"clunking" front end - still

[zoom zoom]

So I had a topic up a couple weeks ago about how my car clunks hard when I shift..it was mostly from 1-2 sometimes 2-3 and rarely ever 3-4-5.

It was my consencus changing the lca/sway bar bushings would be the first step since its cheapest..I did and it didn't really help the problem, the bushings were wore anyway.

Then today I changed the lower control arm, and it is nowhere near the clunking it was doing..unless I shift hard I don't feel it at all, except in the higher gears now, it is more evident.

Someone had said the rear transmission mount could be the culprit. I'll probably be changing it soon, but I've heard the one listed at all the parts stores isn't right, I was wondering if anyone could confirm a part # that will work in my 94 aspire before I spend $ on a part that doesn't fit?

It's not nearly "clunking" as bad now as it was, so far about 10-15k miles ago I replaced the driver side driveaxel, about 5k miles ago I upgraded to 02 KIA Rio struts/springs and cut a coil, I replaced the bushings with K9737 moog polyurethane bushings, and today a new lca, and there's still an issue. I could probably live with it till it gets worse but I'd rather not...

Is there any way to definitively know if the tranny mount is bad without removing it? I stuck my finger in there and felt around, the rubber seems to be intact, no cracks or dryrotting...

Any advise is welcomed and appreciated, thanks -matt


Also, I've done extensive listening to it, I was thinking the passenger side driveaxel could have something to do with it? But I can't hear any clicking when turning/corners at all, the driver side clicked and clunked bad before I changed it. I'm not sure if it'll help you help me but I figured you should know its not clicking..

[WmWatt]

Mmmmmmm, get a small microphone and attach it in different places under the car where you suspect the loose part is? Plug it into a battery operated tape recorder. Play back the tape and see where it sounds loudest.

[georgeb]

Put the car in 1st and have a large human rock it back and forth while you are looking at the mounts and CV joints.

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I can grab the driver side axel and twist it a little, till it locks in place. Probably a quarter of a turn both ways..isnt that normal tho?

[nitrofarm]

Any advise is welcomed and appreciated, thanks -matt.

Hey while the car is just sitting there go up to the fenders and push down as hard as you can. Does it pop on either side? If it does its suspension. You said you replaced the LCA's but the noise can be coming from the upper strut mount.It can also be coming from a Junk spring isolater (rubber doughnut). Or the strut can be junk enternally. After you do the fender test.Jack up the car and with the weight off the vehicle.And the tire off the ground just enough to get your prybar under the tire @ 6 oclock. Pry the tire upwards with one hand.While your other hand push's the top of the tire inwards. Do this rapididly and listen for a LOUD noise. Dont worry if you have some play thats good and normal using the prybar method. You are looking for obvious clunking. If you done all that and still havent found anything move on to the engine/Tranny mounts. Get under them with your prybar and try to get the noise or obvious excessive movemant. You can also have someone watch the engine while "slightly" dump the clutch @ idle a couple of times (looking for the engine to move excessive). Lastly are your axle boots good? I didnt recall seeing that in your post.Could be coming from a dry cv joint. Good Luck and if you dont have a Prybar,get one. They are one of your best Drivetrain/Suspension tools. Harbor Freight has lots of them cheap. Get the biggest one they have.Plus a medium sized one. Thomas-

[zoom zoom]

Well, ..a little history about the suspension

3 years ago I replaced:
Both tie rod ends
Steering rack inner boot (driver side)
2 wheel bearings

20k ish miles ago I replaced:
Rear passenger side wheel bearing
Repacked the driver side (front and rear) bearings

I started getting a clunking and clicking around corners/turns..so about 15k miles ago I replaced the driver side driveaxel and didn't have any issues at all for about 10k miles.

My passenger side was sagging pretty bad, the whole front end was sitting low, but passenger side was really low.. so around 1-2k miles ago I put new 02 KIA Rio struts/springs under it and cut a coil off each spring. (Cut the bottom they sit in the perch nicely)

After that, the clunking(NO CLICKING) started getting worse and worse by the day, I posted the topic a few weeks ago, and everyone was saying lca or bushings or tranny mount.

I replaced the lca/sway bar bushings last week (300 mi.) And it didn't seem to help at all, so this week I changed the lca and the clunking is pretty much gone. I get a faint clunking still tho, occasionally, I'm not sure if its a mount going bad, pass side driveaxel/lca, or maybe its the clutch going out? I have no clue, but I'd rather hope its suspension related v pulling the tranny to replace the clutch.

I'll do those tests you recommended tomorrow tho and let you know what happens. I've got some pipes I use..I do need to invest in a sturdy prybar tho.

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ok so i went and did some recommended checks, pushing down on both sides as hard as i could resulted in some un sss un ss un ss un sss .. was kinda a catchy beat really..

i jacked up each side, and used a 4' pipe to pry up and pushed in hard with my hand.. there's almost no play whatsoever in the wheel, and definately no clunks or noises out of the ordinary.

the axel boots all seem to be intact, with no obvious cracks or tears..

i guess it's on to the tranny/engine mounts, i'll see if i can have my g/f back up pull foward, she dumps the clutch anyway and hopes for the best... so ...

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ok i went out and watched her back up and come foward a few times, the engine does take a dive foward sometimes when you let off the clutch faster than you should

i'm uploading a video, it's like 20% atm, maybe you guys can help me determine wether it's my lifters knocking or the rods.. and there's a sound, kinda like a turbo, i believe is the timing cover rubbing on a pulley

done.. lmk everything you hear that's wrong with my car! notice on the second time i take off backwards, the front end took a dive foward.. that's the only time it did the clunking during this.. it does it every now and then shifting 3-4-5 gears too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isUXt6JOd_4

[WmWatt]

do you use a torque wrench to tighten nuts and bolts to spec?
check that the LCA pinch bolt is tight? mine was loose. the car clunked when it ran over a bump.
can test for that by driving over a speed bump or simialr.

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no.. it doesn't clunk over bumps, just when i shift.. I don't use a torque wrench because they were dirty and my boys gave em a bath.. in the tub.. so i dont' trust the readings anymore.. but the bolt/nut is tight..

[88FestivaLX]

I had a very annoying clunking in the front end of my car. I replaced control arms, outer tie rods, struts etc and it still did it. I finally started messing with it more and noticed the passenger inner tie rod had some play. So I went to change it....took the boot off the rack and a bunch of pieces of what looked like a bushing fell out. Inner tie rod was fine. All my clunking was from inside the rack....so I need a new rack. I don't know if that's your problem, but thought I would put it out there!

[FestYboy]

88, talk to Kartracer about rebuilding your rack, he has the means IIRC.

[drddan]

Zoom Zoom, reading your posts. I noticed you said you replaced the LCA....singular. Did you replace just ONE LCA? ...or both?

[zoom zoom]

Just the driver side LCA so far.. I have the new moog bushings for the passenger side lca/sway bar, but I'm deathly afraid of snapping the threaded rod off the sway bar taking the nut off..so I haven't actually taken that lca off yet, but I don't have any play in the wheel over there.. I suppose, it wouldn't hurt to change the thing anyway, I've been hitting the sway bar nut with pb blaster daily for a week or so, I might attempt it tomorrow and check that ball joint out.

On a side note, since I'm afraid of breaking the sway bar, would an impact wrench be the best thing to use getting that nut off the first time? I was thinking the initial torque might help it bust loose as oppose to slowly twisting it off with a cheater pipe?

[FestYboy]

just hit it with a steel brush and then some PB Blast... i wouldn't worry about the threads comming off, more worried about the threads going back on....