Please Help! Rear suspension noise!

Please help me identify this noise!

I have been pulling my (nonexistent) hair out trying to locate this rear suspension noise. It only happens when going over a bump - specifically when the tires hit the ground while unloading. It’s not reproducible by shaking the vehicle.

I will attach videos from multiple angles; some slow-mo, some not. I’ve heard the noise from the driver side rear and *potentially* the passenger side rear. I thought it was a “squeak” at first, but after recording these videos it’s definitely a metal-on-metal “clank”.

I have:
- removed my jack from the trunk
- unbolted the emergency brake bracket
- removed my spare tire
- reproduced the noise with the trunk open
- unbolted the sway bar on both sides (so not the tie rods)
- replaced the shocks
- re-torqued the LCA and panhard bar bolts

But I can’t locate the source of the noise! I’m at my wits end, my local mechanic was also at a loss. For some reason I’m fixated on the shocks. The upper mount seems suspect (see photos), maybe the metal washer is slipping and rubbing against the mount - you can see the two holes have different diameters. Or maybe the lower shock bolt is bottoming out because of the strange “punch” at the end of the bolt..so it’s not compressing my bushings correctly?

I think my next test will be to remove the shock altogether and drive over a bump to see if I still hear the noise. Hoping to get some insights from this community to see if anyone has faced this before. I just bought the vehicle used in January with 35,000 miles on it. 2022 ORP. Only noticed the sound a month back when it was warm enough to roll the windows down.

Help a brotha out!!


YouTube videos:
Rear view:
https://youtu.be/QhNFBMP_awU?si=75ln0cet88fJIJ1U
https://youtu.be/QhNFBMP_awU?si=75ln0cet88fJIJ1U

Shock top view:
https://youtu.be/4QM1DJ8yLFY?si=wmuNL147vP6YqGLx

LCA view:
https://youtu.be/8cQab5P--Nk?si=Bzu2Gixw3ZxDO_Ds

Side view:
https://youtu.be/pVxSv1vIlhQ?si=p5uPdCdHBxt1lijf
https://youtube.com/shorts/9FCb4-CuZvk?si=-I4KeUKK0Jtv7-36

 

Sounds like a bad shock.
Sounds like a trophy truck shock hitting the cross-over which is a metal collar hitting a metal ring.
The way the shock squishes the rubber dampener i would suspect that shock has a problem and the valving inside the shock is bad or broken. Pull that drivers side rear shock off, thats where it would appear the sound is coming from.

 

That’s what I suspected as well so I replaced factory shocks with Bilstein 5100s all around and I still hear it. The Bilstein came with a thicker washer/collar too so I was hoping that would help. But unfortunately I still hear it, not sure if those two mis-aligned holes in the mount have anything to do with it? But yeah I’m thinking my next test will be removing the shock altogether and seeing if I still hear it…I hope not thought, I wouldn’t know how to resolve it if the upper mount is malformed.

 

If I go frame by frame, at around the .02 second mark of the first video, it appears the left rear tire/ hub is moving in and out. Could just be an anomoly in the video.

 

Have you inspected diff gear lube? Is lube new?
Maybe time to open diff and inspect everything?

 

In your Lower control arm video, sounds like Brake pads Or brake shoes for the E brake rattling?

 

I had a rattle in the back that took me forever to identify. Disassembled a lot of things and added padding/gasket material to other things. Mine turned out to be the hatch rattling on the latch. I'm not saying that this is the problem you're having, but don't get fixated on one area - it might end up something completely unrelated.

 

Amen about getting fixated. I once heard a noise on my 2011 Pilot coming from the rear. Spent hours/days trying to figure it out. Turns out it was FRONT brake pads. I was so pissed yet so relieved at the same time.

 

Find a kid with good hearing. They could probably pinpoint it. I had a rattle in my FJ that I thought was behind the dash. My daughter, who was about 12 at the time, put her hand on the sunglass holder, and the rattle stopped.