Funny noise

[vargod]

There is a low sound thuding coming from the driver side rear of me 96 CE. Its only when I hit a bump and only if I'm doing under 20 mph. I had it at the shop yesterday. Everything looks tight and clean. The shock appears have leaked a little bit over time. I replaced the shock mounts thinking that was the problem, but it was not. Could it be the shock? I does not ride like it is a shock issue. Any ideas????????????????????????//

 

[racersedge52]

It sounds like...

Since you mentioned you didn't see anything apparently loose in the area, then it probably either is the shock or the spring. And you want to hope it's as simple as the shock, because the spring is a major operation and much more expensive to fix/replace. Also, the fact that you mention the shock does have some leakage, that would explain the sound you are hearing. Even though the shock seems healthy, a punctured or otherwise broken shocken can produce anything from a thump/thud type of sound to a hard and loud smack. You don't want to get to the smack level because then you are putting a lot on the structrue, mounts and body of the car and can do alot more damage. Most I've seen from this time (92-96), the shock should really be changed out after 50000 miles. And thats under reasonable and normal driving. If it has been driven hard at all, then the life span is less. In a nutshell, since the Vette is a high performance and handling suspension anyway, it is stiff and noisy to start out with. And it only increases with miles and usage. Also, if you should sustain damage or leakage, then you definitely need to attend to the problem in good time.

Drive it softer and really avoid bottoming until you get it fixed.

 

[vargod]

Thanks. I am going to order the shocks tonight