" it clunks when i hit bumps now too."

Check our sway-bar D-bushing on the bracket that hangs from the car's body. The right one seems to go first because it gets corroded by the leaking power-steering fluid.

 

but i can really hear it from my left front and it only does it when my left wheel hit's a bump.

NOOO campeck, not the whole spindle crap again!

 

what about the strut it self is there any leaking or sign of leakage near there it could be starting to bind up then the release could be the clunk you hear

 

i just replaced the strut about a month ago

 

check everything associated with the front suspension. everything! the clunk is prob. a bushing worn or something not tightened. you can pretty much discount the wheel bearings as the culpret.

i used to have a clunck as you've described and it turned out to be the strut bolt (the big center nut) not tightened all the way down ( it would work loose from time to time, guess i shoulda used a new nut huh)

 

hmm. i used a new nut for that... i'm 99 percent sure its as tight as i could get it.. although, i didnt use a special tool, i just used an open end that would fit in the gulley of teh top of the strut mount.'

ill go checking some more. its just real strange...

 

I would check sway bar mounts.I had a clunk on my truck,turn right.left sided clunk.I was the sway bar bolt hitting a arm.Take a close look at all 4 mounts on the front.Look for a missing bushing too.

Good luck.

 

What condition is the right side swaybar mount in. Over time, oil from oil changes dripping on it cause deterioration problems.

 

Bad wheel bearings can clunk?

 

peckster, my dad said it could, and that it has bene the prob on one of his old sportscars once like that. but apparently not this time. my right sway bar bushing is held together with zip ties, it's been that way since i got it. not sure that it could really go anywhere differnet then it's been..

 

anyone got any good cheap sources for bushings for the swaybar? might as well do it...

and the clunking is getting worse btw.

 

I just installed new sway bar bushings.
dont know where dad bought them though....sorry.

 

How about the big gland nut on top of the strut housing? I usually crank that down pretty good with a pipe-wrench. Depending upon the strut-insert, you may also need a 1/4" spacer or else the insert will be loose inside the housing; even when the nut is fully tightened down.

 

Some month ago I had a similar elusive "clunk" when hitting holes, and It was particularly difficult to diagnose the source cause eveything appeared OK.

The "truth" was revealed with a "wheel shake test", grabbing the wheel in the hours 3-9 and 6-12 and shaking, front car lifted with both front wheels free.

The defective component was in my case the rear A-arm bushing, also called "caster bushing", in which the rubber part was detached from the metal part, apparently allowing a metal-to metal contact in certain situations. A caster bushing can be checked for this defect only dismounting it.

Also check carefully all the front sway bar bushings. I suggest you do the shake test as a diagnosing aid.

Ugo

 

Devon ,
I might have some old sway bar busings,from my stock ones.What size sway bar do you have?Is it stock?if so my old one might help.If I still have them their yours if you need them.