Chevy Malibu Rear End Clunk Fix
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2021
- This is a 2017 Chevy Malibu that has rear end noise and clunking at low speed. This video is my solution to the problem without the need to replace the knuckle if the joint isn’t worn. From my observations, it seems the joint isn’t properly lubricated and somewhat dry. All I can think of is GM didn’t apply enough grease in the joint and over time that grease gets pushed out. I filled the rubber boot with grease on both sides of the joint and slid a socket extension through the joint, working in a circular motion until the joint freed up and wasn’t stiff anymore. So far the noise has gone away completely since this fix. Make sure before you remove the lower knuckle bolt, the car is supported with a jack under the lower control arm and you mark around the bolt heads with a sharpie. Marking the bolt head ensures you don’t mess up the alignment as there is some slight play in the bolt hole. Torque spec for the lower bolt is 118 lb ft on first pass then 90-105 degrees on final pass.
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I am sending this video to the service manager at my Chevy dealer. Hopefully, he'll watch it and have someone fix my car.
How much did it cost at the dealership ?
I have a 2017 Malibu with a rear popping noise , I install the washers for the rear shocks
under a TSB , that did not work . I am a Master auto tech for GM since 1974 and ASE master auto tech . GM knows about the rear knuckles popping , but will not come out with a special policy to fix the noise. I just lubricated the lower bushings in the joint . use a needle grease fitting to get under the rubber dust seal and exercise the joint, The fix works! Thanks !
Thx for the Xtra advice! Needle fitting
Was looking to do this. What kind of grease would you recommend?
Great video man. I just did mine. The boots looked good. But they were froze up. Got them loose. No more popping.
Omg thank you so much I’ve been dealing with this for years and have taken it to my dealership several times and asked what it was and they had no solution for me I had my relative who is a mechanic take a look at this video and the noise is finally gone thank you so much for posting this video!!!
Great video man, I had replaced the rear shocks but the noise still there, that will save me time and money to my customer 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
This was the exact solution to my problem. Thanks for this video!
I’m having this problem also. Had the noise came back yet or at all?
Thx for the video, beats spending hundreds or thousands on replacing the arm with bushing over and over as some do.
The new knuckle is $85.00 online
No bs I just was looking to find out where the clunk was coming from with tire off to order the right part…unbolted that bottom bushing and sprayed some pb blaster I had next to me since I already had it apart and it worked!! Will it last idk lol I would use the correct grease if noise comes back I’ve been dealing with this noise since brand new but it was real light for a while now it was sounding crazy just took for a spin I hear nothing thanks for the idea!!
It worked !! Thank you for this video ! Idk how long it’ll last but it worked for now thanks man saved me some $$$ for now !
It’s it’s just that one bolt I’m taking off
How long did it last?
@@msellers13 only lasted like a month lol ended up replacing them you might as well just replace them
Sounds about right I'm fed up with my Malibu first I had a shift to park problem next the third brake light started to leak and now the rear of the car has a clunk on bumpy roads !! I'm ready to trade it for a challenger !!!!!!
on god bro
Dope vid !
Thank you! Cause Noise DRIVES ME NUTS!!!!!!
Thank You' for sharing, and going out of your way to help others! That is a very admirable, and God given gift, to help others!!!
Thank you for the kind words!
@@austin22reSo will it be an issue if you don’t fix it right away?
@@aclerk97 as long as the joint is not actually worn out to the point there is a lot of movement, it won’t hurt a thing besides the noise.
@@austin22re okay thank you.
My 16 Malibu has been squealing for months on the passenger rear side changed everything except this though GONNA HAVE TO TRY THIS AND SEE 🤔
Had a 2013 Malibu making popping sound in rear, turns out the rear upper control arms were both bad, found out by jacking car from under rear lower control arm and pushed in on top of the tire, and it went inward and made the noise
I just took my 2016 Malibu into Chevy dealer about this exact problem. Told them noise coming from underneath in REAR of car. They told me the problem was the from airdam and other plastic parts were all broken. They removed the broken pieces. Now I can see if this is indeed a "fix".
