Rumbling From The Rear Of The Car ... What Is It?

[bdonkersgoed]

For about 5 months now, my 1992 ES300 has some kind of weird low-pitched rumbling sound coming from the rear of the car. It is really hard to describe what it sounds like. It rumbles every time I go over a bit of a bump in the road (and the bump doesn't have to be big).

Has anyone else ever experienced this before? Does anyone know what it might be? The sound really annoys me :)

Regards,

Bryan

[SKperformance]

never heard of a rumbling

it could be anything

can you provide more details?

[bdonkersgoed]

The sound is really hard to describe . . . it started about 5 months ago. At that time, it only did it once in a while. Now, it rumbles over every bump. I thought my suspension was pooched becuase, if I push down on the trunk of my car, it squeaks pretty loud . . . is this a related problem, or do you know what the squeaking comes from?

Anyways, the rumble kind of sounds like a tennis ball bouncing inside a small wooden box if you shake the box, if you can imagine what that would sound like. Or, it kind of sounds like a soft, low, rumbling thunder. The rumble doesn't last long . . . it just rumbles when going over a bump (which dosen't have to be big). As soon as the car is over the bump, the rumble is gone. Going back to the tennis ball analogy, the rumble is like the tennis ball bouncing against the side of the box 3 or four times.

I probably make no sense, but that is the best way that I can describe it

Got any ideas?

Thanks!

Bryan

[93LSOwner]

There are few post about a sound called "clunking"!......?

[SKperformance]

You need to get it checked it couldbe dead shocks but unless it is physically looked at who knows?

[Lex3486]

My 92 did the same thing, and the suspension squeaked like crazy too BTW. Anyway, I never found out what that rumbling was; I just assumed that it was worn out struts and shot bushings. Come to think of it, I was thumbing through that webpage (can't remember the name) that has a list of factory recalls and something to that effect was on there. ANYway, simple suggestion, although it didn't work for me, it might be the source of your problem-check that the spare tire is tightened down thoroughly..ya never know. ;)

[bdonkersgoed]

My 92 did the same thing, and the suspension squeaked like crazy too BTW. Anyway, I never found out what that rumbling was; I just assumed that it was worn out struts and shot bushings. Come to think of it, I was thumbing through that webpage (can't remember the name) that has a list of factory recalls and something to that effect was on there. ANYway, simple suggestion, although it didn't work for me, it might be the source of your problem-check that the spare tire is tightened down thoroughly..ya never know. ;)

Hey . . . the spare tire is a good idea :) I never thought of that. The certainly sounds as if the spare is bouncing around a little in the trunk . . . I will give it a try tonight.

My car is finally done at the shop (it took over a week!) and I get to pick it up today. I asked the mechanic to check out the rumbling sound, but he phones back and said he couldn't hear any rumble like I described . . . I would be really surprised if it just happened to disappear. I am never so lucky :)

Regards,

Bryan

[Lex3486]

I'd say that you're probably due in for a suspension tuneup. I planned on doin my 92 in the summer of last year, but I totalled it before then. My 93 may need it soon; startin to get that infamous bushing squeak... <_<

[bdonkersgoed]

The mechanic said that he didn't hear any rumbling sound when he drove the car, but it is deifinitely still there! I'll try checking the spare tire this evening, and then checking the bolt under the rear seat as mentioned in other posts. If I can't find anything, then I guess I'll have to take it back to the mechanic . . .

By the way, the squeaking and the rumbling are two separate problems, correct? Someone said that the squeaking is caused by bushings or something . . . but I don't even know what a bushing is :( I need to pick up an auto mechanics book and start figuring things out . . . Anyways, how much do jobs like bushings and suspension tuneups costs?

Thanks!

