2001 IS - "thunk" in back

[TDuff]

Hi everyone:

I've been tracking down and eliminating the various noises I hear on my (new to me as of 8/1) IS - the latest was a very noisy/ rattling trunk lid which turned out to be the hinge pins - put some thick felt furniture leg pads next to the hinges such that they give a very slight "pre-load" on the hinges when the trunk is closed - rattling gone.  That made a huge difference in reducing noise.  The one I hear/feel now is something in the rear - a thunk or clunk I feel more than hear, mostly through the foot pegs.  I just replaced the shock bushings, which were shot, with the Redeye replacements, so it isn't that - could it be one of the shocks themselves?  They are not leaking.  They are likely stock as the bike has very few mods.  Pipes only as far as I have found, and they are modified stock - not aftermarket.  The side bags and hardware are all tight - I've had them off and on a couple of times, and the trunk seems tight.
 
Any suggestions on other things I should be looking at?  We just completed a nice 350 mile ride two weekends ago with no issues - it rode like a dream.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Terry

[sandy]

I would do a rear end service. Check on wheel bearings, wheel splines, thrust washer, drive shaft, U joint.

[Jess from VA]

The left rear wheel bearing (single row; the right is double row) is always suspect.

My 1999 interstate has lost a Ujoint and a left rear wheel bearing.  Both were noticeable as thumps in my foot pegs, before the squawking and grinding started. 

I was close to home on the Ujoint, and in Bumfoc Egypt with the wheel bearing. 

Shoptalk left rear wheel bearing mod which I did on both my interstates.
http://www.valkyrieriders.com/shoptalk/5204_bearing_mod.pdf

[TDuff]

Thanks for the info guys.  I figured one of the suggestions would be to service the rear drive - fortunately I have a new O-ring kit from Redeye for that, and I can check the u-joint at the same time.  The wheel bearings suggestion was not expected!  But I notice the front has a similar thunk when I drive up the bump at the bottom of my driveway.  I was thinking that could be a loose steering head bearing nut, but since there is no "notchiness" when I turn the handlebars I may want to check the front bearings too.

Guess I'll just order the new F & R wheel bearings and do all of this over the winter!

Terry

[sandy]

Dont order OEM bearings. Get the numbers off the Generic parts page in shop talk. Much cheaper to buy them locally. local sourcing means that you can dissemble the rear drive and get them only if you really need them.

[Jess from VA]

But I notice the front has a similar thunk when I drive up the bump at the bottom of my driveway.

(Good functioning but maybe dirty) front brakes will often clunk/thunk rolling over a bump slowly (when you can easily hear it).  The pins the pads float on need to be clean and take a dab of grease (but not the pads).

Between actual service of new pads and cleaning calipers/pistons, I will spray mildly corrosive mag wheel cleaner or S100 or Spray-9 and a collection of stiff bottle brushes and scrub them down, follow with some Dawn hot soapy water brushing, and rinse and blow them off with the leaf blower.  This often makes the brakes noticeably smoother and quieter.

[Willow]

Until you mentioned the clunk in the front it sounded like my experience with the pinion gear.  Be sure to check that.

[gordonv]

My front is noisy. Turned out I have at least one bolt broken for the fender.

Don't forget to look for the easy stuff, grab a hold of your tins and give them a tug.

[TDuff]

Now that’s some good advice!  Just got my lift today and fabbed an adapter - I’ll start looking into it this week!
Thanks everyone for the good advice!
Terry

[TDuff]

I was able to check the front brakes last night - I can see where they could be the source of the front wheel "thunk/clunk" with the play in the caliper suspension bolts.  I pulled the pins and pads, cleaned the pins - they were pretty tight with the pad fit. The pads look like they are virtually new - probably OEM.  They look like a sintered bronze or some such.  The calipers move freely on the suspension bolts.    I did notice the left side had more black dust buildup than the right, and when spinning the tire the brake rub seems high by the noise it makes which is one of the reasons I wanted to dig into it.

What bothered me upon pulling the pads was:  the right inboard and outboard pads had wear groves in the center, but neither of the left pads had them.  Is one of the right side pads supposed to be on the left?  If so, can I change them now without causing any issues?

Thanks,

Terry

[Steel cowboy]

All replacement pads I have used, have a vertical wear grove to help in determining if they need replacing. They don’t seem to be a matched pair of 4, the material used could be of a different consistency from left to right side.

[TDuff]

Fortunately they have HH in the number printed on the back, so I'm assuming they are the correct pad material.  Don't want to replace those rotors - they aren't cheap or even reasonable!

The material looks the same on all four pads.  I'm just wondering if one of the pads with the wear indicator line belongs on the left side.  I may move one over so each side has one pad with the wear indicator.

[TDuff]

Just my OCD kicking in, I guess!