Shop4Parts - UK's largest online superstore for FIAT and Alfa Romeo parts

Technical 500 Rattle

Currently reading:
Technical 500 Rattle

Satisfaction of 500 driving position

  • Good, able get good steering wheel seat angle

    Votes: 9 81.8%

  • OK, could be better seat angle

    Votes: 1 9.1%

  • Bad, can't seem to get either at right angle

    Votes: 1 9.1%
  • Total voters
    11
  • Poll closed .
Thank you.

My car literally only had its MOT 2 months ago and I heard the clunking a week later, the squeaking from steering maybe about 3 weeks ago for the first time, then never again until a few days ago. If the mounts were gone (or going) surely they should've been an advisory at least if noticed.
 
John202020 said:
It's not possible to get any lubricant in there without taking it all apart,
Click to expand...

Sorry John, I completely disagree! That's a great picture though of the top mount and the bearing removed!
Unfortunately the bearing is not a sealed unit. If you are replacing your mounts with Fiat OEM parts, you can pop the bearing from the mount and separate the bearing to add a load of grease which is really useful.
Once assembled water is able to seep under the bolt (rain water or car wash water runs directly onto the top of these mounts) and drains directly down onto the non sealed bearing! This is of course the issue with the design and the placement of them in the first place.
In the same way, covering the top of the mount and bolt in Silicon spray grease which is very liquid, some of this will seep under the bolt and directly onto the bearing. Its great preventive maintenance, also making a better cover to keep water out of this area is also useful.
 
Last edited:
JNAnderson said:
If the mounts were gone (or going) surely they should've been an advisory at least if noticed.
Click to expand...

Squeaking is sign of a dry joint or bearing having lost its lubricant.
It only becomes advisory once it is slightly warn and the MOT tech can feeling movement that isn't enough to fail the item....
Generally the item fails the MOT, as there is too much movement
 
JNAnderson said:
My car has now started to develop a squeak when my steering wheel is being turned left or right at slow speeds, as well as the clunk.
Click to expand...

I would bet money on the squeak being a drop link, I have just had the same on mine. A squeak, that become a groaning. The rubber boot had popped off and the joint was completely dry, even after only being replaced 6months ago.
I replaced the passenger side drop link and its silent again.
Is the squeak also there when you rock the car from side to side with the handbrake off?
 
Last edited:
p6baseunit said:
Sorry John, I completely disagree! That's a great picture though of the top mount and the bearing removed!
Unfortunately the bearing is not a sealed unit. If you are replacing your mounts with Fiat OEM parts, you can pop the bearing from the mount and separate the bearing to add a load of grease which is really useful.
Once assembled water is able to seep under the bolt (rain water or car wash water runs directly onto the top of these mounts) and drains directly down onto the non sealed bearing! This is of course the issue with the design and the placement of them in the first place.
In the same way, covering the top of the mount and bolt in Silicon spray grease which is very liquid, some of this will seep under the bolt and directly onto the bearing. Its great preventive maintenance, also making a better cover to keep water out of this area is also useful.
Click to expand...

I agree to an extent, maybe I should have said its "very hard" to get lubrication in there without Taking it apart, when apart its easy and I should have done this when I did it, silly me, once assembled the bearing is tucked away on top of the spring cup and under the rubber bushing buried under the wing, given how tight the secondary nut was(the one that keeps the spring under control) in the top of the rubber bushing even with a very liquid silicone spray (I) feel little if non would get to the bearing, but its worth a try and may help the whole mount be quieter?
 
Last edited:
JNAnderson said:
All,
Just had my car into the garage when my boyfriend was getting his car through its MOT and they said they can't see anything that would be causing the 'clunk' when going over speed bumps. They had the car on its wheels and they were under it and couldn't see anything, and then had it up and off its wheels, and couldn't see anything that would be causing this clunk.
Click to expand...

Two things here... My car had a clonking from the front suspension over rough ground from new! Until I changed the front strut buffers 3 years later... annoying but totally superficial.

I have a brown leather Fiat keyring on the ignition key that whacks the lower part of the dashboard and makes a clunk, everytime I go over speed bumps in either fiat 500!
 