I was able to swivel the knuckle bushing around as it wasn't that stiff. That seemed to fix the clunk noise. Its only been a few days but no more noise!
You didn't add any more grease? When I had mine apart, it was very dry inside.
@@austin22re No. I was prepared to grease it but it didnt seem to need it. I was actually disappointed and thought I had to replace my struts or something. So I swiveled the bushing around a bit and put it back together. I guess moving the grease around was enough. Its been quiet ever since! Your video helped alot!
Did it almost sound like a clunking loose muffler/exhaust? I just wanna change as little things as possible before I find the culprit
How's this working so far? How long has it been?
I had to replace the struts! I had gone through and replaced everything thing in the rear suspension and it still made noise! Replaced the struts and noises went away!!!
Darn! Yeah there's always other components that could wear out. I first suspected struts but when I checked mine they were all tight and no play was present. This car doesn't have that many miles either.
When I took my car in for the same noise the dealership told me my spare tire was loose! 😂
LOL!! My 2014 didn't even come with a spare!
@@jamiplaisance18 my husband made the salesman find one. I think it was more common years ago. Funny thing, that salesman wasn't working there a couple weeks later.
@@tammyschmidt9353 shitty thing to get fired over.
does anyone have a link or a good recommendation on the correct grease to use for this task ?
I need this as well! At the dealership and they’re talking about $1,400 to replace the parts. I’d rather go to an auto parts store to grab the recommended grease 😅
Would it be possible to get some grease inside the bushing without disassembling the rear knuckle/suspension/brakes? Thanks!
It’s possible to get the grease in the rubber boot, but you need to work the joint to get the grease in all the dry areas of the bushing.
I got that clunking,I was told sway bar bushings. Haven't fixed them yet they look hard to get to
It could be any suspension component making that sound if the car has a lot of miles. This is the most common cause of the sound.
@Austin Kalenda had it 5 years made that sound a week after I bought it. Dealer swears they couldn't find it. 23k miles
@@bigaparker1977 in my opinion dealers don’t do proper diagnosing. Try to figure out which side it’s coming from first and then check the knuckle bushing. You can use a car jack to raise and lower the rear suspension to listen for the pop.
@Austin Kalenda Thanx. Damn thing got like 170 on it now it ain't broke yet lol.
2014 doesn't look anything like this... But that bushing is super tight. Trying to figure out how to grease but don't think it takes grease? Seems like it's a complete rubber piece?
If I remember correctly, the previous generation uses a open bushing, with no rubber boot to protect. You should be able to check for play easier with that style but it will be stiff unlike the newer style, it’s not designed to swivel in a way the newer style does. The style of bushing your car has should be replaceable but it requires the removal of the entire hub bracket to press it out. Make sure the noise is coming from that bushing before doing anything else.
What tools did you use for the job? I’m getting my tools together at my apartment before I take my car apart in my parking lot of my apartment. Specifically what did you use/how did you get the ring off to put grease in there?
I used a jack, ratchet and socket , a backing wrench to hold the large bolt still while I loosened it, a half inch extension to insert into the joint to move it around, and a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the metal retaining ring for the boot. Also need to use a sharpie to mark where the bolt was before you loosen it so when you put it back together the alignment won’t get messed up.
Can you explain more about marking the bolt with a sharpie?
(04 malibu classic) Man I had a wreck yesterday, I was doing about 50 mph, then all of a sudden traffic came to a stand still out of no where, then I lost about 85% of the front brakes, so I hit the e brake, long story short I slid into a curb, the car took it pretty well but that piece right there is what I snapped, the car will not roll forward without the back left tire kicking to the left, bit it will roll backwards just fine.. Pretty much just asking for some advice
The entire suspension system on that wheel needs to be inspected by a repair shop. If it broke the knuckle then it likely could have bent other suspension parts. One way to tell quickly if there is any major differences is measure the opposite side of the car tire gap to the wheel well, and compare that to the damaged side. You might get lucky with replacing the knuckle but I doubt that is all that was damaged if you hit it hard enough to break it. The other components to look for damage is the upper and lower control arms. Even a slight bend in other components can cause issues when it comes time to have an alignment done after the knuckle is replaced. If the bend is bad enough in other components, it may not be able to be aligned until the other components are replaced. It would be best for a repair shop to look at it and at least tell you what all needs to be replaced.
