Hey Scotty,
My Malibu 1.5 Turbo is making a loud clunking sound on the rear driver side when I'm going down the road. I tried swapping out the shocks on both sides and the sound is still there. I checked the sway bar/links, and sway bar bushings and everything looks good there.
The sound seems to go away when I'm going faster than 35-40 mph, but city driving you can hear it over the radio and at a distance. It also seems to go away when it's cold outside.
It sounds like the passenger side is starting to make the same noise, but not as loud or noticeable. Not sure what's going on or what's causing it. What are your thoughts?
2018 Chevrolet Malibu LS
Engine is 1.5L Turbo
Automatic Transmission
a little over 88,000 miles
I live in the Midwest, so snow, rain, humidity, I drive in.
is a total knuckle swap the only option?
Can you please post a photo of the worn out part?
You probably just need a control arm/trailing arm/lateral arm, which all come with new bushings. They're relatively inexpensive.
Check rockauto.com
I thought the title had all the info.
No worries, just noticed your Malibu's mileage wasn't included. Suspension issues frequently are related to worn parts. This info might help us, help you! Thanks!
1.5L 4 Cylinder Turbo
~88,000 miles
6-speed Automatic Transmission
Hey Scotty,
My 2018 Chevy Malibu's suspension is popping in the back, driver's side. It stops when I increase to speeds over 40 mph and stops when the temperature is below about 65 degrees. My brother and I installed new rear shocks, assuming the sound was coming from them, and also installed new rear brake calipers and pads, just in case. Turns out the popping sound is still there.
I did some digging. We removed the rear wheel on the driver's side to see if we could pinpoint the sound. Turns out it wasn't the shock absorber, but coming from a bushing directly behind the shock, connected to the control arm. I've been searching high and low to see if there's a way to fix this that doesn't involve removing and replacing the whole knuckle that the bushing is attached to since I'm in a money pinch.
Am I missing something, or is a total knuckle swap the only option?
Per forum rules, please do not post multiple topics about the same problem. This is to keep all information about a problem in the same thread instead of spread out over the board. Thank you. (Topics merged.)
I've been searching high and low to see if there's a way to fix this that doesn't involve removing and replacing the whole knuckle that the bushing is attached to since I'm in a money pinch.
Have you checked parts diagrams either at a dealer or an online OEM parts source to see if that bushing is available as a separate part?
doubtful. They all look like press-ins
It wasn't really clear to me what kind of bushing he was talking about. Obviously it's best to replace the whole control arm if that's where the problem is. (It might be technically possible to replace just the bushing but it would be a bear of a job.)