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1991 corolla popping sound

i have a 1991 corolla with about 140,000 miles on it.

a few months ago a noise started happening and i figured it was just a plastic piece or something loose underneath the car, but now it's getting worse.

the sound i hear is like a popping noise, or maybe like a piece of hard plastic or rubber grinding/popping against the floorpan of my car. sometimes it's just a tap or two when im driving, sometimes (like when i put on the brakes) it's one tap or maybe two, and then (when i take my foot off the brakes) more of a rapid rubbing tap-tap-tap - tap. but it doesnt only happen when i use the brakes, it happens during normal driving. it sounds like it could be something actually hitting against the underside of my car while driving because i can feel the tap through the floor of the car in the area right beneath the brake pedal.

it does NOT only happen when i turn, and it is noticable at all speeds but seems random (doesnt increase with speed). at first i thought it was related to the strut on the front driver's side (just had the back two replaced - the noise was happening before and after this, and the back ones were only replaced because one rusted totally out).

i want to take it somewhere and have it checked but i just moved to a new town and dont want to have some mechanic take advantage of the situation and try to replace every thing on the car. i wouldnt know what to even wiggle or feel for underneath the car and it's kind of hard to get under there (limited space to work with).

i dont know if it could be the sway bar or some sort of other linkage totally lose and flopping around and hitting the floorpan, or if something else could be very loose like that, or what i should look for. if anyone has a picture of the underside of a 91 corolla that would be really helpful, as would any advice on what to try.

thanks.

Reply to
billsif
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I'd be guessing the struts, or even more likely, the strut mounts at the top of the struts, visible in the engine compartment. How rusty are they?

Reply to
Hachiroku

I just went outside and pushed down on the passenger side fender a few times.

Nothing, then a hissing sound when the car came back up, nothing, then the same hissing sound nothing, then a quiet pop from the driver's side.

Then I went over to the driver's side and pushed down. If I push down and just let go, there is a hissing sound with a quiet pop. If I push down and let go gradually, on the way back up: POP POP POP POP

I guess it's definitely the strut or strut mount. How can I tell the difference? The part that's visible doesn't really look too rusty, but all four wheel wells are very rusty. The bumper is so rusty that one of the mounts rusted through and it's hanging on one side.

I'd just like to know if I can get the mount replaced or if I have to replace the whole strut. On the rear struts which were recently replaced, the bottom "cup" that holds the spring rusted out and the strut ended up resting on the top of the rear tire! And wore away a lot of the rubber driving it to get fixed.

Thanks for the tip... now to pin it down to the strut or the mount. And figure out how much it's going to cost to get fixed :(

Is it absolutely necessary or could I keep driving it like this?

Thanks

Hachiroku wrote:

Reply to
billsif

The labor is the same to replace the strut and strut mount so it is kind of a moot point. If you reach through the wheel well above the tire and try to wiggle the strut and can see it move on top of the wheel well in the engine compartment, the mount is probably bad. If there is any fluid leakage on the exterior of the strut, they probably need replacement as well.

If you have the struts replaced at a Toyota dealer in the U.s., you will have lifetime warranty on partss and labor at any Toyota dealer in the U.S.

I would at least get it checked out before making a decision to keep driving.

Reply to
Ray O

Do you know what part of the strut would be making this noise as I let go of the fender and pressure is released? I guess if it's the mount it's the strut rubbing against part of the mount, but if it's the strut would it just be some internal part making noise?

I'm just c> >I just went outside and pushed down on the passenger side fender a few > > times.

Reply to
billsif

Without hearing the noise and looking at the car, nobody can tell you what part of the strut is making the noise.

Struts themselves rarely make a rattling noise, so the likely places are where the strut is attached at the top or bottom of the strut.

Also possible sources of suspension -related noise are ball joints, rack ends, bearings, and brake calipers/pads/backing plates.

You should be concerned that the noise may be dangerous because something can break that will cause loss of control of the vehicle.

If you are not familiar with the workings of the suspension, steering system, and brakes, I would get the car checked out by a competent pro very soon.

Reply to
Ray O

Ooooh! Ooooh! Ooooh!!!!!!

I just remembered something!!!!!

You might have to tkae the wheel off to see this. I'd be careful if I were you...

I had a similar thing on an older Celica I bought a few years ago. A 'creaking' noise started coming from the driver's side of the car. Months later, I noticed a small of burning rubber, but since I had just had a newer engine put in, I didn't think much of it. I checked the suspension and the belts, hoses, etc. No problem found. Figured it was just chemicals burning off, and perhaps a ball joint on the way out was causing the creaking noise.

One Saturday afternoon, I was going to leave work and go to the Salvation Army store to see if they had any 'goodies' hanging around. I got to the point where I would either get on the Interstate or turn to go to the store. I didn't get out of work as early as I wanted to, so I kind of just wanted to go home...

I decided to go to the store.

They didn't have a darn thing worth looking at!

As I left to take the back roads home, I heard a real LOUD creaking and a pop. Then, the burning rubber smell got REAL bad! I pulled over and looked, and saw nothing...

I took off again, and turned down a country road that 14 miles later would get me home. I got about 3 miles and the SMOKE coming from the driver's wheel well was horrendous!!! I pulled over...two jacks, no jack handle and no lug wrench (Ray O...remember...tell your Scouts, Be Prepared!!!)

A friend I called came in about 20 minutes, we jacked up the car, took off the wheel and couldn't see a darn thing!! Everything looked good. In the process of replacing the tire and wheel, I felt some roughness on the inside sidewall on the trie. It was all chewed up!

It was at this point we noticed that when we put the tire back on, it was rubbing the flange that held the spring in place!!!!

It was rusting, and it was slowly getting lower, and lower and lower. The rubber smell I had smelled for the past two months was the tire touching the flange when going over bumps (even mild ones...).

My friend had a house about 3 miles away, so we slowly drove the car there...

When I went to turn the car around to follow him there was a and then you could feel the rubbing through the steering wheel. We made it and parked the car.

Can you imagine what might have happened if I had taken the highway at

70MPH?!?!?!?!

I would check all the flanges that hold the springs. Be careful removing the tires, because if one is letting go it could 'snap' at you...

Good luck!

Reply to
Hachiroku

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