@austin22re hey when you say mark the bolt for alignment. Could you explain that a little more?
Been a year, do you still have the car? Any issues come back yet?
Yes, still have the car and the noise came back about a year and a half later, I re-did the process again and it stopped. The joint was seized again, so I freed it up and added more grease and it’s quiet again. The important thing is make sure there is not a bunch of play in the joint, if it’s actually worn out, replace the knuckle.
@briansmobile1 hello hopefully you see the message ☺️ I’m having this issue currently with my Malibu 2017 was told labor would be $835 question for me buying the rear knuckle parts. Is there anything else besides that I need to get for the knuckle repair?
If your going to do what I showed in the video, you need a torque wrench to properly torque the bolt back down, and you need a way to inject high temp grease into the joint you can do this by using a grease gun, which to me is the easiest because you can pump it in the rubber boot after you take it apart. You also need a jack/jack stand to support the vehicle. You need a way to work the joint after you inject the grease. I just use a 1/2” extension to do so. Also, before you loosen ANY bolt, make sure you mark where it was located before loosening, so you put it back in the exact same spot to keep your wheel alignment the same.
my car is making popping nosie when breaking and accelerating from the back of the car its loud and annoying
Bought a 2018 malibu dealership replaced both knuckles & still making noise was told my dealership manager they just replaced with new parts they didnt greese up , should the bushing be greesed up or no?
Yes it should be greased up, without it the bushing won’t move freely.
I’m getting a clunking/knocking noise from the read end the trunk area but the only time i hear it is when i hit 70 miles per hour will this fix my problem ?
This could fix the issue possibly. It could be many things causing that noise at such a high speed. What makes me wonder, is there anything under the car that is flapping around in the wind making the noise. Under carriage covers can sometimes make noise in the wind at high speed. It could be other suspension components too. Just jack the car up and put some jack stands and try to move things around. Look for anything that has excessive play in it. Only hearing it at 70mph isn’t typical to the issue I am showing in the video. Check your shock absorbers too.
What did you use to "inject" the grease in? The grease guns available to me only have ends to fit on a zerk fitting. It would have helped if you had shown us the method rather than describing the plan.
I just used a regular grease gun, once I removed the small retainer ring from both sides all I did was stretch the boot back enough to fit the end of the grease gun inside near the joint, and started pumping. I wasn't able to video, pull the boot back, and pump the grease gun at the same time, so sorry I couldn't show that, I'm trying to improve my video methods. I need to invest in a tripod or something to hold the camera for me.
What kind of grease do I use for this fix?
@@lil314red2010 just some high temp grease will work. Lucas heavy duty grease is a good choice, but any high temp grease will do.
I used a needle point attachment to inject grease
Question, mine does the same thing, but it doesn’t happen until I’ve driven it for a little while. Is it because the rubber bushing gets loosened after I drive for a while. The first hour of the day it’s just fine probably because it is stiff and hard.
It could be, when the joint warms up it may have enough play to make noise. The only way to check is to take it apart.
@@austin22re one more question. Again, thanks for your help. When you remove that bottom bolt does anything come springing out fast that can be of any concern. I was watching another video on the same exact subject and saw that the person was using two different jacks.
@@marks-7736 No problem! So the way i did it, i placed the jack under the lower control arm under the coil spring, (so i could lift the tire off the ground to remove it). The knuckle that the wheel bolts to does not have any weight or binding forces on it once lifted off the ground, since it moves with the suspension. As long as the car is supported with a jack under the control arm, it won't fly apart. The way to tell if there's any pressure on the bolt in question is to loosen the bolt a little after marking where it was and see if you can freely slide the bolt around, you can rock the knuckle around some which tells you it's not under pressure. It's hard to explain over text, so I hope this makes sense. What you do not want to do, is jack the car up on the unibody or any other support under the car, because once the wheel is off the ground, the coil spring will apply pressure to the control arm and knuckle once it is fully extended to its stop.
