shinigamiz

Well, after way too long, I finally got around to fix this. It seems that my front subframe bolts were loose. They were all snug, but not torqued to spec.

The 19mm bolts felt pretty snug, but probably only around 60-70 ft/lb. It took a few tries to get enough leverage to torque them to 85ft/lb while it was on jack stands. The 17mm bolts were also a little loose, but didn't seem as bad.

Rear subframe seemed to be torqued properly, as well as the front/rear upper/lower arms.

I tried to reproduce the clunk/pop again, but haven't been able to yet. Hopefully this is the permanent fix.

_brandon

Did you loosen all the bolts first before retorquing in proper sequence?? I too have this noise and tried retorquing but it is still there. It is driving me crazy! Although I didnt loosen them, which i think you need to do.

shinigamiz

I did not. I just tightened them up as I was inspecting them. The service manual didn't say anything about a sequence, just using the alignment holes.

I was wrong, I do still have a noise, but it is not the same sharp loud pop as before. The sound is now only coming up during the beginning of a turn to the wheel when leaving a parking spot, forward or reverse, instead of near full lock. Haven't noticed it making turns from a stop at intersections.

Elistan

For what it's worth, I had this symptom and it was that the bolts for my steering gearbox were loose. Once I tightened those up, no more noise.

Specifically, the bolts for part #9.

shinigamiz

Thanks, I'll be looking into these bolts more carefully

shinigamiz

Tightened up the bolts last night. Needed a really long extension and a flexible joint adapter, but I haven't been able to hear the noises where I normally would after that. The bolts didn't seem loose at all, it took a good amount of effort to tighten up. I guess they just loosened up slightly.

s2000maniac

^^ did you reach in from the top? Can you see the bolts from the top?
I'm having the same issue, I think I need to tighten those bolts.

shinigamiz

Yes, I went from the top. You can see them, just find the steering gearbox and follow it to the mount and bolts. I was feeling lazy and didn't feel like trying to remove the airbox.

s2000maniac

Okay I tried to tighten the bolts but I couldn't. They seem really tight. I took a few pics to show how far those bolts screw in. All 4 look even. Can somebody compare to theirs? This cracking/poping noise is driving me crazy!!

shinigamiz

Use a torque wrench. I don't remember the specs off the top of my head, but it's not that high. A visual check won't mean anything.

I didn't have to turn mine much at all, maybe 1/8 - 1/4 turn. They were pretty tight to start with, but just needed to be tightened up a little to stop from making any noise.