Pfadt clunking?

[SSSoon]

Hey guys, could use some help here. Had a local shop install Pfadt rear trailing arms, sport sways, end links, and springs on my 2011 2SS. Went to pick it up last night and just in the parking lot could hear some random clunking as I drove around. The guy who installed it is scratching his head. Any advice for things to check?

He did a full 4 wheel alignment after finishing using a Hunter system and the numbers are all good (within Pfadt specs after he was done).

I recall someone saying a while back that greasing the end link connections might do the trick but I can't find the post (and am not sure it was end links he was talking about). The end links definitely do not have grease points on them, so we're a little confused

Anyone else install these and hit similar issues? Suggestions on possible solutions?

Thanks

Pete

********************** BELOW WAS EDITED ON 01/06/2012

For those who don't want to read the entire thread, jump to post #143. Cutting to the chase: it was the Pfadt springs at fault.

********************** BELOW WAS EDITED ON 01/19/2012

For those who want to see the happy ending, jump to post #176. Pedders rocks!

********************** BELOW WAS EDITED ON 04/04/2012

Pfadt figured out a solution that solved another owner's problems. Details at:

http://camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214262

[hypurone]

Aside from something being left out on the install (upper spring perch component etc) look at the end links and check them closely. The spherical's need to be "timed" together so they aren't being torqued against each other. Hard to explain but the end link should rotate (twist) fully at both top and bottom. They MUST be torqued to 33ft lbs or they will loosen causing noise and eventually damage....

I have all the Pfadt components you list plus some. If ya wanna PM me we can chat on the phone etc if ya want...

[mhog]

Make sure your end links are not loose and grease everything. Put grease in the swaybar bushings. It makes alot of noise if not greased properly.

[JusticePete]

There is a device called Chassis Ears that are an invaluable too for tracking down suspension noises. If the shop does not have them, we do it by process of elimination.

1. Endlinks are a primary culprit. If after inspection that appear to be correctly faced and installed, pull one bolt out at the sway bar. This disconnects the endlink and disables the sway bar. Drive the same area of the parking lot. What do you hear?

2. Put the car back on a lift with the wheels at full droop. Grab one coil at a time and shake it. Is there a loose coil in the perch?

3. Check the bolts in the arms. Are they all installed OE style with the head and tail properly oriented? Are they all tight?

4. There are eight bolts that hold the rear struts in place to the monocoque. Are they all tight?

5. If all these steps revela nothing out of order it is time to remove one strut at a time and inspect the assembly off the car.

6. One last shot, is everyone absolutely positive that all the special shaped washers for the struts were reinstalled? There isn't one on the bench? Maybe in the boxes of olde OE parts? It is worth a check.

There is always a possibility you have a bad part, but with the quality of your kit I would be far more inclined to look at the installation.

[5thGenCamaroKid]

I've got a popping/clunking too, so I'm interested in what folks have to say. I'm fairly certain mine is the endlinks as I got up under there the other day and one of the sphericals appears to be extrememly crooked. I'll know definitively here soon as I need to put it on a lift to check the other components installed.

[PfadtRacing]

A properly setup Pfadt suspension package doesn't make any noises, pops or groans, so it's probably time to do a little troubleshooting. I would start by eliminating the endlinks from possibility. First off, make sure that when the endlinks are installed the control arms that the studs in the heim joints slide in as straight as possible, if they're installed at a severe angle you will run out of available articulation and that can cause binding which will damage the endlink. Also pay close attention to the assembly order and orientation of the parts as illustrated in the instructions. Make sure the copper colored stud is installed into the control arm and not into the sway bar, and that the washer is pointed the correct direction.

To narrow your noise down to the sway bar system disconnect both the endlinks from the sway bar, attach it securely to the control arm and take a quick test drive, if the noise goes away you've now narrowed the issue down to somewhere in the sway bar system. Another place to check are the bolts securing the sway bar to the chassis, make sure they're secure and that you do have 2 brackets in place. Also make sure that the sway bar bushings have been lubricated with the provided Marine Grade Grease.

Were these a set of endlinks purchased recently, or did the shop have them on the shelf for a while? We've released an endlink update kit with a custom Copper colored stud that installs securely into the control arm, if you are missing that hardware send us an email and we can work on getting you out an update.

