Rattle in rear suspension - calipers?

[Ward83]

I have a rattle in my rear suspension that is driving me nuts. I had the car on the lift yesterday and couldn't find anything loose. All four struts are new, as well as the sway bar bushings and endlinks. The rattle was there before the suspension work, and sounds exactly the same afterwards. I did notice that my rear calipers seem loose, and I think that may be the source of the noise. With the car off the ground, I was able to shake the caliper inside the cage a little. Has anyone else had this problem? Are there bushings I can replace, or do I need to replace the whole caliper?

 

[Maroon]

It is hard to know what "a little" movement is. These calipers are pretty tight, but with no pressure you can move all calipers.

It could be your problem so it's worth looking into. Yes, there are bushings you can replace. Or maybe one of the guide pin or bracket bolts came loose.

 

[MrGiggles]

If you ride the brakes, does the rattle go away? It should if it were the caliper rattling.

 

[Ward83]

No, the rattle seems to still be there when I'm riding the brakes. It's driving me absolutely crazy, and I still haven't found the source of it. I've had the car on the lift twice and everything is tight, at least with the suspension at full droop. I'm tempted to take the rear bumper off and see if maybe something inside it is rattling.

 

[MrGiggles]

Check the spare tire and jack area too.

 

[Ward83]

I replaced the rear endlinks, calipers, and brake pads last night, and I still have a rattle. I think there is actually more than one rattle, because the rear passenger side appears to be rattle-free now. However, I still have a rattle from the rear drivers side. I'm going to pull the rear struts and double-check that everything is installed correctly. At this point, if it's not the struts, it has to be something on the body or chassis. I did check the spare and jack, and even tried removing them - no difference.

 

[Ward83]

Solved!

UPDATE - SOLVED!

I finally fixed the last rattle over the weekend. Here's what I did:

1. I replaced both rear calipers. The rear passenger side caliper was seized, causing it to be loose on the disc and rattle. That took care of the rear passenger side rattle that the car has had since I bought it.

2. I put the car back on the lift, and double-checked every single rear suspension bolt and nut. I found that the rear left trailing arm to chassis bolt was just a little loose - maybe 1/2 turn. I tightened it down, and the rear left rattle is gone. The car is now completely clunk and rattle free!

Now all I need to do is get it aligned, and it will drive like new.