Nasty front end clunk

[Liquid_force]

The other day I hit a pretty big bump driving on some rough roads in the process of resurfacing. It was actually a manhole cover sticking up a few inches from what had been milled off. They "tried" to put some asphalt around it to create a bit of a ramp, but it didn't help.

I heard a borderline "violent" clunk from the front left. It's the loudest noise of this type I've ever heard from any car. I assumed/hoped it was the sway bar link on that side breaking all at once.
It drives and steers normally.

Over the next 60 miles or so the noise didn't repeat itself, but I had been babying it some.

So today, pulling out of a parking lot onto a wide, lightly traveled road I nailed it and heard the same, loud "CLUNK!"
I heard a couple similar but quieter noises slowing down, turning, and hitting a bump entering a parking lot (gutter).
But again, the rest of the day i drove it another 100 miles or so and never really had any issues driving it more casually.

Tie rods and lbj's are new. I recently repaired a subframe "pop" and this noise is definitely not that.
I've looked over the strut - nothing obvious is wrong. Front sway bar end links are less than a year old and look fine.
The driver's side sway bar bushing is worn - there might be an 1/8" gap or so in there, but I can't imagine it's making a sound this severe.

I looked at the strut spring and tried to look at the mount from above and below and didn't see any obvious problems.

Axle?

 

[stephen newberg]

Have you checked to see if the bar itself is intact? I broke the front bar once, and it produced a loud clunk result until replaced.

pax, smn

 

[Liquid_force]

Well, I didn't have the bar in mind specifically, but I sat there scratching my head yesterday looking at the end link and sway bar bushing from where the end link/bar connect back to where the bushing is.
I saw nothing that looked unusual.
Looked the a-arm over - it seemed tight.

This morning there was more of a typical "thud" on accel/brk so I'm thinking that bushing is probably making SOME noise, but it still doesn't explain the occasional LOUD clunk I've been hearing.

For reference -- my old Turbo Tbird once had a front sway bar bushing so badly worn it was basically gone. Bar-to-bracket rattling almost constantly, and pretty nasty on a big bump. I still don't think I heard a clunk like I'm hearing now.

Initially I was sure something of size had just plain broken. It was a hard hit and a LOUD noise. I was very surprised not to find an obvious problem.

:banghd: Even when I think it will be easy it's not.

It did not feel like a physical impact (bottom out).

 

[stephen newberg]

Did you check the springs? A broken spring can give those symptoms.

pax, smn

 

[Liquid_force]

yeah, checked those as well as I could also.
Definitely seem like something that could make the sound I'm hearing, but for as much of them as I can see nothing looks out of place.

 

[fitefanSHO]

Stories like this are my worst nightmare.

My last SHO clunked a ton and I really hated it and it was so awful and nothing could or would ever fix it. This latest SHO does not (knock on wood) clunk but I am so traumatized by all that clucking in my last SHO that I almost always expect a clunk and I will do anything and everything to avoid going over any road conditions that might damage this car and bring about a new clunking situation.

I feel your pain.

 

[Liquid_force]

Whatever it is, it is caused with accel/decel only.

If I accelerate hard, it will clunk. If I follow it with a hard brake, it will clunk again, not QUITE as loud.

However, if I accelerate hard, slow down gradually, and accelerate hard again it won't clunk a 2nd time. Same with braking.

 

[TimboSHO]

Check the tightness of your axle nuts. I've seen/heard this happen before numerous times because of a loose nut. That, or excessive play in the CV joint.

 

[LJRuddy]

Unload the suspension and start wiggling stuff around. Maybe something feels tight due to the weight of the car holding it together but it only "loosens up" when weight is taken off of it.

 

[stephen newberg]

Ah, if it can be avoided by very slow acceleration or deceleration, it is almost certainly the CV joints. There are other minor possibles like loose wheels, but the CV joints are by far the most likely cause.

pax, smn

 

[Liquid_force]

after another head scratching session - cv joint makes sense based on what causes the noise, but the other possibility I'm hung up on is the front bushing of the control arm. I can peek in there and just barely see it, and I can't convince myself that it looks "right".
I can't figure out a way to duplicate the force to see if I can get it to make the noise, but in torquing the axle I'm not getting a noise either.

The other factor being that it initiated on a bump in the road which also seems more likely to effect a suspension component than the axle.

 

[Dubeckyj]

How are your subframe bushings? In my G3 SLO, I had shot front bushings, and it would clunk pretty bad on accel and shifts.

 

[Liquid_force]

I had a slight subframe pop for a while, but that's been repaired. This is a much louder "clunkier" sound.

For some unknown reason my clunk is gone today. It did it a couple times early on, and for the next 60 miles, nothing.

So I don't know wtf is going on.

 

[Liquid_force]

For some unknown reason my clunk is gone today. It did it a couple times early on, and for the next 60 miles, nothing.

So I don't know wtf is going on.

Uh, scratch that. I just hadn't been stepping on it hard enough.

 

[SHOZ123]

I use to get a clunk. On my car it was the front control arm bolt loose. You go to get it as tight as you can. Breaker bar and 2" pipe.

 

[QUIRK]

I use to get a clunk. On my car it was the front control arm bolt loose. You go to get it as tight as you can. Breaker bar and 2" pipe.

Mine is doing this also, just started today, but I had to remove it to replace my 3rd alternator. I will probably have to wait until this weekend as I don't drive mine everyday and frankly, I am getting tired of working on it all the time.

I was expecting to search for ever to find something on this and right here at the top it is. lol

 

[SHOZ123]

The drivers side is kind of hard as you need to get a wrench on the top and there is not much room unless you have girlie hands. Passenger side is OK.

 

[Liquid_force]

Car's at the shop.

Ugh. I really don't like shops.

Even the shops I like, I don't like.

 

[stephen newberg]

Even the shops I like, I don't like.

Great line.

pax, smn

 

[Liquid_force]

Ah, if it can be avoided by very slow acceleration or deceleration, it is almost certainly the CV joints. There are other minor possibles like loose wheels, but the CV joints are by far the most likely cause.

pax, smn

That's what the shop came up with too.
They charged me $26 for diagnosis, and quoted me $316 for the replacement.
They stopped short of telling me they were certain that is the problem, but I got the impression they were pretty sure.

Garage time will be hard to come by in the near future, but I plan to tackle it in the next couple weeks.

Other than Raxles (at what, $150 or so?), are there any "standard" replacement brands that are more likely to provide a quality shaft than the rest?

I'm looking at GSP and Fenco at Advance Auto. Their discounts make them about as cheap as rockauto.

I suppose Shosource's $100 NEW ones would come highly recommended.