Click/clock/pop noise on lowering springs...help!

[Albertcado]

Click, clock, pop-like noise coming from passenger REAR area on SR Performance (1 inch drop) Lowering Springs.
It happens without fail when moving from a complete stop whether it's forward or reverse. Also when driving through a parking lot or moving back and forth when parking, click-click, or clock-clock, loud enough to be very annoying. It also happens when slowly going over big bumps and randomly when turning at slow speeds.

Any idea what may be causing it? The noise also started A MONTH AFTER the springs were put on, the 1st month had no noises and all was well.
Could it be that the bushings were not reclocked so the noise started when the springs settled more?

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[WildHorse]

Broken spring ?

 

[TXGTPig]

I'd get under it and make sure all the bolts are still tight. Did you do the install or have a shop do it?

 

[Albertcado]

I'd get under it and make sure all the bolts are still tight. Did you do the install or have a shop do it?

shop did it, it was super quiet for the 1st month and the noises started later. Everything was checked again when I took it back mentioning the noise and it was still there. The only thing that wasn't done was the bushings were never reclocked after the springs were put on. I just drove it and thought it was fine.

 

[Kristian87]

Is the clicking metallic sounding? Like this;



If so, mine was the hub/bearing assembly. There was no play when trying to shake the wheel side to side, but rotating forward/back it would click. The Ford tech showed me with the one he removed. New one all good since being installed a few months ago.

EDIT: also check out the thrust washer, these have been known to cause noise too. I had a new one put in.

 

[Albertcado]

Is the clicking metallic sounding? Like this;



If so, mine was the hub/bearing assembly. There was no play when trying to shake the wheel side to side, but rotating forward/back it would click. The Ford tech showed me with the one he removed. New one all good since being installed a few months ago.

EDIT: also check out the thrust washer, these have been known to cause noise too. I had a new one put in.

mine wasn't quite like this sound, it's more like a low cluck cluck, or pop pop noise from passenger rear, but like the video, it also always happened from going from a full stop, or when starting to reverse, and constantly if I was parallel parking back and forth etc..
It got so annoying I went back to stock springs and the noise disappeared so I'm very lost as to what caused it. I really want to put the lowering springs back on again, but I'm obviously ehhh about it since I couldn't pinpoint the cause before. Could not reclocking the bushings after lowered have caused the noise? My tech never reclocked bushings after he put the lowering springs on (which I've heard can cause noises) and I drove it for a month without any noise, then the noise started.

 

[Kristian87]

mine wasn't quite like this sound, it's more like a low cluck cluck, or pop pop noise from passenger rear, but like the video, it also always happened from going from a full stop, or when starting to reverse, and constantly if I was parallel parking back and forth etc..
It got so annoying I went back to stock springs and the noise disappeared so I'm very lost as to what caused it. I really want to put the lowering springs back on again, but I'm obviously ehhh about it since I couldn't pinpoint the cause before. Could not reclocking the bushings after lowered have caused the noise? My tech never reclocked bushings after he put the lowering springs on (which I've heard can cause noises) and I drove it for a month without any noise, then the noise started.

Weird. Based on my experience, I don’t think your noise would be related to not clocking bushings. I say that because I had my lowering springs on for years, more than 20k miles and never had any noises, until this year.

Before I had my hub replaced, i had a new rear shock fitted. Symptoms were a rubbery creaking noise, very obvious. As soon as that was replaced, i had the noise above in the video. However, there was always a subtle clunk/pop from that same corner. Similar to what you describe - on takeoff, and i’ll also hear it if i’m travelling over slightly uneven ground under 5mph.

If you look at other videos on my youtube channel, there’s one of me bouncing the rear. This was after a good long drive in the height of summer - hundreds of miles in warm, dry weather.

Difficult to reproduce but i know it’s there so it’s been driving me nuts! Anyway…after paying a specialist garage to diagnose what they could, they spotted that my new shock was leaking. I hurried back to Ford, who replaced it under parts warranty. That was on Monday, but sadly not had a chance to properly road test it yet.

I would at least do a visual check on your shock and look for any leaks, the shock mount is also a problem area to when it comes to clunking noises.

 

[Albertcado]

Weird. Based on my experience, I don’t think your noise would be related to not clocking bushings. I say that because I had my lowering springs on for years, more than 20k miles and never had any noises, until this year.

