02 P5 Rear Rattle/Thunking

[huskyjackal]

I read about a dozen pages back on "rear rattling" search but didn't find any posts that matched my description. If there is one though link me to it..

2002 Mazda P5, 2L 5-speed
No CEL
What: thunking/rattling noise coming from rear of car, faster/louder at higher speeds, inconsistent at low speeds or sharp turns. Constant squeaking (or near constant) near front end (?), I can hear it echo off tunnel walls when I go through or pass cars closely. If I hit a big pothole on the highway sometimes I hear a loud sharp squeak noise like air rushing from a tiny hole, but the tire pressure is the same on all tires.
Today I drove on the highway and the thunking was loud enough to start interfering with hearing the radio and is causing the rear of the car to rattle (windows, cargo hatch, doors I guess?) much more loudly than yesterday. I can't tell for certain but it almost feels like I've lost some power at high speeds/upper gears (4th/5th).

This started a week or so ago, the car just came out of the shop for front end cosmetic damage a couple weeks back. At first it was a dull thunking rattle in the back, what I THOUGHT was driver's side rear since that's all I can hear, but no apparent decrease in speed or power.

I need to make an approximate 100 mile round trip to work almost every day on the weekdays and have no other car. I'm currently broke, can't afford even a tow to a shop, so I need to know if this issue sounds like an emergency (as in stop driving the car NOW) or can I continue driving it to work until I save enough $ to take it in? What should I look for to see the cause of this sound? My exhaust feels secure (I tried to shake/kick my muffler and pipes, felt firm) and I saw no visible marks where something would be hitting/thwacking under my car, but I'm not even sure what to look for.

I just want an idea of what this could be or what I should ask for when calling my mechanic.. because the sound and vibrating changed distinctly today I feel like I shouldn't drive it (esp. 100 miles a day) but I have no other car and no choice unless my rear axle takes a nosedive or something. Again.. no CEL, no smoking or front end noise, just rattling/thunking from the rear that is getting increasingly stronger/louder. What do I ask my mechanic and has anyone experienced anything similar?

 

[SocialStealth]

Is the inside of your trunk caulked?
Mine is, there are 2 reasons for this: Leaks/rattling.

Maybe the sheet metal in the rear is rattling. If its not sealed (I believe it comes from the factory caulked), then you might consider doing it.

Have someone sit in the trunk while you drive and listen.

 

[ucMP3]

Have someone sit in the trunk while you drive and listen.

(hahaspit)(rlaugh)

 

[ucMP3]

Go get your rear end looked at by a shop. If its loud anough to interfere with your radio, its probably not safe. May be your bearings/hubs which is very dangerous. If one should come loose you would lose your entire wheel. Being broke sucks, but ur safety is important.

Also check to see if a caliper may have seized. Or something else with your brakes.

 

[huskyjackal]

Thanks. I'll call my mechanic today then and just wait until I have $ to get it repaired.. hopefully my roommate won't mind if I bum rides from him until then. Like I said, I'm mostly concerned because the noise changed in a distinct way just today on the highway and I'm afraid to drive it. I hope it isn't something really bad.

 

[ucMP3]

Ya I feel ya, seems like everytime I get my credit cards down to a reasonable amount, something on my car needs repaired and boom, another $1k of credit card debt. lol

Maybe you can get a shop to check it out for free? I know Mazda doesn't charge for inspections if they will be doing the work... Maybe just have them check it out and then tell them you will bring it back in to get it fixed, and just don't? lol idk m8

 

[huskyjackal]

Ya I feel ya, seems like everytime I get my credit cards down to a reasonable amount, something on my car needs repaired and boom, another $1k of credit card debt. lol

This is the story of soo many lives..

I drove it to the store down the street (not over 30mph) and the "squeaking" is more of a constant chirp and I [dangerously, don't do this[] tried to take a looksie at the rear tire that I suspect this noise comes from.. in the few seconds I got to look I am fairly certain my rear tire is wobbling a little as I drive. This seems really dangerous and tomorrow I am going to have my roommate watch me drive up and down the street to see if the tire is indeed moving/wiggling as I drive. The driver rear tire is missing a nut (bolt? screw?) because it was stripped when a shop replaced my tires and was never replaced. Maybe this is an issue? I have on several occassions in the last week or so looked at my driver rear tire and thought "this is sitting crookedly" but I could not confirm it since it could be the angle I'm parked at/inclines/slopes/etc. But since I distinctly saw my tire's outline jiggling side to side very slightly going 30mph I'm certain I cannot drive it until I find the source.

Is this just loose lugnuts or what else should I/my friends look for? Again..I'm mechanically stupid but I can check the manual and look for photos to help me identify what parts should/shouldn't look like. Last thing I need is for my rear tire to pop off on the highway.

 

[SocialStealth]

STOP driving it. (notcool)

It looks to me like your wheel bearing has gone bad. Typically what happens after it starts wobbling a lot is your entire wheel falls off.

A way to check this is to raise the car on a jack, and try to move the tire(s) in question. If there is 'play' at all, then your bearing(s) is bad.

There is a how-to that was recently posted on how to change your wheel bearings. And there was a thread recently on how to tell if your wheel bearings are bad.

 

[SocialStealth]

Very good write up on replacing wheel bearing:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123746165

The other post I mentioned:

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123745101

 

[huskyjackal]

Thank you soo much for the suggestions. I don't have the tools to replace wheel bearings myself but my mechanic is a great guy and I'm sure if I buy the parts (as I did before with my headlight) he will assist me. I hope it is just a bearing, the rattling/noise DOES go away on turns at high speeds. Those posts were really helpful.

