• Protip: Profile posts are public! Use Conversations to message other members privately. Everyone can see the content of a profile post.

What's that knocking sound I have coming from the rear?

Joined
15 November 2002
Messages
2,563
Location
Kongsberg, Norway
Hi

I made a super fast drive to Sweden this weekend. On my way back I heared a knocking sound coming from my left rear.

I heard it best when going at low speed in fifth gear and getting on the throttle. Sounds like "bang bang bang.." and so on. The sound is there in every gear so it is not the transmission. The gearchange is as smooth as ever.

Sounds more like when my drive shafts (<- probably not the correct word) was gone and I had the steering wheel turned over and going forward on the throttle on my old Golf.

I know I have damaged the left rim and it is probably a bit unbalanced. Could this rim have caused any other damages to the NSX? I was thinking the wheel bearing, but does that make such a noise?

I have not been under the car since I got home, but I will check it out tomorrow.

Any pointers to what to look for and what this could be would be very helpfull

I looked in the FAQ and if I am lucky it is only the Tubi that is knocking back there, but probably not.

I need a new rim in OEM 17" anyway so I will start looking for one.

Edit: Could it be the CV joint? What is a CV joint?

I found this post

I will flip throug the manual and prepare for tomorrow.

Regards
 
Last edited:
Hi again

Thanks for the links and opinions. The links will be very helpfull when I will try to fix this.

I had a look under the car right now. The left inner and outer joint looked okey. Maybe a tiny drip of oil inside the inner rubber thingy. I will have a closer look on it to see if I should replace it.

The left is where I have the bad rim, but besides the tiny drop of oil everything looked okey. So no noise making devices on the left rear.

I thought I should have a look on the other side too. Damn. The CV joint was exposed. The rubber thingy was in rags. I have a couple of pictures taken with a Sony Ericsson K750i. Will post them later. :(

I am not sure why it went to pieces, but age and speed is probably the reasons.

The question is now if I have wrecked the whole CV joint or if I could take out the joint. Clean it, regrease it and put on a new rubber thing and reinstall it? I am not sure how long I have driven with the joint exposed like this. Probably close to 600km :( But it was dry roads so that is good at least.

How expencive are the parts I need. The rubber thingis and maybe the whole clabadash?

Regards
 
Hi Martin,

If you are to replace the boots it is not too expensive. I would say a shop wil charge 2-3 hours plus the parts($50US for two boots.

But....I think you may need an inner CV joint. If so this is expensive. List in the US is about $400, and the entire Axle assy list is about $930 :eek: .

You will nede to disassemble it and inspect the bearings inside, but I think at least one will be damaged/worn if it is making a steady noise. I would say the boot may have been damaged before your trip, and the high speed made sure all the grease was lost.

You might be best posting here for a used Axle shaft:).

HTH,
LarryB
 
Larry Bastanza said:
Hi Martin,

If you are to replace the boots it is not too expensive. I would say a shop wil charge 2-3 hours plus the parts($50US for two boots.

But....I think you may need an inner CV joint. If so this is expensive. List in the US is about $400, and the entire Axle assy list is about $930 :eek: .

You will nede to disassemble it and inspect the bearings inside, but I think at least one will be damaged/worn if it is making a steady noise. I would say the boot may have been damaged before your trip, and the high speed made sure all the grease was lost.

You might be best posting here for a used Axle shaft:).

HTH,
LarryB

Hi

Thanks LarryB

I just finished reading your postings in the thread D posted a link to. Does not look to difficult. I have done this to my Golf a couple of times.

I do not have a constant knocking and that is a good thing. I will have to inspect the joint very carefully. I knew the parts was expencive. Crazy that they are. Even to my old Golf they was very expencive.

So the rubber thingy is the boot. Okey. I need a couple of new ones not bad. But if I need the joint too I will have to look around to see what to do. Maybe some crashed NSX'es in Europe somewhere.

I need new grease, but it comes with the boot maybe? I think the Golf ones did have grease in the package and strapping bands. Probably best to get a garage to tighten the straps. I remember I had a hard time getting them tight enough on my Golf.

The grease is all over the place. It would freak out those that use their toothbrush to clean the underside. :)

Well I am glad that it was "just" this. When I first heard the sound I was thinking that it was the transmission or something. Glad it was'nt. This I can fix with the help of my dad. Probably best to get a alignment afterwards because I am not confident that we get it back together just the way it was.

