Mondeo ST220 - Knocking/Creaking from rear right quarter

Soldato
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23 Nov 2007
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Ok, I'll start this post by saying that 25k miles ago I had the subframe bushes replaced with Powerflex ones (or rather, the previous owner did, and I've got the paperwork to prove it).

When going over rough ground/bumps, I get a knocking/creaking sound from the rear right. I've removed all items from the boot including the spare wheel, so I can rule that out. Normally I realise this would be indicative of a £200 job to get the subframe bushes replaced, but given that they were done so recently, is there anything else (hopefully cheaper!) that could be the culprit?

The other part of the question is - whatever the potential cause, is this likely to make the car in any way unsafe to drive?

Cheers.
 
Soldato
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Right, looks like I've got 3 possibles here.

- Droplink - medium to diagnose, easy and cheap to fix
- Spring - easy to diagnose (check for sheared spring), garage (expensive to fix)
- Shock mounts - hard to diagnose, garage (expensive to fix)

Sound about right? Is there any way my spring could have failed that wouldn't be immediately obvious when I crawl under my car tomorrow?

Cheers.
 
Soldato
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I wouldn't say a spring would be an expensive job. It should be fairly easy to tell if the spring is the cause...just jack the car up and take a peak. You might want to remove the wheel.
 
Soldato
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Springs aren't expensive (I can get a full eibach set delivered for under £150, so would expect to pay a damn sight less for just a pair of OEMs!) but I'm anticipating getting stung by the garage for labour. If it's daft then I'll get the compressors myself and do the job at home.

I presume with broken springs I'm looking for any visual fractures? Any other failure mode to check for?
 
Soldato
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Tracked it down! It appears that the rear right shock is loose. Spring is undamaged, and the shock compresses, but there is definite lateral play in it.



I've checked in the boot and the 3 securing bolts are still visible so I'm presuming it's safe, but obviously I'd like to get it tightened up a) for my sanity and b) before it becomes so loose it's dangerous.



How difficult a job is this? An hour on my drive at home, or an hour at a garage?



Cheers.
 
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