Before I had my hub replaced, i had a new rear shock fitted. Symptoms were a rubbery creaking noise, very obvious. As soon as that was replaced, i had the noise above in the video. However, there was always a subtle clunk/pop from that same corner. Similar to what you describe - on takeoff, and i’ll also hear it if i’m travelling over slightly uneven ground under 5mph.

If you look at other videos on my youtube channel, there’s one of me bouncing the rear. This was after a good long drive in the height of summer - hundreds of miles in warm, dry weather.

Difficult to reproduce but i know it’s there so it’s been driving me nuts! Anyway…after paying a specialist garage to diagnose what they could, they spotted that my new shock was leaking. I hurried back to Ford, who replaced it under parts warranty. That was on Monday, but sadly not had a chance to properly road test it yet.

I would at least do a visual check on your shock and look for any leaks, the shock mount is also a problem area to when it comes to clunking noises.

" However, there was always a subtle clunk/pop from that same corner. Similar to what you describe - on takeoff, and i’ll also hear it if i’m travelling over slightly uneven ground under 5mph. "

what you said,
this is EXACTLY what I had on my lowering springs, hear it all the time in parking lots (5mph or less) and subtle clunk/pop/click, but when I went back to stock springs it disappeared.
If the noise went away on stock springs, does that eliminate an axle nut type of issue?
I really want to lower my suspension again, but am dreading the noise coming back and not being able to locate it, a couple performance shops I had look at it couldn't figure out where it was coming from either.

 

[Kristian87]

If the noise went away on stock springs, does that eliminate an axle nut type of issue?

I think that’s a good assumption mate.
Other suspects for mine were the sway bar end links - they’ll naturally be put under more strain with lowering springs, i.e. the bushings will get worn quicker over time, but as yours happened immediately, i think yours may be the shock absorber too. Or the spring/spring isolator not sitting quite right.

I’ll report back once i’ve had a good test drive of mine with the brand new shock

 

[Kristian87]

I’ll report back once i’ve had a good test drive of mine with the brand new shock

Had a few short drives yesterday around town. So far so good, although I'm not 100% convinced haha

That will come with an extended drive. Plan on washing it at the weekend so I'll likely be in the mood for a good cruise around.

 

[ICU812]

Are they cranking down the bolts after the install with the wheels free hanging? or bolting it back together, putting it on a rack so the vehcle weight is on the wheel/tire and then torquing the bolts. If you boltit back up with wheels hanging, the bushings get preloaded, and the inner metal sleeve of the bushings or the inner sleeve and bushing are what you are hearing moving .
Without knowing what and how they screwed it all back together, I can only guess, but if I was a betting man, they had the wheels in free hanging on a lift, and torqued the bolts/bushings down. This is a nono. you tightn the bolts (torque to spec) with the vehicle weight on the wheels/tires.

 

[velocity550]

Click, clock, pop-like noise coming from passenger REAR area on SR Performance (1 inch drop) Lowering Springs.
It happens without fail when moving from a complete stop whether it's forward or reverse. Also when driving through a parking lot or moving back and forth when parking, click-click, or clock-clock, loud enough to be very annoying. It also happens when slowly going over big bumps and randomly when turning at slow speeds.

Any idea what may be causing it? The noise also started A MONTH AFTER the springs were put on, the 1st month had no noises and all was well.
Could it be that the bushings were not reclocked so the noise started when the springs settled more?

Having the same exact issue with my sr springs. Makes a popping noise only in reverse. I'm going to have my guy that installed them re-torque everything then go from there. I do also have the ford performance sway bars installed, maybe something needs to be greased?

 

[Albertcado]

Having the same exact issue with my sr springs. Makes a popping noise only in reverse. I'm going to have my guy that installed them re-torque everything then go from there. I do also have the ford performance sway bars installed, maybe something needs to be greased?

Did you ever find the culprit of the noise on your SR springs? I've been back on stock for a while because I got fed up with the click/pop noises, but I'm thinking of giving them another shot.

 

[velocity550]

Did you ever find the culprit of the noise on your SR springs? I've been back on stock for a while because I got fed up with the click/pop noises, but I'm thinking of giving them another shot.

It honestly went away over time. Im thinking something may have been a little too tight and over time it got worn in. Not really sure though. Everything is quiet now . I'm going to put it on the lift in a couple weeks when I change the oil and do a once over with all the suspension components. Other then that everything is intact!

 

[velocity550]

If I was you man I'd just put them back on. Life is too short to be monster truckin in your mustang LOL.

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