Few VX 2002 issues, help please.

[Satyrikon]

I have a 2002 VX, i dont know alot about cars at all.
I have a friend who usually does fluid changes are very minor maintanance for me on the car. And if serious issues arise i head to a mechanic.

Recently i have noticed im getting a grinding/clunking sound when steering, It sounds pretty much the same as shot CV Joints, however im led to believe these cars do not have CV joints, so im not sure what the noise could be? It doesnt happen all the time, sometimes it sounds really bad, then i wont hear it for a few days etc. it happens when i just get in the car and also after driving (so it doesnt appear to be a hot/cold issue)

Im thinking it might have something to do with when i went to get a set of tyres, the guys said something about something in the front end needing replacing, it wasnt urgent but i should look into it in the next 6 months (was about 8months ago now i guess). i forget what they said, Caster boots? caster bushes? something like that.

another thing, when i got the car, when breaking it had TERRIBLE front end vibration, making heavy braking on hills hard to hold the wheel. I replaced the rotors and pads and it fixed it almost entirely. it has started doing it again badly (roughly 11months after replacing the rotors) so i guess they are shot again. i know having an AUTO its going to wear alot more on the brakes, is there anything i can do to stop this happening so often? Without spending tonnes of money on performance/sport rotors and pads (i have kids and a wife! lol)

and also when breaking i notice i get a bit of travel on the auto shifter in the car, it makes a bit of a noise and appears to move like 0.5cm back and forth. not sure what thats about.


Sorry for the vague descriptions, i had a trawl through the common faults and commonly asked questions first but i couldnt see anything matching the descriptions.

if anyone could possibly help me out with what it might be id be much appreciative.

thanks for reading

[Cameron P]

firstly your car isnt fwd or awd so it doesnt have front cv joints.

the grinding issue could be a wheel bearing? but yeah the have front caster bushes.

the rotors could have been a shit brand or you could be braking heavily all the time. how many k's did you get out of them roughly?

hope that helps?!

[Mick1988]

VX commodores actually do have CV joints. You have a half axle between the diff and each rear wheel. Occasionally the joints in these flog out and they give you a grinding or clunking noise when you turn. Clunking could also be your sway bar links or your castor bushes, or even your tie rod ends if you have worn boots on them (sometimes a new steering rack doesn't come with new tie rod ends and they use your existing ones).

The vibration when you brake is a pretty common thing with these cars. Take your rotors to a place that machines them and they will solve this for you. We had brand new VZ SVZ wagons at work and they all had the brakes skimmed twice before the warranty was up.

As for the travel in your shifter, that usually means the gearbox and engine is moving so maybe check that your mounts aren't knackered. VXs are getting to the age where the mounts should just about be done.

[Cameron P]

yeah but i think he was talking about grinding in the front as he said when steering?!

[pablo]

After I had the original front discs machined once, which then started to vibrate again within a year, then fitted a new pair of front rotors and had them also machined in the next year to chase out the front disc vibration again. I chucked out the expensive performance pads that were originally recommended to me when I had the rotors first machined, and fitted a set of cheap Ferodo ZERO pads, made somewhere in Thailand from compressed donkey crap!..LOL, , and they were cheap, $30 for a front set and I have had no more vibration issues since. They lasted 45,000 K's, and I replaced them last month and the disc was quite smooth with no scoring evident. I have never had any issues with them not pulling me up from speed. The only down side is that they are a bit dusty.

Cheap Pablo

[Cameron P]

with the price of rotors these days you might aswell buy new ones each time..

[VR_Acclaim]

Ok out of you description this is what i recommend to you, Check your engine mounts my vr nad vs both had a bad vibration when braking, the shifter moved and it grinded when turning i spent out close to a grand if not more on new wheel bearings, pads, rotors, front end bushes, And it was an engine mount.