2001 Ford Escort knocking sound from rear offside

Car: Ford Escort
Year: 2001
Variant: Van 55
Categories: Steering, Suspension, Brakes, Wheels & Tyres
I have a hollow sounding knocking coming from the rear offside quarter of my escort van which has been there since I bought it in 2009. The weird thing is the sound only appears when it is wet, and when drying out the noise gradually fades away until it's gone. The springs/shock absorbers all appear to be in good order, the exhaust is secure, and there's nothing obvious coming into contact with the bodywork. Help - it's driving me bonkers!
Posted: Nov 5, 2010 (13 years ago)
check handbrake cable is`nt hitting on leaf spring or the mounting shackle,make sure brake pipes are fixed securely in place
Posted Nov 5, 2010 (13 years ago)
Sounds like something is rattling against the body. A givaway is little wear patches on the underseal. Give it a good dose of looking at.
Posted Nov 18, 2011 (12 years ago)
Have you had a look at this similar problem:

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Posted Jan 30, 2015 (9 years ago)
I assume that this has been fixed by now....
For anyone else with this problem, there are two solutions.
1/ Buy new rear leaf springs and get them fitted
2/ On this model, the rear leaf spring is made up of two 'leafs'. The one on top has a bush and bolt at each end. The lower leaf has two open ends. The reason it is noisier when wet is that water gets between the two leaves and creates a suction when they try to seperate. The metal then 'slaps' against each other. The way I got around it was to purchase a cycle inner tube, take a 5 inch section and slip it over the end of the lower spring at both ends. Using a little washing up liquid will help. Fold the end of the inner tube back on itself to create a little more gap between the end of the spring, this will help reduce even more noise. Do both sides and your rear end will now be quieter than the front!
Posted Jan 30, 2015 (9 years ago)

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