6G Celicas Forums

Further to my last post, the clanking returned to some extent. So I took off the trunk lid struts and hammered the ball casings to close them up a little. I was afraid they might crack, but they took it well. After about ten minutes I had taken all the play out of them, and reinstalled them with no padding.

This time I was 100% successful. The car feels like new.

I think there must have been a plastic part inside the ball joints which had given up over time. If you feel my approach was too crude, just buy a new pair of trunk lid struts.

This is my first post on this site.

I have '97 Celica convertible, which has had rear suspension clanking since the day I bought it, six months ago. I really wanted a smooth running car, as I have been spoiled by my BMW Z3 and many others. But I need the extra room the Celica has.

I took my car to the mechanic to look for the clanking on several occasions, and he completely disassembled the rear suspension, finding nothing. The mechanic did say that he thought the noise was high up. I removed the jack... still no improvement.

Finally I opened the trunk, and started to shake things around. I found that the spring struts were just a little loose, and when you shook them, the same kind of noise happened. So what I did, was to cover those trunk struts with a little foam rubber (insulation material), and NO MORE CLANKING!

I hope if you look in this unlikely place, you may find the same happiness I have!

Convert