 

[huskyjackal]

Ok, I checked eBay and some online auto part places and couldn't find a rear wheel bearing.. so I went to Autozone (only place my friend would drive to ) and they did a system search and said "nope, your P5 doesn't have rear wheel bearings" -- so what the heck do I look for now? Caliper lockup? Is that a super expensive issue to fix? What is that exactly? Have not gotten in touch with my mechanic yet, his voicemail isn't set up so I just have to get lucky with my call times. :/

 

[SocialStealth]

Ok, I checked eBay and some online auto part places and couldn't find a rear wheel bearing.. so I went to Autozone (only place my friend would drive to ) and they did a system search and said "nope, your P5 doesn't have rear wheel bearings" -- so what the heck do I look for now? Caliper lockup? Is that a super expensive issue to fix? What is that exactly? Have not gotten in touch with my mechanic yet, his voicemail isn't set up so I just have to get lucky with my call times. :/

Buy this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2002...558-MILES_W0QQitemZ260428509111QQcmdZViewItem

Take yours off of your car.
Then go to autozone, throw it in that guys face, and tell them (fuoops)

Edit: I found that in literally 5 seconds via a google search. Tell them that.

 

[flash75]

Get the lugnut problem fixed first, it should have been fixed when it was stripped. Loose lug nuts can cause a wobble and make a noise. If you don't know how to check it or identify the problem, take it to your mechanic and have him tell you which parts to buy.

With your description it's difficult or impossible to determine what is causing the problem.

Clifton

 

[Deeks]

I was having a loud thunking noise from the back of my car a while back, turns out my driver side rear sway bar link was completely destroyed, my mechanic replaced it, and i've been thunk free ever since.

 

[BoostedPR5]

I was having a loud thunking noise from the back of my car a while back, turns out my driver side rear sway bar link was completely destroyed, my mechanic replaced it, and i've been thunk free ever since.

I was going to say sway bar links or frame bushings from the noise but if the wheel is wobbling that's a really bad problem and wouldn't be sway bar related. I'd jack it up and spin the tire, or grab it and try to move it around see if it has play like somebody else said. If it has play and the lugs are tight, probably wheel bearing.

 

[huskyjackal]

Thanks, especially for the eBay link! Each search I found was for "MP5 front wheel bearing", I guess I fail at Google. Plan to call my mechanic as soon as I go out and jack the car up, will have my roommate help me identify any issues I might overlook since he's more car savvy than I.

The reason the lug nut was not fixed was I had broken down with a blown tire and a second tire about to blow 200+ miles from home with $70 in my bank account. I was lucky that a random woman actually paid the difference off the two tires I had to buy to get home (I had no phone, no family to call, nothing--stranded) and the mechanic said when he removed my wheel the lug nut(? bolt?) was stripped. I couldn't afford for it to be repaired (nor had time, they were closing soon and I had nowhere to stay) and I'll admit I completely forgot about it after that. Now I'm broke again but hopefully this next paycheck will help fix all this.

Again thanks, sorry I can't explain it better, it's just a loud "thunkathunkathunka" that comes from the rear end along with a constant chirping--the faster I go, the louder and stronger/faster the noise is. I don't hear it while turning at speed. When I looked back the rear wheel looked like it was wobbling a little. (dunno)

 

[flash75]

My intention was not to embarrass you. I was merely trying to point out that a stripped stud can cause a problem. I should have worded my comments differently and I apologize for not being careful on my wording. In any case I hope you find the problem to not be too expensive. Good luck.

Clifton

 

[huskyjackal]

My intention was not to embarrass you. I was merely trying to point out that a stripped stud can cause a problem. I should have worded my comments differently and I apologize for not being careful on my wording. In any case I hope you find the problem to not be too expensive. Good luck.

Clifton

Oh, no, you're fine! It is my fault for dismissing the missing nut (it also did not help that the mechanics who fixed my tires went "yeah, sure, you'll be FINE without that, you don't need it"). Does a stripped stud mean I need to replace the entire wheel, rim and all? I do appreciate the alert for it, I dismissed it for too long.

 

[flash75]

You could have either a stripped lug nut or a stripped stud or both. Replacing a nut is easy but if the stud is stripped they can be knocked/pressed out of the hub assembly and replaced. The mechanic was about half right, one stripped stud would be OK for getting you where you need to go and perhaps for temporary use. With it stripped there is too much space between the adjacent studs.

Clifton

 

[huskyjackal]

Again thank you. I will definitely have to see a mechanic, as my friends have not helped me lift the car yet (lazy!) and I don't want to do it alone because I don't trust the jacks we have and feel it safer/better for a second opinion. I will bring these points up to my mechanic too, hopefully it is a simple fix, I wasn't aware of how dangerous it could be to continuously drive with that bolt missing (of course I knew it was bad but thought it would be OK, then forgot about it...). I don't have any other updates though.. the car is sitting at the top of the driveway and I've worked all week so far with no sign of really giving me time before dark to work on it so I will update this thread when I get more information. Again thanks to everyone for the help, this place is amazingly great, I don't know what I would do without it.

Does anyone have recommendations for good NON rip-off mechanics who might specialize on Mazdas (other than dealership) in the Birmingham, AL area? My mechanic is great but since he moonlights I have trouble contacting him. I don't like promoting stereotypes but almost every time I enter a shop I seem to get that "oh, she's a girl, she won't know jack" vibe and have usually been right because I come to find I've been ripped off or lied to...only find that out later though because I am not informed enough to see it in the first place! (ok, except the time I was told my new alternator was FINE and driving my automatic transmission hearse with both feet on both pedals was 'how you drive' after replacing my alternator and having the car die while idling.. mashing the brake AND gas to keep the revs high enough at a stop light is NOT HOW TO DRIVE MY AUTO)