Rear clam squeeks - LotusTalk

dwkoski · 09-10-2009, 08:07 AM

Yes I know we have to live with a few squeeks and odd noises if we wish to own a Lotus, I've been dealing with those annoyances for 35 years in one Lotus or another. That said, the '05 Elise developed a new and really irritating (and loud) squeek coming from the passenger side rear. It occurred when the rear hit any irregularity in the road. To make a long story short, it turned out that I had thrown the wife's GPS unit in the trunk and it had slid to a corner and wedged itself between the clam and trunk, rubbing on the clam whenever the car hit a bump. This brings me to the point of this post, what to look for in diagnosing squeeks from the back of the car. Things I have experienced or seen in other cars:
1. Loose underpanels or small pieces of gravel lodged between the underpanels and body shell... probably most common cause.
2. Loose exhaust system components... seen this one too.
3. Loose clam mounting bolts, especially the ones just behind and above the seats. This one was in the S1 and was especially annoying and hard to find.
4. Squeeking from the suspension bushings or shock towers... treated with a little silicone spray
5 Make sure theirs nothing in trunk that can wedge between the trunk and body shell

I'm sure there are more but I thought I would list these as a starter...Dave

tesprit · 09-10-2009, 08:21 AM

I had one that was a really bad rattling noise behind the seats at certain r.p.m. ranges. It turned out to be the rear clam touching the rear window after the hot engine had heated and expanded the clam. I found it by inserting a business card into the gap between the window and the clam and pulling it along the gap until it would get wedged in place. I then took the car for a drive with the card stuck in there and the noise was gone. The best fix would be to trim some fiberglass from the front edge of the clam at the window opening, but a couple pieces of thin rubber tape forced between the window and clam have been working perfectly for a couple of years now.

dwkoski · 09-10-2009, 10:03 AM

...forgot this one. Check the battery bracket to be sure it's tight...Dave

09-10-2009, 08:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
dwkoski Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 444	Rear clam squeeks Yes I know we have to live with a few squeeks and odd noises if we wish to own a Lotus, I've been dealing with those annoyances for 35 years in one Lotus or another. That said, the '05 Elise developed a new and really irritating (and loud) squeek coming from the passenger side rear. It occurred when the rear hit any irregularity in the road. To make a long story short, it turned out that I had thrown the wife's GPS unit in the trunk and it had slid to a corner and wedged itself between the clam and trunk, rubbing on the clam whenever the car hit a bump. This brings me to the point of this post, what to look for in diagnosing squeeks from the back of the car. Things I have experienced or seen in other cars: 1. Loose underpanels or small pieces of gravel lodged between the underpanels and body shell... probably most common cause. 2. Loose exhaust system components... seen this one too. 3. Loose clam mounting bolts, especially the ones just behind and above the seats. This one was in the S1 and was especially annoying and hard to find. 4. Squeeking from the suspension bushings or shock towers... treated with a little silicone spray 5 Make sure theirs nothing in trunk that can wedge between the trunk and body shell I'm sure there are more but I thought I would list these as a starter...Dave

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09-10-2009, 08:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
tesprit Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Racine, WI Posts: 1,925	I had one that was a really bad rattling noise behind the seats at certain r.p.m. ranges. It turned out to be the rear clam touching the rear window after the hot engine had heated and expanded the clam. I found it by inserting a business card into the gap between the window and the clam and pulling it along the gap until it would get wedged in place. I then took the car for a drive with the card stuck in there and the noise was gone. The best fix would be to trim some fiberglass from the front edge of the clam at the window opening, but a couple pieces of thin rubber tape forced between the window and clam have been working perfectly for a couple of years now.

09-10-2009, 10:03 AM	#3 (permalink)
dwkoski Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 444	...forgot this one. Check the battery bracket to be sure it's tight...Dave

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