Monday on my way to work, I thought I noticed a slight clunk type noise from my front end. Today I am sure theres a noise, and it seems to be in the right front suspension.
I just removed the wheel to see what I could find, expecting play at the control arm, or wheel bearing (rotors and new grease a month ago). The only sign that any thing might be amiss, is a hint of oil on the strut. Could the strut cause this noise? There is no noticable change in handling. Is there someplace else I should be looking? My Mechanic is booked up 'til A week from tomorrow, and my PCA region has an auto-x on Sunday that I am (was) hoping to run. TIA!

 

My thoughts:

Slight oil on the strut is good, that means there's still lubricant in it

Your car has rebuildable struts with the screw-on tops. These can work loose, especially if you've done some work on them lately(?) <with wheel off> grab the strut housing and shake vigorously. You may be able to hear the insert clunking around. Pay particular attention to the top of the cap where the strut comes out... you may be able to see some movement. If so, tighten the cap (easier said than done though). If you tighten the cap and the strut rod still moves, then you may have a bad strut (though by that time you would have fealt the negative impact on handling). If you feel movement in the strut assembly, but not from the cartridge... it could be the strut top mount. That bearing does wear out, especially in an old car like yours (and mine:-) You'll need a new one of these if it's wiggly. Oh, and make sure the sturt nut is tight.... easily overlooked <trust me>

You mention you took the wheel off to check for loose components... may want to put it back on (tight) and wiggle the wheel. Gives you more leverage and will give a better feel for any parts 'out-of-spec'. Many times, the ball-joint will shows signs of wear that is not apparent except with the extreme force the 3000lb. car puts on it. Clunking is not normally an indication of ball-joint failure except in extreme and apparent conditions.

Wheel bearings are nearly the same deal, they don't usually clunk.... if they do, it's usually evident with the wheel off.

Some other area to check are the A-arm mounting points (bushings and eccentric), sway bars mounts (on the arms, and on the frame), lower strut-to-spindle mounts (very rare these are loose), and tie rods. Running out of options??? Start checking to see if the clunk is coming from somewhere else... though induced by a turn... like loose battery, engine mount, etc...

Good Luck! I don't like to see anyone miss an event

 

Skip,
Thanks for the answers/more stuff to look at. The weather cut short my investigation for tonight, but not before I gave most of this stuff a good shake. With the wheel on, a top to bottom shake did nothing, side to side just moved the steering wheel. After jacking and removing the wheel, the tye-rod, sway bar mounts and strut to spindle looked good.
I guess tomorrow is strut and upper mount day(didn't get to them). As far as I remember the strut hasn't been apart in the 3 years I've owned the car (7000 miles), But now that you've mentioned it. the noise sounds alot like the upper strut mount that went bad in the Audi 4000 mom used to drive. Also, what is the torque spec for the top of the strut?
Thanks again.

[ 07-10-2001: Message edited by: Dave ]

 

I believe Skip would be correct. If your noise is coming from the front it will most likely be one of those idems listed. My money would be on the strut cartridge or the sway bar mount(at the frame), probably the r/s under the oil filter and power steering pump. Happy Hunting and Good Luck

 

should read before i send! And i can spell item not (idem) sorry my bad.

 

57 ftlbs

If you're not getting any movement horizontal or vertical with the wheel on, then I would look outside the wheel/strut/spindle assembly. Find a deserted parking lot somewhere and do some low speed side-to-side action to really get a feel for where it's coming from. Still could be outside the suspension. Hey, you don't have a box of rocks in the trunk do you?

Good Luck!

 

Nope, no box-o-rocks, side to side did nothing, it's just bumps, holes, etc. Normally you feel that thump as you drive over a pothole, expansion joint etc. I have a noise that accompanies that thump.

 

Bummer, I'm out of ideas for along-distance diagnosis... maybe you could drop by (Seattle)

If it's just when you go over bumps, then maybe the strut is shot? How old are they? What type/brand?

 

A trip to Seattle is on the to do list, my youngest sister has lived in Everett for a few years, and my other sister moved to Seattle last winter. They both want to know when I'm comming out. I'm not planning on drining out though, at least not in a car that makes funny noises.
Due to a late meeting, I couldn't investigate further tonight, other than to notice that the right strut has 2 to 3 times as much oil on it. I bought the car 3 years ago w/ 88k on it (95k now) and the second owners records aren't the best (62 to 88k), so it's posible that the struts are original.
As the noise seems to have leveled off, and nothing feels amiss in the handling, I'm hoping to squeeze one last auto-x out of the car, then my mechanic can have a look next Wed.

If it does turn out to be the struts, any recomendations? The car is mostly stock, monthly PCA auto-x (want to finish out the season in S3) and sees daily spirited driving through 9 miles (round trip) of mountains,suburbs and highways. Thanks!

 

Hey Dave try this. If the car has strut inserts. Jack the car up .Remove the front wheels. Use a large pipe wrench, go in between the coils of the spring and try to tighten (very tight) the nut that holds the insert in the housing. It could be loose and you not be able to move it because of the coil spring tension. Try this and I think it will fix it. Good Luck.

 

You guys never learn... I'm BIASED

Why Koni, of course Seriously, if you're autocrossing that often I have to assume you want to compete. You also want to stay in stock... that spells Koni. the sports will breathe new-found life into your handling AND keep you in stock. What's more... you have the joy of inserts (less moola). $161ea front, $114ea rear.

Unbiased.... if those are the original struts, then they're way past due (by years, not necessarily miles) and you'd feel a difference with even an OE replacement.

Good luck at the AX... hope the clunk does not develop any further.

 

Dave,

I had the exact same noise. Tightening the cartridge nut is a good idea, but that was not my problem. I replaced the shocks with Koni Sport yellows and replaced the rubber strut mount with a solid monoball I got used from e-bay. Problem solved.

To save money, take the strut out yourself, remembering to mark with paint how it lines up with control arm. Never remove the large nut on top! Lossen the bottom bolts first, then those on the shock tower, and pull the whole assembly out from the bottom..

Take the whole thing to your mechanic along with the new inserts and have him put together. As long as you get it back together exactly where your painted marks are, no alignment should be required.

Do your AX, it's not coming out. I ran for 1/2 a season with that noise doing DE's!

Good Luck.