Bryan

[Lex3486]

I believe I was the one who used the term "tuneup". To my knowledge, there is no "tuneup" when it comes to suspension; what I was trying to say was that there's a good chance that you probably ought to consider replacing the struts in your car, and along with that the bushings too (bushings are rubber "pads", if you will, that the struts and other components either rest on where they mount to the body, or are located in between connections of suspension parts. Their purpose is to not only reduce noise, but to also absorb the shock of the moving suspension parts. When they get old, they can deteriorate and sometimes disappear, but more often just make alot of noise) Toyota sedans are known for developing squeaky bushings over time. I don't know that it's neccesarily anything that calls for immediate attention; it's just plain annoying! That is, unless the suspension is so shot that it cripples the cars' handling; for example, my 92 had such bad suspension that when I'd go over bumps at interstate speed, I'd have to brace my hands on the steering wheel b/c it felt almost as if the rear wheels would come completely off the ground and then rebound up and down several times, thus making the rear end of the car go CRAZY. Yeah...it was pretty far gone, but I didn't have the money to fix it at the time. <_<

[bdonkersgoed]

Hey Lex,

Yeah, I know what you mean by the terrible suspension. I had that happen to me in the winter time. I had washed my car and I think water somehow got into my suspension and froze. Driving the car at the time felt like I was driving on my rims . . . absolutely not shock absolbance whatsoever! I got my mechanic friend to look at it, and he chipped off some ice in my suspension and then it was fine again.

Anyways, the rumbling is probably my suspension. Do you know roughly how much it costs to replace the shocks and bushings in the ES300?

Thanks!

Bryan

[bdonkersgoed]

Well, yesterday after work I ripped EVERYTHING out of my trunk . . . subwoofer, carpet, spare tire, jack, tools, etc, but the rumbling persisted. So I pulled out my entire rear seats and in an attempt to find the bolt for the top strut mount (as described in another post as benig a remedy to the situation), but after pulling out the seat, I couldn't find the bolt! I just left the seat out of my car in hopes that someone can explain to me where the bolt for the top strut mount is located . . .

Someone please help!

Bryan

[Lex3486]

Look "under" the seatbelts. There should be a thick black pad. Remove this pad and the bolts are under there. Good luck! And don't break any connectors back there on your trim panels or you'll have more annoying things to worry about! :whistles:

[bdonkersgoed]

Look "under" the seatbelts. There should be a thick black pad. Remove this pad and the bolts are under there. Good luck! And don't break any connectors back there on your trim panels or you'll have more annoying things to worry about! :whistles:

Sorry, but I just need to make sure I know what I am doing before I go home . . . I take the train to work so I can't just go outside and look at my car :(

By a "thick black pad", do you mean the 2 inch thick insulation padding that sits on the rear deck just above the passenger seatbelts (that just pulls out as it isn't attached to anything)? I did pull those out, but I didn't see any bolts . . . maybe I didn't look hard enough . . .

If that is not what you mean, could you please explain with a little more detail? I need to put my rear seat back in the car today, so I just want to make sure that I know what I am doing before I go home.

And by the way Lex, are you still interested in the amplifier?

Thanks!

Bryan

[Lex3486]

Hope you haven't gone home yet! Yes, that is what I mean. If you look back in there, you'll see a roundish black "hump" and inside that hump is a large nut; I believe this is attached to the actual strut. There may also be a few smaller nuts surrounding the black thing, but I can't remember. This "hump" is where the strut is mounted to the body though, and if it's not loose, then I doubt this is your problem. It could be that the bushing between that nut and the metalwork is worn out but in that case, you'd get a harsh "knock" every time the car hit a bump.

[bdonkersgoed]

Thanks Lex!

Yeah, the bolt were underneith those black plastic caps. I never pulled them off before so I didn't see the bolts.

Anyways, my bolts didn't allow for tightening. I guess the problem must be in my struts or bushings . . .

Thanks for the help!

Bryan

[bdonkersgoed]

Does anyone have any idea of how much it would cost to have the struts and bushings all replaced in the rear? Is this a major operation?

Thanks,

Bryan