Will this make the rear of the car want to fishtail on slippery roads
No the issue won’t cause drivability issues. Just noise.
did it work?
Yes it did, still no noise. I used wheel bearing grease to pack the joint.
Howdy! I bought a 2018 two years ago and have just started to get that clunking sound from the rear at low speeds. Couple of questions please... is this something that I need to get fixed immediately? Like, it is a safety issue? And, how about an update since you did this fix a year ago. That would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
No, it’s not a huge safety issue, just annoying really. The noise came back slightly once but it was about almost a year later it started to happen again. I just repeated the procedure and it’s quiet again. Always check for excessive play, if it has a lot of play in the joint it should be replaced entirely.
@@austin22re I have this on my 2017 LT. I had in the dealership numerous times in 2020/2021 and I had all types of work done, including a new rear suspension. I have noticed it gets really bad when it's humid out. For example, it's intermittent in the cold/cool temps, but when it gets hot out, like today, it's very pronounced. I also had wondered if this was a safety concern.
@@ethandent1669 I wouldn’t say it’s a safety concern as long as there is not a significant amount of play in the joint. That joint isn’t like a normal ball joint where it could pull out. It makes sense when it’s louder when it’s hot because the parts expand and increase clearance. Check the play in the joint at a minimum. Most of the time the joint is dry and the grease dries up. The longer it is ran noisy the more damage the joint will have because there’s no lubrication.
@@ethandent1669 literally the same vehicle and year. I had the left replaced and it didn’t do anything for a couple years or I just didn’t notice. When it’s cold it never happens but when it’s hot like today 97 degree F it is very noticeable. Glad I’m not alone is worrying about it
Wd40? Would it work?
No, it needs to be grease.
I replace the knuckle and still here the noise smh!
There are many other components that can wear out in the rear suspension. Check the shock boot at the top of the shock and see if there is excess play.
Is it still working?
Yes but it’s not a permanent fix forever. Eventually the joint will wear out like all suspension parts. This buys time.
Hey does anyone know what that arm is called?
Driver side or passenger side suspension knuckle.
How much does replacing them cost?
1000-1600 for x2
What’s the part called so I can get it
The part is called a suspension knuckle.
Any update ?
Still no issues at this time.
Whats the torque on bolt?
118 lb ft on first pass, then another 90-105 degrees of rotation.
300 ft.lbs
Did it work?
Yes, still quiet.
@@austin22re Running to autozone now! Preciate it. Do you know the torque specs? Or just an ugga dugga or two
@@nathanbrinson8489 spec is at the bottom of the video description. Make sure to mark the bolt with a sharpie before you remove to maintain alignment when you re-assemble. After you pack with grease make sure you work the joint well to force the grease into the socket.
What's the name of the part??
It’s called a knuckle. Just search Chevy Malibu rear knuckle.
@@austin22re hii is there anyone sale only bushing for knuckle ?
@@blackshant no, I searched for a while and could not find one.
@@austin22re thanks
Any update
Still good! I haven’t had to re-do it since this was performed.
@@austin22re that's awesome
This failed miserably. It made it worse when I tried this. 😪
Then your joint is probably worn badly and needs to be replaced. It’s worth a shot but it won’t fix an actual worn out part.
Also, make absolutely sure you torque the bolt back to the spec I listed. Did you add grease too? The main issue is those joints are not greased properly and dry up over time. If the joint is dry for too long it will wear the bushing out and no amount of grease will fix it. How many miles does your car have and has the knuckle ever been replaced?
More cheap parts on what you thought was a good car.
My 2011 Malibu back suspension is annoying how can I fix it
Have to identify what part is loose and making noise. Easiest way is to jack the car up and place a jack stand under a solid jack point and then use the hydraulic jack under the rear control arm where the noise is coming from and slowly begin to raise the arm with the jack, just listen for noise or look for play in joints as you pump it up. Remember to never be under the car while operating the hydraulic jack.