Hi Guys,
I have replaced, shocks all the way around my 01 Bonneville. Along with, front coil springs, both wheel hubs, driver side ball joint, both front axles, and a rear lower control arm on passenger side. My question is, what else could be causing this car to hit so hard on the smallest bumps, and there is a rattle comming from the rear????? W hat am I missing?? Please help me with this, I really miss my smooth ride.
Thanks..

P.S. Also, I thought the hubs would fix my ABS light, but no luck...it coded wheel hub censor, but it still doesnt work properly, so for now I took the fuse out, so I could stop properly...any ideas on this as well?

Looks like this has everyone else stumped as well...
Well, Im gonna take it too another shop, other than my normal repair shop, maybe they can find it.
Keep your fingers crossed for me, and if and when I find it, I'll be sure to post back.

Thanks for this site! I wished I would have found it sooner. Ive read alot of post as a guest, and they've helped me with a few problems with my Bonneville. Hince the reason I joined! ;-)

When was your sway bar end links last replaced?

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1997 Bonneville SLE...(SilverStreak)...Totaled...1/25/13...Gone but not forgotten.
1968 Chevrolet Bel Air....the project

my thts exactly

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1989 Pontiac Firebird Formula 350
2004 Saturn Ion 3 Quad Coupe

Could be body mounts, both front and rear. There are six in the front; the four rearward ones would be the ones to look at -- the front two usually don't wear out (according to a suspension guy I spoke with two weeks ago).

As for the rear, there are four there and the two rearmost ones are the most likely culprits.

There has been little talk so far about body mounts here at the club (from what I could find in Search) but I suspect this topic will be growing in frequency in the coming months and years as more and more of our cars require replacements.

Before replacing anything in the rear, check the following:

1) Rear shocks and upper shock mounts
2) The thin black trailing links (also called "upper control arms" or "tie rods") in the rear. These have rubber bushings on either end that can wear out. If they are bad, replace the entire link. Raybestos, Mevotech, and AC Delco all sell replacement parts that fit our cars.
3) The black brackets covering front bolts on rear subframe. Some members have reported corrosion around the body bolt, resulting in the hole diameter increasing and allowing too much wiggle room for the bolt(s). These same members have discovered a very easy fix -- put some washers over the bolts (use Search for details).
4) The bushings in the large V-shaped grey lower rear control arms.

If the rear end of your car seems "sloppy" or seems to jump sideways when going over bumps at high speeds, you are probably having a problem keeping the rear wheels in alignment, due to one or more of the problems above.

Ken_W

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2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock

If you decide to replace your rear shocks, save yourself the aggravation I'm going through at the moment and don't buy AC-Delco 504-547. They may be listed as fitting our cars but the rod that projects into the trunk is 3/8" shorter than what was on there which makes it really tough to grab the rod while tightening down the nut. On top of that, the air lines are not compatible so I had to buy 1/8" compression unions to join the two systems together.

Thanks to all of you!!! I will look into all the above. I bought this car last March, and they had to replace the sway bar and bushings then. I have also replaced the front half of the back body mounts last year as well. Maybe the back is due as well as the front of the car.
Now last year, i replaced shock barrings on both back sides, ( not shocks) they said i didnt need them. But last week I replaced the shocks, should I have replaced the barrings again?

At anyrate, I am in love with the Bonneville, the stylish look and feel behind the wheel. I just wished I could get my Bonnie to Ride like she should.
Im taking it to the shop 4-13, so I will post what we find for future references..:-)
Thanks again guys, you Rock!

Thanks to all of you!!! I will look into all the above. I bought this car last March, and they had to replace the sway bar and bushings then. I have also replaced the front half of the back body mounts last year as well. Maybe the back is due as well as the front of the car.
Now last year, i replaced shock barrings on both back sides, ( not shocks) they said i didnt need them. But last week I replaced the shocks, should I have replaced the barrings again?

At anyrate, I am in love with the Bonneville, the stylish look and feel behind the wheel. I just wished I could get my Bonnie to Ride like she should.
Im taking it to the shop 4-13, so I will post what we find for future references..:-)
Thanks again guys, you Rock!

Thanks to all of you!!! I will look into all the above. I bought this car last March, and they had to replace the sway bar and bushings then. I have also replaced the front half of the back body mounts last year as well. Maybe the back is due as well as the front of the car.
Now last year, i replaced shock barrings on both back sides, ( not shocks) they said i didnt need them. But last week I replaced the shocks, should I have replaced the barrings again?

At anyrate, I am in love with the Bonneville, the stylish look and feel behind the wheel. I just wished I could get my Bonnie to Ride like she should.
Im taking it to the shop 4-13, so I will post what we find for future references..:-)
Thanks again guys, you Rock!

You should not need to replace your upper shock mounts (what you call bearings) again so soon. Just replace the shocks.

Question: when you replaced the front half of the rear body mounts last year, did it make any difference?

Ken_W

_________________
2000 SSEi "Gypssei" - 206k miles - Light Bronzemist Metallic - stock
1999 Grand Am GT - 168k miles - Red - stock DEAD -- transmission died
2004 Pontiac Montana Ext 2WD - 207k miles - Blue Black Metallic - stock