Scraping sound when not scraping

Tigger · 11-16-2013, 05:38 PM

most car issues I've ever encountered are the new ones nobody has ever experienced before. I think this is one of those issues. It honestly sounds like the strut braces are shifting during sudden suspension loading. It's really strange. The car isn't dipping enough to scrape the ground but I keep hearing it. Was horrible when I left the house today. Seemed like it was spreading and my entire front end wanted to fall apart. Feels like I'm driving around a pos. Sucks.

and unfortunately I wasn't able to get the car on a lift to check it out the other day. Gotta run it back to the dealer. Don't trust it very much.

Chuy · 11-16-2013, 06:16 PM

Please post what you come up with mine is starting to make some noises up front. I lowered mine about 2 months on Tien springs, dont drive her much, I havent gotten mine to the lift yet either but I think it has something to do with the fender liners and fro t splash guard.

370Z JT · 11-17-2013, 01:36 AM

Haha similar experience today. sounded like exhaust piping touching the ground for a couple seconds. Couldn't find the culprit either.

Chuy · 11-17-2013, 11:27 AM

Tigger, do you get the sound when you hit a bump or dip?

This is why I think it has to be something with the splash guards.

GSS138 · 11-19-2013, 01:25 PM

My best guess is the oil pan shroud/cover. There is a big piece of black plastic underneath that covers the oil filter and pan. The screws in it tear out quite easily and there are a ton of them and they are a real PITA. Once one or two of those screws tear loose, that whole thing starts to come loose and sag. If you hit a bump, maybe one side of it is torn out and the bump in the road causes it to scrape. Buy the aluminum one from Z speed? I think sells it.

Tigger · 11-20-2013, 07:27 AM

Quick update for y'all.

I mounted the gopro in three separate locations. Front/middle door/rear in an attempt to see if anything was actually scraping. I also removed the splash guards to eliminate that from the equation entirely. The sound has now spread throughout the entire chassis. It was locally isolated to the front passenger side. Then the entire front end. Now it encompasses the rear end as well. Feels like the whole damn car is coming apart.

I have the noise recorded on the camera and will finish editing and post it tonight. The car is going to the dealer as soon as I have time.

If I get any conclusive answers I'll be sure to post them back here. Thanks everybody.

By the way... The sound can only be heard from inside the vehicle. Thought this was odd but the camera didn't pick up any noises from the outside other than typical road noise. Taking it to the dealer at 2:30 today. We'll see.

Chuy · 11-20-2013, 11:00 AM

Thanks for the updates, hopefully its something very simple.

Tigger · 11-20-2013, 11:34 PM

They said it was the front sway bar which was my first guess at the very start of all of this. Thought it was either the bushings or the end links. I'm pretty sure its just the bushings since there has to be quite a bit of suspension travel to make the bar shift. It doesn't quite seem like the end links. So I'm probably going to just get new bushings and swap them out. If it continues I'll get the SPL end links and see where it goes. I'll update again once I have it swapped.

Though I'm not holding my breath because this is the same dealer that attributed that noise to tires. I have little faith in their diagnostic capabilities. I'm wondering if they aren't trying to point fingers because it is an aftermarket part. They seem to not like that stuff so much. Anyhow... updates to follow.

thekinn · 11-21-2013, 07:06 AM

Is the front sway bar hitting the under-shroud? I had the fancy aluminum under-shroud on my 350 and the powdercoat was worn off from the sway bar hitting it. Swaybar was after market, as well as, endlinks.

Not sure how to resolve this.. but helps to know the issue.

Chuy · 11-21-2013, 11:24 AM

Had a discussion with my friend about this. He stated it's the fender liner hitting the tires or bouncing around tye fender. I did check mine and I have one where there is some rubbing going on.

Tigger · 11-21-2013, 08:42 PM

Hmmmm... If it was rubbing I imagine the tech would have figured it out. And it is all the way across the entire front end. Kinda tells me it isn't the fender liner. I mean, I wish it was. Those are easy and cheap to replace.

So I took the shop foreman out for a drive first and then he took a tech out. But this isn't a mod-friendly dealer. I think they just wanted to get rid of me. Every time they see an aftermarket part they freak out. I think that is why they pointed to the sway bar.