Probably not the only 1991 NSX that have had this "problem". It is a old car and these boots are probably a little "tender" after many years.

Regards
 
Larry - quick question re the symptoms on CV on the NSX - does it "bang" when loading or unloading the throttle typically?
If you jack up the car, can you "feel" it if you jerk the wheel in one direction then the other?
I'm sure the answer to both of those depnds on the severity - relatively minor would be a rumble, like a wheel bearing but more catastrophic may "bang" as it takes up the play I would think?
Hopefully I'll never experience personally but it would be good to have a point of reference for anyone who may suspect this.
 
This can be hard to detect. Definately you will hear sound changes on/off throttle. Mostly if you coast in nuetral it goes away as the axle runs freely. As soon as you engage the clutch and are either "pushing the engine" or applying throttle "pushing the car" it will make noise. Basically no load=quiet, load=noise.

If it does make noise all the time, you will probably see a ripped boot, and a dry CV joint. This is why I think Martin may need to replace it.

This has been my experience with them:)

HTH,
LarryB
 
A bent rim (wheel) will also destroy your wheel bearing and shock....depending on how bad and how fast you drive.

I'm not sure if it will accelerate wear on the CV joint.

So get your wheel fixed as soon as possible and drive as slow as reasonable until it is fixed.

Drew
 
Hi

Drew I get that wheel fixed. No driving with a CV joint as this though.

Here is a picture of the CV joint. Not a pretty sight. How bad is something I need to look into.

Picture was taken with a K750i cellphone. Picturequality is not bad. It has been resized and reduced to fit Prime.

Regards
 

Attachments

  • DSC00003-800.JPG
    DSC00003-800.JPG
    58.1 KB · Views: 581
Well, That baby is bone dry. You will need to remove it and inspect the bearings for wear, as well as the inside slot the out bearing races slide into.

If you go to Honda the boot kit is 42017-SL0-000 and you get the grease, boot bands and new axle nut included. It is about $26US.

HTH,
LarryB
 
Given the amount of work involved, wouldn't it make more sense to change it anyway than to grease it & do this all again in 2 wks if it's still acting up?Not sniping, just asking.
 
OK, I feel sorry for this owner.

When one of our cars begins to make a racket and exhibit those symptoms, stop driving. Maybe stopping as soon as the first clunk, bang, boom, etc. makes itself heard will result in the damage being easily repairable and less expensive. (Maybe not)

At this point I would replace the CV joint regardless, service the other and then install new boots. Oh, and the bent rim, that is a no brainer - repair or replace as needed. They call it maintenance for a reason.

OK - good luck and I hope you can find a used axle out of a wrecked NSX so your car will be back on the road and without costing you an arm and a leg.
 
Euro price, 2001: 88 USD ex. vat, ditch the new style boot-bands which come with them. I have never ever seen such a crap design (regarding the new straps) for a car as the NSX.

Though it has been said that the old boot-bands loose there strength, i think you just re-use them, they are fine, end very easy to use imo.

Oh, and get the soap out!!!



Mich
 
Hi

Checked price today at the local Honda dealer.

Here is what he said:

For the inner CV joint and a boot they ask $1049. If I want the hole axel with both (2) boots and inner CV joint they want $1716. For only a boot they want $204. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Another proof that I live in crazy land. :confused: :frown: :mad:

Okey what should I do?

I ofcourse need a new boot. I need a new CV joint. But do I need the axel?

I remember I did the CV joint on my 1993 Prelude 2.2iVTEC too and it was a pain in the ass getting together. Is the NSX CV joint the same so I would be better off going for the full axel? The Prelude was really hard to get into the gearbox because it need to go in in a special way and the nuts kept on slipping.

I would like a new CV joint so buying a used axel with boot and CV joint is not anything I would like to do.

So where in Europe is this cheapest? 88USD for a boot is not bad at all. I am not buying in Norway thats for sure.

Postage from a country in Europe to me should not be bad even for a complete axel. I also have friends that travel alot in Europe so a local pickup should be doable.

Regards
 
Martin,

I would e-mail Tim or JR at www.hondacuraworld.com, send e-mail to [email protected] They can get you the parts for a total of probably $450 or less (CV and 2 Boot Kits) You will have to pay shipping, not sure what that might be.