John202020 said:
Given how tight the secondary nut was(the one that keeps the spring under control) in the top of the rubber bushing even with a very liquid silicone spray (I) feel little if non would get to the bearing, but its worth a try and may help the whole mount be quieter?
Click to expand...

I would kind of agree with you, but irritatingly water that sits on the rubber mounts drains under the bolt onto the bearing... Which is what destroys them.

A side note - I don't understand why you cant just buy the bearing... as the mount is normally in good nick, just the bearing is knackered!
 
p6baseunit said:
I would kind of agree with you, but irritatingly water that sits on the rubber mounts drains under the bolt onto the bearing... Which is what destroys them.

A side note - I don't understand why you cant just buy the bearing... as the mount is normally in good nick, just the bearing is knackered!
Click to expand...

Both our mounts were typically for Fiat rusty, one worse than the other as a small stone had got stuck in the drain hole plus mud = nice little "bath"
 
This is the two part top mount cover that I made the last time these units were replaced... no water in there now!
 

Attachments

  • 500a.jpg
    500a.jpg
    2.8 MB · Views: 16
  • 500.jpg
    500.jpg
    3 MB · Views: 19
p6baseunit said:
I would bet money on the squeak being a drop link, I have just had the same on mine. A squeak, that become a groaning. The rubber boot had popped off and the joint was completely dry, even after only being replaced 6months ago.
I replaced the passenger side drop link and its silent again.
Is the squeak also there when you rock the car from side to side with the handbrake off?
Click to expand...

When the garage looked they said the drop links looked fine but to be honest, this was our thought too.

I'm not sure about rocking the car, in only 5ft and 7st so have never tried this, but I will try today. ReLlt want to get to the bottom of it. If it's a common noise that happens with age and not an issue to the safety of my car then that's totally fine.
 
JNAnderson said:
When the garage looked they said the drop links looked fine.
Click to expand...

Yeah mine looked fine, with no wear movement! But when I got a mate to rock the car I could feel the grinding of a dry joint vibrate through the whole suspension strut from the links.

If it makes the noise when the car is rocked (on the flat with the handbrake off - put it in gear instead) then it is likely to be one of the drop links.
 
p6baseunit said:
Yeah mine looked fine, with no wear movement! But when I got a mate to rock the car I could feel the grinding of a dry joint vibrate through the whole suspension strut from the links.

If it makes the noise when the car is rocked (on the flat with the handbrake off - put it in gear instead) then it is likely to be one of the drop links.
Click to expand...

Thank you. One of my mechanic friends is home from his holidays so hopefully he'll get a good look next week I think he's likely to look more thorough than a garage would. Mfingers crossed it's a cheap fix
 
Yes I made those covers up to stop the water off the windscreen covering the top mounts - as the windscreen drains straight onto them!:bang:
 
So rain and water from pressure washer etc are effectively damaging parts of the car? X
 
Effectively the bearings in the top mounts go bad, due to where they are located. Rain and other water over time gets in and damages them...
Usually they get past the warranty period, but its not uncommon for them to fail early
 
p6baseunit said:
Effectively the bearings in the top mounts go bad, due to where they are located. Rain and other water over time gets in and damages them...
Usually they get past the warranty period, but its not uncommon for them to fail early
Click to expand...
I re used our top mounts they looked factory original after a clean and paint they spun round without issue so some do last.
 
Mine are definitely rusted. The dash board has started rattling now too. It was just the panel below steering wheel before, now the long panel rattles. I've put some sticky foam stuff behind it but it's still doing it. It's the section to the left of the lever for moving steering wheel, it doesn't rest right in the plastic below. Again, a nuisance more than anything. I take it there's no way to stop this vibrating?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

5
General 500 explorer
Replies
3
Views
279
steveras57
S
R
  • Poll
General Rear Suspension Fiat 500 2010
Replies
2
Views
117
Roguets50x
R
D
General Fiat 500 family
Replies
12
Views
529
DanG1989
D
RIA010
General 500 pop mhev
Replies
2
Views
256
richie17
richie17
K
General 500 - 2011 Pop; Right Panel & Bumper Replacement
Replies
2
Views
150
jrkitching
J
Back
Top