Hi

After installing Hotchkis springs on my xB, I'm hearing noise coming from the driver side suspension when I'm driving on bumps or uneven pavements. I checked and everything are tightened. I popped the hood and asked a friend to push the front up and down. I heard metal to metal noise when he push the front up and down. Is this noise coming from the coil hitting each other? or is it something else. Please help, I've taken the suspension apart twice and reassemble it but still making noises. Is there any other things that I can check?

Thankx

 

Well I don't suppose this helps a whole lot, but I have Hotchkis and do not have the noise, so that should eliminate the "coils hitting each other" theory.

I assume you checked the passenger side and do not have the same issue... right?

Did you replace the bumpstops? I'm not sure what that'd do, but I did and don't have the noise.

 

This has come up before...

https://www.scionlife.com/forums/vie...015&highlight=

I have Hotchkis springs as well, and I hear the same sound. I don't think it's a problem.

-THE DON

 

I did replaced the bump stops that came with the kit. The passenger side seems to be fine after I took it apart and reassemble it. The driver side is making the noise.

The Don:
So you installed the springs and it makes noise on your car? Did you solve your noise problem?

 

My noise is not that bad. Only when I hit potholes on the drivers side. Just sounds like a metal "clicking" noise.

My friend installed them at his house. He has Hotchkis as well, and his sound was worse. He un-installed, and re-installed them a few times, even contacted Hotchkis but the sound never went away. He ended up going back to stock.

Mine is not so bad, so I just live with it. I've put about 10k miles on the springs with no other problems.

-THE DON

 

I jacked up my car today to see if there's anything noticeably wrong and took a couple of pics of both side. Notice that the bottom spring doesnt really line up with the base of the strut. I don't know if this would cause the noise when the car is going over bumps. U can also notice that there big scratch on one of the spring at the bottom, I'm not sure if that's hitting strut bottom plate.

driver side


pass side

 

The noise could be from the springs themselves. Did you transfer the rubber sleeves from the stock springs to the Hochkiss ones? If not, this could be the source of your noise.

This used to happen all time on the A1 VW suspensions i.e. Rabbits, Sciroccos, Dashers (for those of you old enough to remember those cars, LOL).

I made it a point to transfer those rubbers from my stock springs to my TRD springs. No noise or clunking on my springs.

 

yeah i transferred everything from stock to Hotchkis and made sure it's all tighten. Oh well im gonna take it apart one more time this weekend. If it doesn't fix it then I might have to go back to stock or go Tein.

 

Are you sure? From your picture, I do not see the rubber sleeves that go over the bottom coil of the spring. IIRC, there is also one that goes on the second coil of the top of the spring.

 

sorry to bring this up again but I found something today that I want to share. For the third time, I took apart the suspension and inspect the springs. I finally found out what the problem is.
I looked at the springs and found that the top 5 rungs or so are hitting each other and causing the spring coating starting rust. I had to use electrical tapes to wrap the entire springs and reassemble the suspension. Wala, the noises are 90% gone. I dont know what's up with those Hotchkis springs but I personally haven't seen any springs that are hitting each other like this.

 

Must be installation error. Have had Hotchkis springs for 3 months with no issues...

 

The springs only goes in one way and I followed all the instructions that came with it. I doubt I installed it wrong. I took it apart three times with a friend who also car knowledgeable. I finally had to wrap the springs with electrical tape to reduce most of the noise.