An Interesting "Thunk"

[SuperHO]

Okay.....got new front suspension not too long ago......LCAs, outer tie rods, both front struts....both axles....

Anywho, ever since then, if I make a left turn under hard throttle, upshift to 2nd hard, or anything else that makes the front right work a little bit, I get this loud "THUNK" and my allignment goes to ****. Here's where it gets weird.....if I give the brakes a lil shove, just hard enough to make the nose dive a little bit, it "THUNKS" again and the allignment is straightened out. I've had the shop that did my suspension drive it, ride with me and examine it, and all they can come up with is either a broken strut mount (said they didn't look the best when he put em back in) or a locked up strut..........

Okay...I'm dumb when it comes to suspension.....any ideas?

 

[SHO SPD]

If your alignment goes all to **** when this happens its not strut mount. my money is on strut rod bushings being bad, or subframe loose.

 

[SuperHO]

strut rod bushings are good...nice, red polyurethane. As far as the subframe goes, I torqued em down to about 125lb-ft a little over a month ago while I was replacing a motor mount. this only started happening after I had my LCAs, outer tie-rods and struts replaced....

 

[SHO SPD]

hmm. Maybe where the LCA bolts to the subframe isnt tightened down properly. Do you hear any other noises while driving down the road?

 

[SuperHO]

A few clunks and chunks....nothing to amazing...

 

[SHO SPD]

Next time you have your front end up shake things around see if you find ANY loosness. I cant really think of anything else without driving it. Good luck

 

[SuperHO]

I've tried that.....I checked all that crap when the guys who do my stuff had it up on a lift replacing passenger's half shaft. One thing that gets me is that the dousche who put the pinch bolt in the spindle to hold the LCA on didn't get the ball joint all the way in the hole, and I drove about 3 miles before taking it back and finding out what was wrong....could it be that killed the ball joint or something?

 

[SHOtimer]

What I would do is get the car up in the air and examine the position of everything under it. Then go out and make it "Thunk" so that your alignment goes to crap. Then don't get it to "thunk" back into place but get it up in the air when the alignment is to crap and see what has moved.

Doug

 

[N3FOL]

'Thunk' on the right front side

I really hope that it could be your strut tension bushings that are bad. I do have almost the same problem on my 95 SHO...everytime I hit a small bump, I only hear it on the right front side. My Al. Sub. Bushings are tight and double checked by me. My strut tension bushings are old, (soon to replaced) but everytime I step on the brakes and I hit a small bump...I do not hear the 'Thunk' at all. It only happens when my foot is off the brakes. Very strange to me...could someone explain this phenomena?

 

[shocrates]

strut rod bushings are good...nice, red polyurethane.

Is the strut rod bushing mount in the subframe secure? Moog Bulletin

 

[SuperHO]

What I would do is get the car up in the air and examine the position of everything under it. Then go out and make it "Thunk" so that your alignment goes to crap. Then don't get it to "thunk" back into place but get it up in the air when the alignment is to crap and see what has moved.

Doug

the only problem with that is once it "thunks" and goes to ****, as soon as I hit the brakes or let off the gas if I'm ******* the throttle, it "thunks" back down and straightens back out.....I'm still not so sure it's not the pinch bolt on the spindle or the ball joint....

 

[SHOtimer]

Rick (shojuan), had a similar problem with his '89 a little while ago similar to what is going on with you. Except whenever he gave it gas the alignment went to crap, and when he let off it went back. It turned out that where the strut rod connects to the balljoint/control arm (it goes through the middle of it) assembly was loose.

Check that.

Doug

 

[SuperHO]

Might it be so easy??!!??

 

[bobreimer]

I had the same problem ..... thunk on hard acceleration, or hard braking ..... it was a worn ball joint .....

 

[SuperHO]

....brand spanking new ball join....

 

[SHOtimer]

Might it be so easy??!!??

You'll only know if you check.

Doug

 

[SuperHO]

dammit! Why do I have to be in this hospital, 30 miles from my tools and a floor jack!!!