Front End Clunk - Solved

[scaredyet]

Edit; when doing sway bar links make sure the bolts are tightened under load or they will be lose as was the case with mine.





So I had a front end clunk for a while coming from all sorts of places when I used to stop then reverse there was a clunk going over bumps would clunk.

I ended up putting anti rattle shims in the front calipers and these reduced the clunking/knocking sound but then it seems to have come back but less.

I also changed the front sway bar links, D bushes, tie rod end and steering rack end and steering rack boot. This seemed to have worked but now after a couple of weeks the knocks are back. Sounds a bit different this time but when I shake the car pushing the roof it clunks. And now going over bumps does it as well.

Could it be that I haven't tightened the sawy bar links properly. I just read that it should be under load before tightening.

I purchased strut top mounts but have not installed yet.

Do rear sway bar links go bad too?

Mines a wagon

 

[rambunctious]

If possible, get the car up on ramps/planks and get under it while someone rocks the car/bounces on the guard to create the clunk while you look for it.
If you don't have ramps/planks, place the car with one side on the footpath/kerb to give you the room to get under it.
I found my clunk was sway bar link loose nut thanks to my 80 year old neighbour doing the bouncing.
Clunk going from forward to reverse is probably normal in a car this old so don't worry about that.

Do it safe.

 

[scaredyet]

I have ramps I'll do this. It's just very frustrating when you fix one thing after spending the whole day and then a couple of days later another thing comes up

 

[Digger94]

Have a similar noise from the front of my VZ ute .Turned out to be front strut mounts and bearings.
Just had them changed and all good now.

 

[vc commodore]

The way I find noises like this is, jack the car up and put it on axle stands under the chassis rail so the front is drooping down...From that you can shake the wheels left to right, with a lever up and down and a screw driver inbetween bushes listening for sounds...

 

[scaredyet]

I'll look into it

 

[scaredyet]

So I went to the local tyre dealer where I get my rego and wheel alignments done because I had a clunk coming from the front end. I had done a bit of front end work a couple of weeks back( tie rod, sway bar links, d bushes, steering rack end) and got a wheel ligament done and everything was sweet then two weeks later the clunk came back.

I asked the boys it they could check the front end and lo and behold it was the sway bar links. Apparently the bolts were loose. As I suspected. They said they need to be tight under load, on a hoist, ramp or if you jack the car up make sure it's real tight.

I wasn't charged for the work done.

 

[rambunctious]

Well there ya go, didn someone mention that at post #2.

 

[scaredyet]

Well there ya go, didn someone mention that at post #2.

Yes you did