Heya,

Just about 3 months ago, whenever I had 2 people in the back of my car then my passenger-rear wheel area would start knocking. The knocks would be more frequent and less frequent depending how fast i was going (i.e. it would tap more often when going faster) It's particularly bad when I make a right turn and the car leans to the left.

I've had my shocks replaced but that didnt solve the problem. I did a search on the forums and checked the exhaust (as advised by the replies on the topics) it didnt seem to be the cause of the knocking but just for good measure I wrapped some foam around the bit of the rear axle that sits under the exhaust. The knocking is still there It's actually gotten worse, because now with just me in the car the knocking noise appears...it used to be only when i had people in the back seats

I took it to a garage and they are suggesting I replace the WHOLE rear axle =/ which is bloody expensive (£300+) although they dont seem very confident that is the actual problem. Any ideas what the problem could be?

I'm assuming it might be something to do with the wheel (or something hitting my wheel) because the speed and frequency of the knocking is dependent on how fast my wheels are turning..?

My punto is a 1.2 8v mk2 completely standard suspension and running on 15" sporting alloys.

Long shot, but have you made sure the handbrake cable is up out of the way? I had a constant knocking once on my old punto which i soon traced to a sagging cable tapping against the wheel balancing weight on the inside of the wheel.

If not, how about wheel bearings? with the back end jacked up, are there any play in the rear wheels?

Are your wheel bolts too long? if they protrude too far into the drum, they can foul on parts within the drum.

And yes, exhaust is definatly most common. Of 2 MK2 puntos, both had this when i got them.

heya xen, thanks for the reply. Um, how would i got about checking the handbrake cable? wots it look like? and how should i get it out of the way? tightening it or something?

result! i managed to find the problem. Basically, it was the handbrake cable tapping against the inside of my wheel. Had a look and found there's a hook that the cable should have been latched onto but was not so i jus latched it bak on and it stopped my noise!

thanks all xen for tipping me off on the handbrake cable! would never have thought of looking at that otherwise!

Excellent news! Helps to bend that clip in a bit to hold it firmer or cable tie it to it to stop it coming out. If you get a squeaking noise now, grease the cable where its contacting the hook - another common problem.

Double check the cable too - if its been doing it for a while, it may have worn through the black plastic coating of the cable and when moisture gets in there, it will rust the cable and seize the handbrake. If it has worn through the plastic, a temporary solution is to put some gaffer tape over to stop moisture getting in, but the longterm solution is obviously a new cable.

Hi Xen,

8 years on your post is still helping people. You are spot on Sir. My son's Punto MK2 had the knocking on the bends. Jacked it up this morning and it was the handbrake cable clamp making contact with the inside of the wheel. No cost fix. Took us 10 minutes.

Xen said:

Long shot, but have you made sure the handbrake cable is up out of the way? I had a constant knocking once on my old punto which i soon traced to a sagging cable tapping against the wheel balancing weight on the inside of the wheel.

If not, how about wheel bearings? with the back end jacked up, are there any play in the rear wheels?

Are your wheel bolts too long? if they protrude too far into the drum, they can foul on parts within the drum.

And yes, exhaust is definatly most common. Of 2 MK2 puntos, both had this when i got them.

Click to expand...

once i was changing wheels and accidentally put in longer bolts on rear wheels, i tried to go after few hours but car didnt move, i was wondering why its suddenly not moving, bolts got stuck inside drum and blocked rear wheels from moving