Well, the good things here are that (a) you are learning a lot about your car, and (b) you are obviously smart and skilled enough to deal with it!

 

Well I will credit this car to putting me over the top as far as tools and knowledge is concerned. I built my Integra Type R racecar pretty much by myself (outsourced the roll cage).

But getting this car has caused me to buy all the power/air tools, welder...etc. I just wish I could drive the car I bought 3 months ago!

Thanks for the compliment though! I dont know what I would do without all the information on this board...there would be a whole lot more trial and error, bloody hands, and fried patience.

 

I would also check the front brakes/abs/pad shims& hardware as well then. Maybe also look and see that the fuel lines and filter are secure as well....

t

 

Yeah...when I checked the rear, I also checked the front. That is where I found the problem.

Before I get the thing up to speed on the track, with my life riding on the line, I will definately have given every single thing on the car a run down.

 

bearings, bearings, bearings!!the stock fd suspention is bearings, not bushings. i pressed new ones in mine and it is as quiet as new.lift the car without any tention on the suspention and grab the brake rotor and move it around and listen for the noise. also make sute its nothing in the tire well or a loose jack handle.

 

off topic you may want to check bellhousing bolts, when I first got my car 1 was missing and one was loose!

 

So much to check....I swear I will have to check every damn bolt on the whole car.

I took all the hatch interior out of the car including the bose system, jack, handle, spare...etc. to try am isolate the noise...so it isn't any of those things. It is definately outside the car.

 

There is NO play in the wheel when I grab the rotor and jerk twist...NONE.

Which is good...

But doesn't help me solve my problem

 

HERE'S ONE: Could be the fuel tank baffle broke loose and is moving around in the tank. (A known problem)

tom

 

Maybe it is your diff bushings? or maybe the ppf (power plant frame) is cracked. Believe me I have successfully broken every part on my car,even things that dont brake.

 

I welded the ppf back together and then welded in re-enforcement plates, because initially it was cracked...badly. Now it is very strong...

The diff bushings were destroyed when I got this car...the bushings in it now are of the solid nylon variety, I pressed them in about two weeks ago. Anything common in the rear suspension has been replaced...pillowballs, diff bushings, trailing arms, toe links, shocks, springs and pillow mounts (in Tein Flex form)

Nothing has gotten rid of the noise.

I may try a jam nut on the lower a arm side of the trailing link to see if that fixes it.

The noise is definately load related....the best way to duplicate it is to slowly roll forward and jab the brake pedal...everytime the car lurches it will make the noise. If you are cruising on the throttle you wont hear it...if you release throttle and coast (especially at slow speeds) it is a jiggle...very easy to hear. Another important note is that it comes from both sides independantly, which has led me away from the u-joint theory. If replacing the diff and axels was a sure fix I would do it in a second...how would I know for sure?

Any other input is welcome though, there is no suggestion that I wont take into account. Basically I am looking for thoughts/ideas that can just lead me in directions I haven't thought of. That is the point of collaberative thinking!

 

How could I check?

Pull the fuel pump and reach in there and try to move it around??

 

Have you checked the upper strut mounts? maybe something is loose there?

 

Brand new coilovers with solid mounts. When I was putting them on my friend watching me install them said, "holy $hit you put those top mount bolts on tight!"

I am sure the shocks are not rattling...

Anyone local?

Someone should come take a ride in the car and see if they could better...or differenly...describe the problem.

So far it isn't...

pillowballs (replaced them all)
bushings (checked all of them)
shocks, shock mounts, pillowmounts, springs (new Tein Flex coilovers)
toe links (new RP links, swapped in stockers...still the same noise)
diff mounts (new solid nylon bushings)
engine mounts (new poly mounts)

all sub frame bolts are tight..
drive shaft u-joints are ok..
hatch latch is tight, as well as its hinges
rear interior is pulled so it isn't something in there...

So I am left with...
Gas tank baffle (still have to figure out how to check this)
RP trailing arms (a little play in the lower a-arm side ... need to install a jam nut)
differential
axels

There is nothing else right?

Any more ideas...I am getting to the end of my rope here!

 

Coilovers with solid mounts...

Dampers sometimes make clicking sounds as their valves, etc. open and close with small motions and direction reversals. With solid mounts, this noise could easily transmit to the body and be very audible.

