Ever since I've had my Z28, there's been a kind of jingling noise that I hear while driving.. usually over bumps. It almost sounds like a bunch of loose washers boucing around. While driving, I can't decipher whether it's coming from the front or the rear

I've had a few shops look into it and not one has been able to give me an answer. They all heard the same thing, howevr all are stumped.

Any idea what it could be? Does anyone else have this as well? I used to get this same noise in my '85 Vette which nobody could explain either.

 

my car make that noise but its from the air pipe moving around in the little clamp that it is in right by the cat

 

I had an 87 TA with shot sway bar endlink bushings and it made that noise.. the endlink washers were jingling around on bumps

 

Is it a very loud banging? It could be a bad tranny mount it it thmups pretty good under the center console area.

 

Check your E-brake cable adjuster right above the driveshaft, just after it comes through the floor.

 

If it sounds like coins jingling in your pocket, it's sway bar end links. The rubber bushings are gone, and the washers are free to rattle around.

If you haven't put new ones on lately, then they're ..... old. You need new ones anyway. They're real cheap and make a big difference in the overall feel of the car. Just change them out and see if it fixes it.

And.... careful with that axe, Eugene.

 

kairles - I used to experience the same until I tacked a small weld connecting it to the pipe it was rattling against.

Shifty - I've already replaced the stock rubber Tranny mount with a poly one from Summitt last year and have never had a problem since. I went through 5 tranny mounts in 4 weeks before getting the poly one. One of the best investments, I think, for our cars.

RB83L69 - You hit it right on the head with the sound I'm getting. I'm going to replace the bushings in the Sway Bar Link and see what happens.

 

I had a problem like that with my cutlass: I took apart the rear drums one day to find that the anti - rattle spring had come loose thanks to the clearance, and was just floating around

 

Sound's like the E-brake. There's two little cable guide / hangers on the underside of the driveshaft tunnel. These help keep the cables up out of the way when there is no tension on them. It also helps keep the e-brake adjuster hanging level. If one of the cables slips off the guides, the adjuster hangs down on one side. When you hit a bump, the adjuster bobs down, and rings off the driveshaft, making that jingling sound you hear. It's annoying as all hell, isn't it? You may have to jack up the car to get a good look, as this all happens in that little space between the driveshaft and the floor pan. The good news is that it takes only a couple minutes to fix, and no tools are involved. Just armstrong the cable back over the guide, and you're done.

 

It sounds just like the sway bar end links as mentioned above. Mine did the same thing when I first bought my car, I could not imagine what it was. It sounded like I was dragging chains! They sell Energy Suspension poly-urethane bushings at Autozone now, and they are really inexpensive. Also fairly easy to replace.

 

I read that brakes could be the problem too... little ring/tubes that go over the bars that go on. I have a jingling noise coming from my front end.... so I replaced the swaybar and endlinks (34mm and poly)... and it still makes the noise. After I read about the noise possibly being the brakes I realized that I never put on two of the four of those little rings (didn't take them off either... odd). I've also heard worn out struts/tower brace could make noises like that... *shrug*


-Bud

EDIT: My noise is more of a tap/jingle. Probably not the same thing.

 

Have you found it yet?

Check and make sure the rear shocks are mounted properly. Had that happen before.

Check all the hoses, brackets, etc under the hood.

 

I just purchased the sway bar end link kits this afternoon and won't be putting them on the car until this weekend. I hope this takes care of it.

Does anybody know of any diagrams or documentation on changing these out? Or are they pretty easy to do..

 

They are a piece of cake and you can just crawl under there and change them. Takes about 10 minutes if they are not too rusted.

 

Ahhh.. the beauty of Arizona cars... no rust.

Can they be done with the tires on the car or do they need to come off?

 

You don't have to take the wheels off, just raise the car enough to get under it. Although I personally prefer to pop the wheels off and just sit next to them rather than laying on the ground.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun!

 

Easy to replace. I briefly had a 91 that did the same thing. Drove me nucking futs! Jack er up, back off the nuts and install the new ones. I think I bought Moog parts, about $20 for the pair.

 

check to make sure that the rubber orings around your guide pins in your caliper are still in place and not worn. mine was missing a few and every bump the calipers would rattle like crazy.

 

Well, I replaced the sway bar end links and the car is now quiet! There's much better response from the wheels as well. The sway bar is actually doing it's job!

My only concern is to how much to tighten them. I already have the bushings about equal with the washers so they do have better pressure at least. Is this enough, too little.. or just about right?

Thanks to everyone for their help..

Chris

:lala: :lala: :lala:

 

i dont think theres any specific amount to tighten them, but for my rear endlinks i went so the nut is like 1.5in up the bolt from the bottom. just enough before the bushings couldn't take anymore. tighter u set them the tighter the sway bar will be so i think its preference. i doubt you'd see any real difference in the way u tighten it tho on a regulare daily driver.

 

you are only supposed to tighten them till the bushing expands to the width of the washer

 

hey guys i'm having the same problem but i know the noise is coming from the back of the car. is it more likely to be the rear sway bar or the E-brake?

 

I should have waited before posting earlier. I only replaced the front sway bar end links and the amount of jingling went down considerably. I do still have some coming from the back though. I'm going to replace those and also look into the E-Brake theory.

 

The service manual says 16 ft b for the nuts on the endlinks if you want specifics.

David

 

does anyone know the length of the endlinks for the WS6 rear sway bar?

 

should be the same as the front. Or I put the same kit on rear as I did the front. Worked fine.

 

do you remember the specific size? ( i.e. 2-5/8", 2-7/8", 3-3/8", etc...?)

edit: sorry, those sizes up there refer to the OEM spacer sleeve.

 

Mine said 14, but both would still work. Just changed mine two weeks ago (same problem)

 

I have a similar experience on my 1970 Camaro. I’d love to get an answer

 

Check the front outer brake pads, check to make sure they're pinched tightly or use "disc quiet" to hold them in place.