Clunking coming from the front (with vid)

[jeffmills69]

Agree about the strut top jumping up and down. Sway Bar bushes are pretty easy. I had no trouble reaching down over the radiator with a ratchet from memory ( could have been a spanner)

Sweet I'll give it a go when I get the chance. I thought I'd ask aswell about taking the nuts off of the strut where it attaches to the rotor, this video I was watching said that I'd need to replace the nuts as they're a one time use, is that true?

 

[syked]

Is there any mid tier options? Also, I've done that bounce test with the front and rear and they both seem to not bounce more than once



Thanks for pointing out the top plate, I jacked up the front and noticed that the top plate was sitting flush when it was raised.. so would that 100% mean the strut mounts need to be changed?

Also checked every bushing and ball join, look good and theres no wiggling on anything

I don't have spring compressors either, do these look fine?

Maybe it's worth undoing the top plate whilst the car is on the ground and making sure the strut mounts are tight. Only do this whilst the car is on the ground as the springs will be loaded.

Yeah those spring compressors look fine.

Sweet I'll give it a go when I get the chance. I thought I'd ask aswell about taking the nuts off of the strut where it attaches to the rotor, this video I was watching said that I'd need to replace the nuts as they're a one time use, is that true?

Yeah the sway bar D bush brackets are easily accessible from within the Engine bay.

The strut to hub bolts and nuts are technically one time use but many have reused them again without issue. Some new struts come with new bolts.

 

[jeffmills69]

Maybe it's worth undoing the top plate whilst the car is on the ground and making sure the strut mounts are tight. Only do this whilst the car is on the ground as the springs will be loaded.

Yeah those spring compressors look fine.

Yeah the sway bar D bush brackets are easily accessible from within the Engine bay.

The strut to hub bolts and nuts are technically one time use but many have reused them again without issue. Some new struts come with new bolts.

Undid the top plates, the nut was tight underneath but the bush looked uneven which i'd describe as looking compressed, also hit the top mount on the car around where the strut thread pokes through and it sounded alot like this clunking I've been hearing.. heres to hoping that changing everything gets rid of it. Also do you reckon some loctite on the nuts would be a good idea?

And if you don't mind me asking I'm considering swapping the front and rear strut and spring for kyb struts but unsure on the springs, are lovell or kings a good option? I was looking at standard height but will the lower ones making the ride nicer or its just cosmetic?

 

[greenacc]

Lower springs make the ride stiffer for better performance handling but not nicer..
Yes Lovells or Kings, Kings seem to be more popular but if you want comfort don't lower it.

 

[MYVESSV8]

kyb, monroe, with lovells, kings or pedders springs, i found kings a bit crashey (personal taste/feeling)
go with gas shocks, above brands, could probably use existing springs they may have sagged a little though-your choice if your lower expect a harder ride)
new strut top mounts (quality rubber ones, pedders are good (bit dearer though) they come with new bearings or Mackay branded,
the sway bar d bush's easy-cheap, links easy-cheap, then you may have a noise from Lower control arm or caster arm bush's
do the simple and easy ones first
polylast bush's from superpro are very good but not cheap

 

[TAS1981]

The sway bar bushes can look perfect and still be no good. mine looked fine, they just wear and allow the sway bar to slide side to side. Replacing them cured my front end knock, I also did the end links but not until a little later. The bushes alone stopped the noise. It is easy enough to do, I managed to do mine on the side of the road with the car on a camber, though would not recommend that if you have some axle stands and a flat drive way!
I had had the strut mounts looked at and replaced fairly recently. At this stage all the bushes are knackered and really a full replacement set would be the way to go.

 

[jeffmills69]

The sway bar bushes can look perfect and still be no good. mine looked fine, they just wear and allow the sway bar to slide side to side. Replacing them cured my front end knock, I also did the end links but not until a little later. The bushes alone stopped the noise. It is easy enough to do, I managed to do mine on the side of the road with the car on a camber, though would not recommend that if you have some axle stands and a flat drive way!
I had had the strut mounts looked at and replaced fairly recently. At this stage all the bushes are knackered and really a full replacement set would be the way to go.

I've given the sway bar a good tug with the wheels off and the end links still attatched with no movement, is it a different story when you're driving? And I'd assume you slide the old bushings off and slide the new on or do you have to remove the bar completely?

 

[greenacc]

D bushes have a cut in the back of them. So you don't slide them on you just rip the old ones off and slip the new ones around the bar. You will see when you buy them.
Also if you could sit the old strut tops next to some new ones you would see how squashed the old ones are, usually 20-30 mm difference. That's where the rattle comes from.

 

[jeffmills69]

Sweet, good to know. I ended up changing the strut bushes to get some experience disassembling everything while I figured out what springs I was going to get and yeah they're definitely shorter than the replacements.

Next step after the D bushes would be looking over the brakes again.. does anyone know how the shims hold the brake pads, as in do you straighten the ears that hold the pads in the shim or do you bend them back a bit? Surprisingly can't find anything about them on this forum

 

[greenacc]

You don't bend them or straighten them. Leave them how they are.