Now that we have gotten real cold here in Indy (lows in single digit, high’s in the teens) I am hearing a thumping sound that I have never heard before coming from my driver side back wheel area. Is it possible for a strut or shock with some age on it to freeze up or not operate as smoothly as it would in non freezing temps?
The oil in a shock, or strut is pretty thin. It can thicken some in real cold but that will just make the shock “stiff” until it warms up. It seems unlikely that water would get inside a shock and freeze, but anything is possible.
The thumping could be lots of things, perhaps a very cold and stiff rubber mount.
okay what is a rubber mount?
Yes, it is. It’s also possible for a shock to freeze up totally unrelated to the weather.
Any device whose function is based on the movement of fluids through controlled orafices can thicken in those temperatures. Fluids can react strangely to extreme cold, including becoming “plastic” (extremely high viscosity) instead of fluid.
A tire can also develop a temporary “flat spot” if it sits overnight at those temperatures. I’ve had this happen also.
whatever it is it seems to lessen as i drive and the whole car warms up, but when the outside temps are not getting over 20, it’s not getting real warm. I heard nothing until it sat for a full day on sunday without being driven and in the cold temps then overnight until I headed out to work on monday, so figure it’ has to be cold related.
I once had a wheel bearing show failure in just that way. The seal had blown, and it was low on grease. What was left of it was all cold and stiff in the morning. After driving it got all warm and better lubed the bearing (and it quieted down).
When someone does whatever they end up doing to the transmission they will have it on a lift at some point. Have them give the back wheels a spin & check it out.
Because I see you asking quite a few questions about your Sedona (I interpet your overall question as “could a shock on my Sedona freeze”?, not shocks in general) you should take a look at every TSB printed about your car. The information gained from this activity (and readinng the FSM from cover to cover) would be of much more benifit than these type of generalized questions. Questions and answers are what the Forum is here for so you are certainly free to take your pick of the ways to “find out stuff” about your Sedona.
There is a revised strut mount for 2003-2005 KIA Sedona. The revision was done to reduce noise. Information is in a TSB.Manufactures sometimes don’t get it totally right in the range of year models they include in TSB’s so even if your car falls out of range the TSB is a place to start. What year is your car,I will put it in my data base.
It’s also possible that with the extreme cold, that if the clearances are very tight in a shock or other suspension component, that the metal may have contracted so that metal surfaces that normally don’t touch are rubbing.
Cars can make all kinds of weird sounds when the temp is well below freezing. Metal also becomes more brittle in extreme cold, so it’s wise to drive it gently when it’s that cold out.
It is the 2002 Sedona, the first model they made.
I drive it gently no matter the weather. My friend says I drive like a senior citizen…
TSB does include 2002.
exactly what is a TSB and where do I find this info?
Technical Service Bulletin, I find my TSB’s through my colleges’ library link to a online source call “EBESCO”. There are many other different ways to find TSB’s.
okay found them, what am i looking for, what do they mean?
There are all kinds of “mounts”, motor mounts, transmission mounts, etc. They usually are rubber sandwiched between metal (the metal is glued to the rubber). They are used to allow some flex such as when a motor is rev’d up and to reduce vibration which would result from direct metal to metal contact.
Look under the “suspension” section, don’t take this wrong but the are printed in English, what could you possibly mean,“what do they mean” They describe diagnostic work done by the manufacture and list a fix for a condition. Lets not make this another “100 post” thread.
I looked and didn’t see anything but somethig about “torque”? What i meant by what do they mean is where do these come from? Are these like recalls by the industry, or something someone has issues with? Until now I had never heard of a TSB in my life.
Yes they are from the manufacture, they are not recalls, they are information developed by the manufacture to aid people in repairing the vehicle. In paticular look for # KT2007020501 2002-2005 Sedona Strut Mount Improvements.
A TSB is a set of instructions from a vehicle manufacturer advising mechanics how to repair problems that have arisen on a significant number of vehicles.
Do not confuse TSBs with recalls, however. A recall includes free repairs, while a TSB does not normally include anything that would be free.
you must be looking at a different site then I am because on the site I am at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/tsbsearch.cfm I can’t find the one you are listing.