If you continue to have noises even after properly installing the sway bars the next place you should look are to the shocks. Make sure that you have your factory upper spring isolators in place and that the top of the spring is clocked firmly into the ride on upper mount. Also ensure that the upper nut on the shock has been properly torqued back down, if you're not using Air tools to get this done you will need to find a Torx bit to keep the shock shaft from spinning while you're tightening the nut. Confirm with the shop that the bumpstops were trimmed in half as directed in our instructions, if the ride is really rough over large bumps that's a definite signal to check out the bumpstops.

Past that just do a thorough bolt check on everything that's been touched on the car. Lower shock bolts, tie rod and trailing arm bolts... everything.

If you're still having some troubles give us a call! We're more than happy to walk you or a shop tech through troubleshooting steps over the phone. It would also be useful to get some pictures of the setup and how it's been installed on the car, photos of the sway bars, endlinks, springs and arms would go a long way to helping us diagnose what's actually going on here. You can either email me directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com or give one of our techs a call at 1-888-972-2464.

Properly installed the parts installed on your car should be very quiet. Get in contact with us and we can help get your issues fixed!

[5thGenCamaroKid]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

A properly setup Pfadt suspension package doesn't make any noises, pops or groans, so it's probably time to do a little troubleshooting. I would start by eliminating the endlinks from possibility. First off, make sure that when the endlinks are installed the control arms that the studs in the heim joints slide in as straight as possible, if they're installed at a severe angle you will run out of available articulation and that can cause binding which will damage the endlink. Also pay close attention to the assembly order and orientation of the parts as illustrated in the instructions. Make sure the copper colored stud is installed into the control arm and not into the sway bar, and that the washer is pointed the correct direction.

To narrow your noise down to the sway bar system disconnect both the endlinks from the sway bar, attach it securely to the control arm and take a quick test drive, if the noise goes away you've now narrowed the issue down to somewhere in the sway bar system. Another place to check are the bolts securing the sway bar to the chassis, make sure they're secure and that you do have 2 brackets in place. Also make sure that the sway bar bushings have been lubricated with the provided Marine Grade Grease.

Were these a set of endlinks purchased recently, or did the shop have them on the shelf for a while? We've released an endlink update kit with a custom Copper colored stud that installs securely into the control arm, if you are missing that hardware send us an email and we can work on getting you out an update.

If you continue to have noises even after properly installing the sway bars the next place you should look are to the shocks. Make sure that you have your factory upper spring isolators in place and that the top of the spring is clocked firmly into the ride on upper mount. Also ensure that the upper nut on the shock has been properly torqued back down, if you're not using Air tools to get this done you will need to find a Torx bit to keep the shock shaft from spinning while you're tightening the nut. Confirm with the shop that the bumpstops were trimmed in half as directed in our instructions, if the ride is really rough over large bumps that's a definite signal to check out the bumpstops.

Past that just do a thorough bolt check on everything that's been touched on the car. Lower shock bolts, tie rod and trailing arm bolts... everything.

If you're still having some troubles give us a call! We're more than happy to walk you or a shop tech through troubleshooting steps over the phone. It would also be useful to get some pictures of the setup and how it's been installed on the car, photos of the sway bars, endlinks, springs and arms would go a long way to helping us diagnose what's actually going on here. You can either email me directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com or give one of our techs a call at 1-888-972-2464.

Properly installed the parts installed on your car should be very quiet. Get in contact with us and we can help get your issues fixed!

Detailed write up, so thanks for that.

The only reason I jumped to the conclusion of the endlinks is the reason mentioned above; crooked speherical upon initial investigation. I can't rule our the other components as I've yet to put it on a lift, so this is just me spitballing. I personally didn't experience the popping/clunking in turns/over bumps prior to the subframe mounts, rear tie rods, trailing arms, upper control arm bushings, and endlinks...so, the lift and re-tightening/adjusting the securing bolts will ultimately tell.

Sorry OP for the thread jack.

[Buffnshine]

Pete, follow what PFADT said above. Samething happened when mine were installed and were not torqued correctly at the LCA and the subsiquently the bolt hole where the endlink contects became out of round. They developed that Lower Control Arm Reinforcement Bracket and took care of the problem. Aaron and Jarrett will help you out, give them a call. Top notch parts and customer service.