A rep from Hotchkis replied to my inquiry this morning and was also questioning their conclusion. It obviously isn't the sway bar itself. That just doesn't make noise. However, I am still leaning towards a bushing issue. I wonder if the grease somehow dried up or leaked out too much over the last 8 months. I've also taken this thing to it's limits and beyond many times. I drive her pretty hard.

I think I'm going to get some new grease, the upgraded billet bushing brackets and replacement bushings from Hotchkis and the SPL endlinks and go from there. I wanted to do the upgrade anyway so it wouldn't be a loss if it isn't the issue. It'll only prove it isn't the problem and I can further isolate it. We'll see. I'll keep y'all posted. Thanks for the responses and ideas. Much appreciated.

Rusty · 11-22-2013, 04:24 PM

I got the Hotchkis billet sway bar brackets. When you get yours. Make sure you get a tube of their silicon grease for them.

And make sure you got your sway bar mounted right side up.

XPNSD IT · 11-22-2013, 09:30 PM

The title reminded me of this. Lol

ZeN · 04-13-2014, 06:39 AM

Any update on this ? Mine clunks and squeeks now. Had hotchkis bar with OEM endlink for 20k miles, maybe its time to change them out.

K3shuyun · 11-10-2014, 12:50 PM

Did u ever figure out the problem?

11-16-2013, 06:16 PM	#17 (permalink)
Chuy Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 474 Drives: 2015 NISMO Rep Power: 15	Please post what you come up with mine is starting to make some noises up front. I lowered mine about 2 months on Tien springs, dont drive her much, I havent gotten mine to the lift yet either but I think it has something to do with the fender liners and fro t splash guard. __________________ Miko 2015 Nismo Tech: nothing RIP Ginger 2009 370Z Sport Touring

11-17-2013, 01:36 AM	#18 (permalink)
370Z JT A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: United States Posts: 2,905 Drives: 370Z PW 7AT Rep Power: 378	Haha similar experience today. sounded like exhaust piping touching the ground for a couple seconds. Couldn't find the culprit either. __________________ Click for My Journal Top Secret \| EVO-R \| Fujimura Auto \| Shine Auto \| Seibon \| MRWorks \| Swift \| SPC \| SSR \| UpRev \| Project Kics \| NST \| Titek \| Eibach \| Nismo \| Whiteline \| Quaife \| Invidia \| Fly1 \| CF Element \| Carbon Signal

11-17-2013, 11:27 AM	#19 (permalink)
Chuy Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 474 Drives: 2015 NISMO Rep Power: 15	Tigger, do you get the sound when you hit a bump or dip? This is why I think it has to be something with the splash guards. __________________ Miko 2015 Nismo Tech: nothing RIP Ginger 2009 370Z Sport Touring

11-19-2013, 01:25 PM	#20 (permalink)
GSS138 Track Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Mission Viejo, CA Posts: 769 Drives: '12 370Z 6M Sport Rep Power: 13	My best guess is the oil pan shroud/cover. There is a big piece of black plastic underneath that covers the oil filter and pan. The screws in it tear out quite easily and there are a ton of them and they are a real PITA. Once one or two of those screws tear loose, that whole thing starts to come loose and sag. If you hit a bump, maybe one side of it is torn out and the bump in the road causes it to scrape. Buy the aluminum one from Z speed? I think sells it. __________________ Current Mods: Vorpal Weapon +5.

11-20-2013, 07:27 AM	#21 (permalink)
Tigger A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: NM Posts: 8,063 Drives: Awedeeeeee Rep Power: 602	Quick update for y'all. I mounted the gopro in three separate locations. Front/middle door/rear in an attempt to see if anything was actually scraping. I also removed the splash guards to eliminate that from the equation entirely. The sound has now spread throughout the entire chassis. It was locally isolated to the front passenger side. Then the entire front end. Now it encompasses the rear end as well. Feels like the whole damn car is coming apart. I have the noise recorded on the camera and will finish editing and post it tonight. The car is going to the dealer as soon as I have time. If I get any conclusive answers I'll be sure to post them back here. Thanks everybody. By the way... The sound can only be heard from inside the vehicle. Thought this was odd but the camera didn't pick up any noises from the outside other than typical road noise. Taking it to the dealer at 2:30 today. We'll see. Last edited by Tigger; 11-20-2013 at 08:52 AM.

