't put them in the exact position as the original springs. Could that cause the springs to sit funny and rattle?

For additional information, the foam piece that wraps around the top of the spring is in good condition and the spring does not touch the the cars body. The foam is the only part to touch the cars body.

Matt.

Its probably not going to help with this problem but I suspect the axle spring pans would suffer less corrosion if they had the rubber bushes at the bottom as well as the top.

Exhaust would be my first place to look. Also check the brake and handbrake hoses/cables are all correctly seated.

I agree entirely, you would think the bottom of the spring would have some form of rubber/foam cushion.

As for handbrake/brake cables being loose, I've checked them.

The noise only seems to appear when the car hits a particular road type (e.g. poor tarmac surface) and from then on, the noise is there.

Very odd, it might require me to drop the rear end completely - remove the springs/dampers clean everything up and refit.

Matt.

matty23 said:

I agree entirely, you would think the bottom of the spring would have some form of rubber/foam cushion.

As for handbrake/brake cables being loose, I've checked them.

The noise only seems to appear when the car hits a particular road type (e.g. poor tarmac surface) and from then on, the noise is there.

Very odd, it might require me to drop the rear end completely - remove the springs/dampers clean everything up and refit.

Matt.

Click to expand...

Dropping the whole axle is not as bad as it sounds. I doubt it will directly solve the noise issue, but you will get chance to properly treat any rust and Waxoyl the whole thing.

My money is on the exhaust. Either loose baffles or the heat shield.

I'll be sure to drop the rear end, but I'll only be able to do the job around 2 weeks time.

Whilst it's up in the air, I'll be sure to thoroughly check the exhaust/heat shield for damage/looseness.

Many people believe it's the tailgate too, but it's strange that the rear end was quiet until the moment that I changed the rear shocks/springs.

Matt.

There have been quite a few problems with the bushes in the rear shock "eyes".

At each end of the shock, where they fix with bolts is a bush, they can become worn and loose even though the bolts are tight and cause a knock or clonk over bumps from the rear.

When they're shot, they are hard to notice, but if you get someone to bounce the car up and down vigourously while you get down there and watch them.

The whole lot should move (or not move) as one.
If there's play in the bush you will notice the shock eyes metal ring move a little before the bush/bolt.body does.

The tops mounts seem to be the worse ones for this.

ive had a few fiats these last 6 months with your problem, its always down to a shocker thats literally too tight to be on this car, you can check this by removal and see if you can fairly easily push it in,if you cant i suggest changing the shockers