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My 2008 Ford Fiesta makes a sound like air coming out of a bicycle pump (in my opinion) when going over speed bumps. I noticed the rubber buffer on the back right shock is damaged. Can you help me diagnose the problem? Is it serious? From the little tests I have done, the car seems to be running fine.

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  • Under normal conditions and with stock shock, they will have sort of a squishing sound as they compress/decompress. This is the liquid going through valves. When you say "rubber buffer", what exactly are you talking about? Is it the rubber piece on either end of the shock? Also, did you actually finish the question ... looks unfinished to me.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Oct 16, 2014 at 15:05
  • hi yes the rubber parts at the top and its a bit torn. thanks for your reply. is this sound OK? the car seems to be running fine. is the end of my first post.
    – matt kelly
    Oct 17, 2014 at 16:39
  • @ChaseSandmann ... Sorry, your edit was correct. I hadn't seen the OP's comment yet when I was looking at the edit in the review section. I've asked a mod to go ahead and accept your edit. My apologies.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Oct 17, 2014 at 20:40

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As Paulster2 stated in the comments, good shocks will make a whooshing type noise when going over speed bumps, which is created by the fluid rushing through the shock valves. This is completely normal.

Also, considering the age of your vehicle, it is highly unlikely that your shocks are blown out unless you have been driving on extremely rough roads for long periods of time, or live in an extreme weather environment (think Death Valley with sand storms and a pinch of locusts type of extreme).

Rather than noise, the best way to see if your shocks are blown out is feel. Shocks are used to dampen the movement of the spring. A un-dampened spring (spring without a shock) will bounce up and down, slowly oscillating until it comes to a rest. You can test the shock by bouncing all your weight on one corner of the car. If the spring compresses, releases, and stops moving, the shock is functioning properly, if it compresses, releases, and keeps on bouncing without you adding more weight, the shock is no longer restraining the movement of the spring, and needs to be repaired or replaced.

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