SFB help follow up

[JonVH]

I recently posted about my SFBs but only got a few replys about the recall. I wanted to follow up based on my findings.
Symptoms:
A big clunk sound from the front end (drivers side?)under initial acceleration & on hard braking. I assume this is the sub frame bushings gone bad. More recently my steering wheel shakes at speeds over 20 mph.

My findings:
I found posts by Steve on testing SFBs & Motor mounts.
Sadly or gladly I did not fail any of the tests!
Motor raised up level in forward & reverse, no shinny spot on the manifold. Also the motor doesn't seem to move at all on the side to side wheel turning test as well as no subframe drop at all on either side for the lift the body test. SF bolts are in place & no wear around bushings.

Seems like it should be the SFBs but I can't see why or how. Any other things to look at?

Jon

 

[projectSHO89]

Jon,

What year? Do you have the stock SFBs that have the four nuts holding it to the sub-frame?

FWIW, there was a recall on certain Gen IIIs for the problem of noises like you describe. The fix was to replace the rear lower SFB half with a new and improved design. That your car passed the tests of gross failure that I posted means that your mounts and SFBs are not as bad as mine were. Mine failed those tests. The problem still possibly could be the SFBs.

The steering wheel shakes at 20 mph? That is very low and would indicate a pretty severe problem with one or both of your front wheels. Inspect the bearings for play, that the lug nuts are tight, and see if the rims are true and mounted correctly. Swap wheels front to rear to see if the problem moves, it might be a defective tire. Of course, if your bearing has collapsed or all your lugnuts are loose, that would explain the noises you've heard.

Steve

 

[JonVH]

Steve,
I have an '93 ATX.
Thanks for the reply!

 

[JaySHOguy]

Jon,
Have you checked all of the tie rod ends, ball-joints, etc? These parts will also contribute to a clunking noise upon acceleration and braking....
Also, FYI, I had to replace the subframe bushings in my '97. They LOOKED fine, but after replacing them, my clunking went away.
Here is a picture of a REALLY bad subframe bushing.
This was taken from the bottom of my '91 parts car. Unfortunately, my '89 also looked the same way

<small>[ January 15, 2003, 03:32 PM: Message edited by: Jay97SHO ]</small>