Right rear suspension noise-- any diagnosis before it gets taken in?

stevejust said:

Clank clank clank.

Anyone ever dealt with this before? Sounds a little like the wheel bearing issue my friend's CTS-V got recalled for. But I think it's something broken and flapping around back there. Only happens when turning right, comes from the left rear wheel area. I just read the post about the tie rods...

Noise for TMC diaganosis - YouTube

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My toe link did not sound like that. The easiest way to know if it's a tie rod or toe link is on the highway you will not have normal control of the car. It will dart slightly to one side or the other when going straight.

The first thing I would check is your lug bolts.

a CV joint ?

stevejust said:

Good news, just a lose tie rod. No big deal and all fixed for <$150 at Tesla.

How do you guys jack your Roadsters? I had a bottle jack and a 2 1/4 ton floor jack. Both were too tall for the Roadster.

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2.5 Ton Aluminum Racing Floor Jack with RapidPump®

stevejust said:

Good news, just a lose tie rod. No big deal and all fixed for <$150 at Tesla.

How do you guys jack your Roadsters? I had a bottle jack and a 2 1/4 ton floor jack. Both were too tall for the Roadster.

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"Loose" as in worn out or "Loose" as in the tie rod lock nut worked itself loose and then the tie rod?

Either way that's a dangerous situation where you'll lose control of the car when that part goes. Glad its fixed.

stevejust said:

Good news, just a loose tie rod. No big deal and all fixed for <$150 at Tesla.

How do you guys jack your Roadsters? I had a bottle jack and a 2 1/4 ton floor jack. Both were too tall for the Roadster.

Click to expand...

Glad you clarified it was just a loose nut because the parts alone for just one side are more than $150. Loose nuts were also a common problem on the Elise suspension because many of them are galvanized. The galvanizing would compress after the nut was originally torqued to spec, causing it to come loose.

I have a racing jack very similar to the one thefortunes linked to. You need to know that the rubber pad is not thick enough on these racing jacks. You need to get a thicker pad or a second pad to put on top of the one that's already there. Otherwise you risk putting very small dents in the aluminum on the underside of your car.

hcsharp said:

You need to get a thicker pad or a second pad to put on top of the one that's already there. Otherwise you risk putting very small dents in the aluminum on the underside of your car.

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Hockey pucks work well and are readily available.

I also have a similar jack. Do NOT trust it to hold up the car if you're under it. Use a jack stand - which is easier said than done since there aren't redundant locations for jacking.

I use a GoodYear jack (Goodyear Jack from Conrad.com). It does not come with a pad, but I use a piece of wood and a small piece of cloth on top of that to protect the bottom of the car. Quite a cheap solution that works very well.