11-16-2013, 05:38 PM	#16 (permalink)
Tigger A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: NM Posts: 8,063 Drives: Awedeeeeee Rep Power: 602	most car issues I've ever encountered are the new ones nobody has ever experienced before. I think this is one of those issues. It honestly sounds like the strut braces are shifting during sudden suspension loading. It's really strange. The car isn't dipping enough to scrape the ground but I keep hearing it. Was horrible when I left the house today. Seemed like it was spreading and my entire front end wanted to fall apart. Feels like I'm driving around a pos. Sucks. and unfortunately I wasn't able to get the car on a lift to check it out the other day. Gotta run it back to the dealer. Don't trust it very much.

11-20-2013, 11:00 AM	#22 (permalink)
Chuy Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 474 Drives: 2015 NISMO Rep Power: 15	Thanks for the updates, hopefully its something very simple. __________________ Miko 2015 Nismo Tech: nothing RIP Ginger 2009 370Z Sport Touring

11-20-2013, 11:34 PM	#23 (permalink)
Tigger A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: NM Posts: 8,063 Drives: Awedeeeeee Rep Power: 602	They said it was the front sway bar which was my first guess at the very start of all of this. Thought it was either the bushings or the end links. I'm pretty sure its just the bushings since there has to be quite a bit of suspension travel to make the bar shift. It doesn't quite seem like the end links. So I'm probably going to just get new bushings and swap them out. If it continues I'll get the SPL end links and see where it goes. I'll update again once I have it swapped. Though I'm not holding my breath because this is the same dealer that attributed that noise to tires. I have little faith in their diagnostic capabilities. I'm wondering if they aren't trying to point fingers because it is an aftermarket part. They seem to not like that stuff so much. Anyhow... updates to follow.

11-21-2013, 07:06 AM	#24 (permalink)
thekinn Base Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 206 Drives: 06 350Z LS MT Rep Power: 6862	Is the front sway bar hitting the under-shroud? I had the fancy aluminum under-shroud on my 350 and the powdercoat was worn off from the sway bar hitting it. Swaybar was after market, as well as, endlinks. Not sure how to resolve this.. but helps to know the issue. __________________ 06 Enthusiast MT - v2

11-21-2013, 11:24 AM	#25 (permalink)
Chuy Enthusiast Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Colorado Springs Posts: 474 Drives: 2015 NISMO Rep Power: 15	Had a discussion with my friend about this. He stated it's the fender liner hitting the tires or bouncing around tye fender. I did check mine and I have one where there is some rubbing going on. __________________ Miko 2015 Nismo Tech: nothing RIP Ginger 2009 370Z Sport Touring

11-21-2013, 08:42 PM	#26 (permalink)
Tigger A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: NM Posts: 8,063 Drives: Awedeeeeee Rep Power: 602	Hmmmm... If it was rubbing I imagine the tech would have figured it out. And it is all the way across the entire front end. Kinda tells me it isn't the fender liner. I mean, I wish it was. Those are easy and cheap to replace. So I took the shop foreman out for a drive first and then he took a tech out. But this isn't a mod-friendly dealer. I think they just wanted to get rid of me. Every time they see an aftermarket part they freak out. I think that is why they pointed to the sway bar. A rep from Hotchkis replied to my inquiry this morning and was also questioning their conclusion. It obviously isn't the sway bar itself. That just doesn't make noise. However, I am still leaning towards a bushing issue. I wonder if the grease somehow dried up or leaked out too much over the last 8 months. I've also taken this thing to it's limits and beyond many times. I drive her pretty hard. I think I'm going to get some new grease, the upgraded billet bushing brackets and replacement bushings from Hotchkis and the SPL endlinks and go from there. I wanted to do the upgrade anyway so it wouldn't be a loss if it isn't the issue. It'll only prove it isn't the problem and I can further isolate it. We'll see. I'll keep y'all posted. Thanks for the responses and ideas. Much appreciated.

04-13-2014, 06:39 AM	#29 (permalink)
ZeN Base Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Malaysia Posts: 116 Drives: 09 PW 7AT 370z Rep Power: 14	Any update on this ? Mine clunks and squeeks now. Had hotchkis bar with OEM endlink for 20k miles, maybe its time to change them out.

11-10-2014, 12:50 PM	#30 (permalink)
K3shuyun Base Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: MA! Posts: 12 Drives: 14 Nissan 370z BB Rep Power: 13	Did u ever figure out the problem?

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