Rear struts I think are going out. I'm getting the usually "clunk" sound at stops, takeoffs, and bumps under 20mph. Can someone point me in the right direction for part and service quotes?

 

What kind of suspension do you have? You should already know to include all the information pertaining to your problem here, like your setup. However, I have the STI struts off of an 04 STI, and Tein S-Tech springs and I have the same problem. I am not really possitive what the problem is, but I believe it's the top mounts on the struts. Once again, I am not sure if this is correct or not.

 

using my stock sti struts...as well as TEIN Flex Coilover.

1. Rear Perrin Sway bar...with the first gen, you had to slide the bar forward as much as possible. If you didn't, then the swaybar would sometimes touch the underbody/gas tank. This was due to the Perrin Heavy Duty mounts that come with the rsb.

2. Perrin Endlinks...it seemed like whenever you lowered your car as much as for example the S-Techs...the lowered stance tended to bind up the spherical bearings...until you worked them in and it was less notchy...You can compare the stock endlinks (which move around smoothly) with the noticeably stiffer spherical bearings of the Perrin. You can take some WD-40 or other penetrating liquid, and work in the spherical bearings (per Perrin) by taking out the bolts, putting two screwdrivers in the holes and moving them around...it's definitely a good workout...

3. Endlinks are loose. If your endlinks came loose it will definitely produce a clunking noise. You should make sure the nuts are tightened to around 35-36ft-lbs.

4. Top nut of the strut...with the full weight of the vehicle on your struts...remove the rear seat, take a long length socket and see if you can tighten the top nut. Without the full weight of the car on the strut/wheels, your strut will want to spin when trying to tighten the nut...I've seen this more than once...the top nut came loose allowing the strut to move up and down...

5. Make sure all three nuts are tight holding the top of the strut in place. Check this while you are checking your top nut.

These are main issues I've had to deal with...

BTW...try this...Take a hold of your rear bumper and lift it as high as you can...see how it settles...now, try to compress it as much as you can...release it...see if it gets stuck down there without coming up...you may have that "Stiction" problem people talk about with the struts not wanting to come back up or getting "stuck" in a lowered position...then it is time to take it in for replacement...

Hope this helps

Brent

 

sounds like it could be the famous sti clunk to me....

 

i have a completely stock suspension. That is what lead me to believe it is the strut.

 

I had the same problem with my 04 sti and when I took it to Subaru they told me my struts were fine. When I got it back the clunking was gone, but it recently came back. I think they went in and tightened something like Brent said to do, but if you drive hard they will loosen up. I would take it in to Subaru and have them at least look at it to see what they say, and if your struts are F***** up at least your covered by your warranty.

Jared

 

hmm, the car has about 16k miles, not sure if warranty will cover that. What's the cost for rear struts and where's the best place to get em?

 

16Kmi is nothing...

as far as replacement...you may think about going coilovers already...or keep an eye out on this board for peole selling parts...I've seen 2005 sti struts come up for sale many times...buying 1 new strut would be insanely expensive...

 

Check the nut on top of your strut. Is it tight? if not, tighten it. More often than not, that is the culprit.

 

the clunking can temporarily go away after lifting up the car, that could be one way of telling if you got the STi clunk.... nabisco has a 30+ page thread of the STi clunk, its still a mystery as some people who had their struts replaced had the clunk come back in a few thousand miles... like brent said retighten everything, i think my clunks are finally gone, Knock on wood...

 

I believe Mach5WRX took his in when he had one and they actually replaced something I thing it was the top hats the ones in the MY04 STI's are not the correct ones PM him if you want.

 

take it into the dealership i guarantee you 100% they will replace them...I took my 05 sti in w/ stock suspension, didn't even have to drive out of their parking lot to mimic the sound, they ordered 2 entire strut assemblies (even though the left side only clunked) somethin to do w/ the struts not releasing correctly after they've been compressed..it's a very common issue they had/have..g'luck