Do you have an independent mechanic?? This job is not too difficult for any experienced tech. We can help you with some discussion with the tech if needed:). The job should be 2 hours, 4 hours max for someone doing it and learning;)

HTH,
LarryB
 
Just another example of why this site is the best; I check it several times daily. NSX owners are just great people.
 
Check aofeparts on ebay too. It's Acura of Escondido (California) parts dept. Just email them since this won't be in their ebay store. Their prices are very reasonable on some things.
 
Larry Bastanza said:
Martin,

I would e-mail Tim or JR at www.hondacuraworld.com, send e-mail to [email protected] They can get you the parts for a total of probably $450 or less (CV and 2 Boot Kits) You will have to pay shipping, not sure what that might be.

Do you have an independent mechanic?? This job is not too difficult for any experienced tech. We can help you with some discussion with the tech if needed:). The job should be 2 hours, 4 hours max for someone doing it and learning;)

HTH,
LarryB

Thanks Larry

Great!

I will send them a email. I have a independent mechanic. It is my dad. He have helped me changing CV's on three other cars and just finished helping me fixing my motocycles gearbox. He is the best. :smile:

After reading the posts it looks like a straight forward job with a 4 hour max. What I think I would do is to change the boot and CV joint on one side and then the next evening change the boot on the other. Or if everything goes smoothly change them both in one go.

Then have a garage tighten the straps and maybe do a alignment if we are unsure we got it back just the way it was. Getting the straps tight enough usually is a bit tricky without special equipment.

What would be more than a 4 hour job is to clean the car underneath though :)

Sent the guys at HondaAcuraworld a mail now. Under a month until I am going to a track meeting so time is a bit tight

Regards
 
Last edited:
I removed, cleaned, re greased with new boots and reinstalled the right axle in an afternoon.
As someone mentioned, the replacement bands are a joke. I cleaned and reused the original bands. Easy and they seem to be plenty tight.

I marked the adjuster on the suspension as suggested and went without the alignment. So far so good.
Got rid of the clicking sound from the axle when I rocked the car back and forth. Now I just need the motivation to do the other side. No noise but the boots are pretty stiff.
Sulley
 
I do not understand why everyone has a problem with the new bands, I have the tool (KD3191) that cost about $13 + shipping and they work great, and it takes all of a minute to install them. I have had 100% reliability with these bands, quick and easy.

You can get it here:

http://slaetechs.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=644

Martin,

I also have a Honda Factory write up about using this tool. PM me an e-mail address so I can forward an attachment.

Also remember to listen to Sulley:), and mark the alignment setting for the camber on the lower arm before you loosen it.


HTH,
LarryB
 
Last edited:
Hi Martin!

As I've understood you have a problem with your left CV, right? I'm just waiting for a used complete left CV I got from ebay (Germany). PM if you're interested.

Regards,
Thomas
 
goldNSX said:
Hi Martin!

As I've understood you have a problem with your left CV, right? I'm just waiting for a used complete left CV I got from ebay (Germany). PM if you're interested.

Regards,
Thomas

Hi

Thanks for the offer. Well right or left depends on where you are standing. :)

If you are standing behind the NSX looking forward the bad one is on the right side.

I have ordered from the US and I hope I will get the the parts next week if I am lucky.

Regards
 
Hi

I have been NSX'less for weeks now. Been hard, but the thought that I have 1 of 18000 NSX'es in the world has eased the pain. :)

I still have a supercar in silver outside here which I can not use. I am all set to go but no parts. :(

I know the guys at Acuraworld is doing their best getting my parts. I do not want to stress them all out. I have already sent them one mail on friday asking for the parts.

I have had some bad luck lately. But things are looking good now. My Dad and me have fixed the gearbox of my ZX9R motorbike, so I have had some knee down action on the local roads around here. But nothing is like a good second gear acceleration in the NSX :)

I want the kick the NSX gives me even at low speed around the town. The "wow what is that.." looks :)

Well I have used the time waiting for the parts good. I have cleaned the airfilter. Looked over the engine and checked fluids. I will clean the engine underneath on thursday preparing for the "operations".

Well this has been a post to the Prime instead of mail to Acuraworld...I do not want to stress them all out. Hope the parts are on their way soon. I guess I am hooked.. NSX is in the blood :)

Regards
 
Back
Top