Does this seem to fit what you're hearing, or am I totally out to lunch here?

 

After all that work? i'd just use earplugs = )

 

no its more speed/load related rather then bumpy updown motion if i read correctly

 

Well it is difficult to describe... It is speed load related because if you are on the throttle and go over a bump you wont hear the noise (jiggling type of noise as if something is moving loosely up and down)

However if you go over the same bump, or bumpy stretch, while coasting you hear the noise(s).

If I am in my driveway and I pull into my garage...rolling...and stab the brake pedal (and quickly release), I get the noise each time I stab...going forward and back (not as loud going backward.)

Like I said difficult to describe...

 

I used the noise as an excuse to buy the coilovers...installing them had no change on the noise, but I didn't expect them to.

I just dont know what else to check...I wish I knew what it was because if I did I would fix it! I mean anything is fixable!!!

 

Sounds like its all done right. check the gas tank baffle by removing the fp like you said and if not just do like drift trix says and invest in earplugs. That just means the prob is that its an rx-7.




Dave

 

I think I may have the same mysterious sound that you have. I never hear it under throttle, but coasting, or braking I have a distinct rattle in the rear of the car. I have also replaced all the rear bushings, installed new tokico struts, and have new toe links and trailing arms. The sound is quite bad, and sounds like something is broken. Makes the car sound ghetto...it is a definite metal on metal sound though....not dampened at all. I actually thought it was the new toelinks, but have not put the old ones back on yet....didn't you say you already tried that. I am going to jack the car up this weekend and start hitting and pushing and prying on every reachable object I can find in the rear of the car to try to isolate it. I will certainly post if I have any luck. Please let me know if you have any luck too.

 

If I have any luck I will post a reply in this tread at the end of the thread...and I will also edit my original post to include the solution...so people don't have to go through the whole thread to find the answer.

Believe me, I may just pull the rear subframe with the diff and all the rear end parts and check every single nut and bolt one by one. My car is down until the GT35R kit comes in...so I have the time.

This car is frustrating...the twinturbo system was giving me trouble. I fixed it...gave me trouble again...fixed it and gave me trouble again...now I am going single! Rear suspension is the same way...

but this car will not beat me! It will eventually be a "fairly" reliable track car! If it takes me till the day we no longer run cars on gasoline...I will get there damn it!!

 

No, it will beat you. you will just have to keep fixing it. I have had mine since early '99. its always something, i went to a single, replaced every moving part on the car and even some that dont move. you cant win trust me but it is definately worth all the work when it is running good! enjoy it why its good because there is no car in the world that is as much fun as the third gen rx-7!

Dave

 

Heres some things to look forward to: The oil metering pump will go, the interior parts will crumble and always have to be replaced, the wiring harness will crumble like dried leaves, syncros will go, if you have leather seats you might as well buy new ones because they are gonna turn into a rotting carcus, and believe me when you fix the suspention youll hear something ealse. i think a lot of the noises are just what happens with a full race car suspention. If the suspention doesnt make noise the interior pieces will squeak and rattle. The car was , well i dont want to say over engineered but built cheaply to save on weight and to keep the cost down, but it keeps the reliability down too.

Dave

 

I like to think that as soon as the major problems are taken care of I can stay on top of the little things. I know everything goes in time...I just can't believe that after I dump $15,000 into a car to remedy the known defects...that another $15,000 will be needed. At that rate it makes a racecar look cheap to maintain!

I am in the process of sound dampening the interior of the car. The WHOLE interior...I realize this is a sports car with a lot of noise, but the extra 50 pounds will be well worth it! Besides, far more than 50 pounds were taken out of the car with the stock exhaust, cat section, precat and twin turbos were replaced with the full exhaust and single setup.

it will be b-quiet Ultimate through the whole car...and Vcomp on top of that in the trunk area and floorboards. I will photo document and if I get time, throw a thread together.

www.b-quiet.com for more details.

Yes I contradict myself a little...solid bushings and mounts, a ported engine, and then sound dampening material...It is a fun project. Maybe the dampening will take enough of this annoying sound away for me to not care...but i doubt it...

I am pulling the whole rear subframe, inspecting (refreshing) the differential, axels and wheel bearings. It will get new rotors and brake pads. And like I said, I went with those delrin bushings in the current group buy, so all those will be replaced too.

I dont care what you say This car wont beat me!