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Kind of lost suspension wise and need help

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Daniel B., May 16, 2023.

  1. Daniel B.

    Daniel B. Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Port Richey, FL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Okay, I have 2012 Prius C one with 106,xxx miles. For a couple of years I had it slammed on coilovers, got tired of it and recently installed new factory struts and tein lowering springs. Better ride quality and more comfortable(for me lol) anyway I did all of the work, new suspension on all 4 corners and I even did new front rotors and brake pads. So now the weird part.

    After doing all of this, what seems like the front driver's side strut is making a popping sound or a kind of binding/ creaking noise. Did I crush the strut bearing when I reinstalled it? I used all new parts for everything.

    That's question 1, question 2 is before I installed new brakes, I had though I had a warped rotor because at low speed with light pedal pressure, the car jumps or lurches before it stops. With new rotors and pads, it doing the exact same thing. Is this a bad wheel hub bearing issue or something else? I have no warning lights and no odd humming sounds from driving at speed.

    If anyone has any recommendations or an idea of what any of this is, that would help so much. This is driving me crazy and I don't have a lot of time to work on my car.
     
  2. Daniel B.

    Daniel B. Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 1, 2016
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    Location:
    Port Richey, FL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    Seriously, as long as these cars have been available, no one has anything to say? No one can help?
     
  3. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
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    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    What action causes the popping sound? extension, compression, rotation for turning or....?

    You might look into renting a set of Chassis Ears™ and doing a series of test drives to narrow down the location of the sound.

    Problem 2 reads like it is an interaction between the electrical regenerative braking and the hydraulic service brakes. From your description it isn't doing a clean handover like it should. Apart from consulting the repair manual I'm not sure what to suggest.
     
  4. Daniel B.

    Daniel B. Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Port Richey, FL
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    The popping/creaking sound seems to only happen at slow speed turning right. And sometimes at low speed over speed bumps.

    As far as the brakes go, I may need to take it to a shop. I've heard it could be a bad abs sensor going off during regular breaking or a bad wheel bearing. I don't think I can fix that myself. But the suspension ill probably dig in to. Thank you very much for the suggestions
     
  5. Kerrynzl

    Kerrynzl Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2016 Aqua
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    N/A
    That sounds like rubber bushing "creaking" they can also cause the metal inner sleeve to slip at the ends

    A common cause is DIYers tightening all the bolts with the suspension "hanging"

    Loosen the suspension bolts and lower the car so the wheels or suspension is weight bearing
    Bounce it up and down a couple of times then re-tighten the bolts while the weight is still on them.

    Aussie Ford Falcons are the worst vehicle for this when replacing inner bushes [ we place a jack under the outer ball-joint and lift the vehicle before we tighten the bolts.

    The answer to your second question is ...........Heat warpage causes buckled rotors [brakes turn kinetic energy into heat]
    On Race cars we prefer to skim the rotors rather than replace them, because they have already been exposed to a couple of heat cycles [new ones will warp again]
    We always use old pads with the new rotors or old rotors with new pads [to bed the brakes in]

    That Lurching feeling is usually common on rear drum brakes [usually from the park brake in the same position and surface rust over night]
    Pull the drums off and give it a good sanding [I use a flap drum sander in a cordless]

    Warped front rotors are usually felt in the pedal going up/down [thickness] or in the steering [buckled]

    Loose wheel bearings will cause "pad knock-off" which will cause the brakes to feel like they need bleeding [one pump of the pedal removes the clearances]
    That is not your case here.
     
    #5 Kerrynzl, May 18, 2023
    Last edited: May 18, 2023
    Pacific Northwest likes this.