clunk pissing me off

[Killr6]

hey guys got a rattle coming from left hand wheel when hitting small bumps it sounds like something is loose and making a ratting noise, quite loud.

i have changed

-sway bar link pins/bushes
-radidus rod bushes

still no problem fixed, it doesnt make the noise when braking or turning normally but on bumps it does.

would it be my strut top mounts? or could my shock be f*****. any help to point my in the right direction would be awesome, before i keep spending money.

Dan.

[TimWalton]

It could be a couple of things. It might indeed be your shock or strut top, but it might also be wheel bearing or control arm bushes.

You could try doing the bounce test to see if it's the shock absorber. Give the quarter panel above the wheel a few solid pushes downwards and if the car bounces more than about one to one and a half times then your shock's on the way out.

As for checking the strut top, jack the left side of the car up and put a stand under it to support it as you'll have your hands under there. Pop the bonnet, grab the wheel and lift it up and down fairly firmly while keeping an eye on the strut top. If you can hear and feel a definite clunking and you can see it moving heaps then that's your problem.

If you don't get anything from either of these tests, you can check for wheel bearing movement. With the car still jacked up, get on your knees and move the wheel side to side, with your hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions on it. You don't have to do it so you turn the steering, it's just gentle, you'll generally feel any movement pretty quickly. After that, grab the wheel in the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and move it like you're trying to rotate it towards you on the horizontal axis. Again, you'll feel any movement. Then, spin the wheel and listen for any unusual noises like grinding or a whirring.

The best way to check for worn control arm bushes is to get under the car with a torch and look for any cracks in the rubber where the control arm bolts into the chassis.

I know how annoying an elusive knock or clunk is in a car so I hope this helps you out.

[Killr6]

thank you very much for quick reply and a few tests i can try, i will go and try them now, also forgot to add i have changed the control arm bushes. be back soon after a few tests cheers.

[Killr6]

ok mate, pushing down on the shock it seemed fine, struts when pushing the wheel up from the bottom seemed fine, no sound or movement (i could barley move it)

but when i grabbed the wheel at "9 and 3" and moved it side to side a noise like chunk chunk chunk was made with each movement, but with "12 and 6" no sound.

hope this makes sense.

[Wombles]

Tie rod end maybe?

[Killr6]

got a new steering rack with tie rock ends/boots about 2 months ago. they seemed fine.

[GothicKidd]

ok mate, pushing down on the shock it seemed fine, struts when pushing the wheel up from the bottom seemed fine, no sound or movement (i could barley move it)

but when i grabbed the wheel at "9 and 3" and moved it side to side a noise like chunk chunk chunk was made with each movement, but with "12 and 6" no sound.

hope this makes sense.

Side to side(9 and 3) movement would probably be your link pins, or steering rack.
If you had noises when you had up and down movement(12 and 6) that would probably mean your balljoints.

Go over your car and check all the nuts and bolts are tight! I had a dreadful clunk for ages and it was the kframe moving (loose bolt)

[rb30vlsl]

this happens to my vt calias in left front too ,been wondering what it is for a while...

[Killr6]

might just bit the bullet and take it to a suspension shop, just dont want them to point me on the wrong direction and i end up spending more than i need to.

[juiceie vh sle]

i would say the strut top mounts need replacing. nolathane ones are $150 with bearings

[TimWalton]

I reckon GothicKidd is onto something here. You say you had link pins and rubbers replaced and you got a steering rack put in two months ago. If it was a second hand rack, it wouldn't surprise me if the tie rod ends weren't in the greatest condition and they're probably the cause of the clunking when you move the wheel. Get someone to slide under the car while you move the wheel side to side and, if it's worn, they should see the ball moving in the socket.

The tie rod end generally won't clunk when going over bumps unless it is really worn so this could be a loose nut or bolt. Grab the link pin and move it back and forth and see if it clunks about. If so, get a spanner (14mm or 16mm I think) and tighten the nuts. You may also have to hold the pin itself with a shifter or something. Depending on the design, it may be a straight pin with threads at either end or it'll have ball socket at a right angle on the bottom in which case, when tightening the top nut, you don't have to hold the pin. If it's a ball socket design you'll have to hold the joint. You can slip a spanner in behind the rubber boot to hold it otherwise it'll just spin.

[Killr6]

hey cheers mate will try them this arvo, i only put the link pins/bushes in yesterday arvo..still got the same nosie when replaced.

few things i have noticed tho is, my left hand wheel sits further foward then my right hand wheel, and the ratting noise is only loudest when i have a passenger in the front seat, if im by myself i can bearley hear a thing.

[Killr6]

this is my tie rod on the left hand side...think i found my problem...

[Killr6]

changed the toe rods today, still have same noise got super pissed off jacked the car up and bumped the calliper to find my problem loose bolts, the calliper was moving around so much. and noise gone.

[TimWalton]

Well it's good you found the problem.

[Cashman_309]

Least you have new tie rod ends, which would communicate steering input to the road with a bit more certainty now.