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lately i have been gettign a clunk sound

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I heart beavers

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
anyways, lately I have been noticing a clunk sound coming from the from right part of the car. At first I thought it was the ball joint going bad, replaced it and the whole control arm and bushings. isnt the tie rod at all either..
or the upper strut bolts.

I am now thinking it is the upper strut mount starting to give out... anyone agree? it is when i turn really hard left or accelerate hard.
also isnt cv. it just goes clunk. I am like pretty sure it is the strut mount, just wanted to get other opinions


Modified by I heart beavers at 11:09 AM 7-26-2005
 
#2 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (I heart beavers)

I have a similar clunk, but mine happes at low speed, like when I come to a stop, and then go again, that small change of direction causes a *tunk* from the front right. I dunno if its the brakes, or just the pads shifting, the strut mount, or the swar bar binding or sticking....it's really annoying.
I have no solutions for you, I just needed someone to bond with.
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#3 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (I heart beavers)

if you have the front end up off the ground,and the hood open leave your key in the on position to bypass the steering lock (if yours still works). go to the side you suspect and grab that wheel @ 6 and 9 o'clock. force the wheel through its' range of motion paying note to the strut bearing. as you slowly work the wheel back and forth l-i-s-t-e-n to the bearing and watch it for play. also... the black rubber area shouldn't have a (large) gap between it and the gold top plate of the mount... 1/8 inch~1/4 inch...anything more than that and you're looking at replacing the mounts.
also take note of the order of the parts during disassembly, there is a small bushing that lives down in the strut bearing before you put the final top-most washer on. if that bushing is missing the strut bearing will bind up and make for difficult/heavy steering feedback.
good luck!
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Re: (Shislerocco)

yes, everything is al complete and together in there... it just started happening one day, never happened before. i havent been really trying to find out what the problem is, but after me processing it in my head and putting on a bunch of new parts I think I made it the strut bearings and mounts... not a biggy, like 16 bucks each for oem.
 
#8 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (I heart beavers)

My car acts exactly like that - it knocks when I accelrate, and when I go over any bump with the right side - the knock comes from the front.
My service documents show that the struts were replaced by a shop in 2002. BUT - i had a look at it with the wheel off. That strut has no dust boot, or bump stop AT ALL. So I assume an idiot put it together and there is no bushing in there either. Dangit. The other side is fine and normal.
 
#12 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (I heart beavers)

If you do the strut bearings, you might want to check that your strut insert isn't moving inside the housing. I have had this happen twice, and it makes a clunk. It is remedied by putting oil in the strut housing before putting in the insert. Also make sure the insert is seated correctly before putting the nut back on.
Also, the steel spacer that goes on top of the strut bearing can be fine tuned on a grinding wheel until it is just slightly higher than the top of the bearing, before putting the washer and nut on. This helps tighten things up a little too.
 
#15 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (ant398)

yeah...the oil is there to actually cool the strut cartridge....y'ever feel the outside of a bicycle tire pump after you've got done using it? it's H-O-T. the result of friction...which is the same thing goin' on in that strut cartridge as the piston moves to and fro in the oil inside.
and if the cartridge weren't properly seated when the 'cap' was screwed down it would be apparent...
 
#16 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (ginster86roc)

I have the same clunk in the front of mine. I attribute it to the spring settling and moving around inside the strut. As you turn it it has to move back and forth, and if you didn't put in those peices of rubber, under and on top of the spring, that the the cars no doubt originally had, then the clunk will result.
Hope this helps.
B
 
#17 ·
Re: lately i have been gettign a clunk sound (vwleadfoot)

good point leadfoot...
and that reminds me: i once (as a young and foolish lad) cut my front coils. as a result, the spring was now too short to be under tension if the suspension was unloaded (i.e., frt wheels in the air). my springs would rattle going over the many cobblestone streets here in winter park. so how'd i fix it?....went to home depot and bought some clear tubing of the correct diameter. with your favorite lubricant (an' i really don't wanna know what that is
Image
) to slippery things up..i forced this clear tubing onto the spring, to cover at least one coil revolution. did this on to and bottom. end result: the tubing took up some of the needed space...rattle went away. also kept the upper and lower coils from riding on each other...known as coil bind.
also make sure your springs are indexed....in other words, make sure the lower pigtail is at home in the little recess designed for it on the strut housing. the top one is less orientation-specific..it just needs to be centered (before you put weight down on the strut).
does that help any?
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Re: (webthread)

Quote, originally posted by webthread »


Me too, I'm disappointed.

well if it helps, last time i got drunk i was when i was camping a few weeks ago. ended up making out and playing around with my friends ex gf which all my friends told him and screwed everything up
Image


that was fun.
 
#20 ·
Re: (I heart beavers)

Quote, originally posted by I heart beavers »

well if it helps, last time i got drunk i was when i was camping a few weeks ago. ended up making out and playing around with my friends ex gf which all my friends told him and screwed everything up
Image


that was fun.

Yowza... You still call them friends after that?
Image
 
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