LCA/Endlink hole our of round from improper Torquing, Caused an occasional clunking sound


Lower Control Arm Reinforcement Brackets


Lower Control Arm Reinforcement Bracket Installed

[SSSoon]

You guys are awesome - thank you to all who have posted replies here from personal experience and from parts manufacturers. I am cutting and pasting and putting together stuff to go through with my installer. Really appreciate the insight and guidance. Will post an update hopefully later today.

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

A properly setup Pfadt suspension package doesn't make any noises, pops or groans, so it's probably time to do a little troubleshooting. I would start by eliminating the endlinks from possibility. First off, make sure that when the endlinks are installed the control arms that the studs in the heim joints slide in as straight as possible, if they're installed at a severe angle you will run out of available articulation and that can cause binding which will damage the endlink. Also pay close attention to the assembly order and orientation of the parts as illustrated in the instructions. Make sure the copper colored stud is installed into the control arm and not into the sway bar, and that the washer is pointed the correct direction.

To narrow your noise down to the sway bar system disconnect both the endlinks from the sway bar, attach it securely to the control arm and take a quick test drive, if the noise goes away you've now narrowed the issue down to somewhere in the sway bar system. Another place to check are the bolts securing the sway bar to the chassis, make sure they're secure and that you do have 2 brackets in place. Also make sure that the sway bar bushings have been lubricated with the provided Marine Grade Grease.

Were these a set of endlinks purchased recently, or did the shop have them on the shelf for a while? We've released an endlink update kit with a custom Copper colored stud that installs securely into the control arm, if you are missing that hardware send us an email and we can work on getting you out an update.

If you continue to have noises even after properly installing the sway bars the next place you should look are to the shocks. Make sure that you have your factory upper spring isolators in place and that the top of the spring is clocked firmly into the ride on upper mount. Also ensure that the upper nut on the shock has been properly torqued back down, if you're not using Air tools to get this done you will need to find a Torx bit to keep the shock shaft from spinning while you're tightening the nut. Confirm with the shop that the bumpstops were trimmed in half as directed in our instructions, if the ride is really rough over large bumps that's a definite signal to check out the bumpstops.

Past that just do a thorough bolt check on everything that's been touched on the car. Lower shock bolts, tie rod and trailing arm bolts... everything.

If you're still having some troubles give us a call! We're more than happy to walk you or a shop tech through troubleshooting steps over the phone. It would also be useful to get some pictures of the setup and how it's been installed on the car, photos of the sway bars, endlinks, springs and arms would go a long way to helping us diagnose what's actually going on here. You can either email me directly at jarrett@pfadtracing.com or give one of our techs a call at 1-888-972-2464.

Properly installed the parts installed on your car should be very quiet. Get in contact with us and we can help get your issues fixed!

Hey Jarrett, thanks for the quick response. To answer your question, the end links were purchased a few weeks back, and shipped direct from Pfadt. I'm getting this info to the tech and will touch base if we need to. Thanks man!

[SSSoon]

Originally Posted by Buffnshine

Pete, follow what PFADT said above. Samething happened when mine were installed and were not torqued correctly at the LCA and the subsiquently the bolt hole where the endlink contects became out of round. They developed that update kit and took care of the problem. Aaron and Jarrett will help you out, give them a call. Top notch parts and customer service.

LCA/Endlink hole our of round from improper Torquing, Caused an occasional clunking sound

Yup, we got the LCA reinforcing plates in there (what you're calling the endlink update kit). Pfadt shipped that with the end links.

[full of days]

can someone post a visual of the LCA within the chassis? I've got to install the updated brackets and endlinks this weekend.

Thanks

[PfadtRacing]

Full of days - here is the best photo I've got of the rear lower control arm with the bracket in place. It does need to be flipped up, but the feet slip under the bracket like shown in the photo. It's the only arm that looks remotely like this, so it's pretty easy to spot:



And here is the newest hardware that's shipping with our endlinks. You can see the difference in the design of the copper stud. That stud swages it's self into the control arm to form a tight fit to keep the stud from bounding in the hole and making noise.

If you're a current user of our endlinks and don't have an update please let us know. With a little bit of information we will gladly send you a free upgrade to the newest version of the hardware.

[garcmol]

Here's a full set up with the reinforcing tab ~ and a Miller Lite



I would check to make sure the coil rubbers are on as well. Pfadt's are clear tubes that go around the coils. If those are too low on the spring, or gone, the compressed springs will make a clunk. I know this from experience. I thought it was packing material