lmananT

Whenever I drive over a speed bump or just random bumps in the road, my front passenger side makes a really loud CLUNK.
Driving and turning doesn't make any noises, just over bumps.
Sometimes while slowing to a stop, my right front starts to shake pretty violently like I have a loose wheel.
I had my axles replaced less than a year ago.

What could cause these symptoms?

Alex_C

worn ball joints. When you inspect them there should be zero free play or "slop."

lmananT

i just checked and the balljoint boot on my passenger side is torn. could it be anything else? ill be changing the balljoints next week and want to get other things out of the way too

Alex_C

could be your bushings too. Check to make sure the rubber isn't rotten or cracked. You can get poly kits to make things stiffer or go with OEM rubber. I doubt it would be the axles....unless they make clicking/clunking noises when you turn a hard corner. That's about all I can think about right now though. Good luck!

innes887

im had the same problem, it was the rack. next time you have you car in the air grap the inner and outer tie rod and go up and down and you will hear the noise. i bought a new rack from a place my work deals with for 110 with the core! im 99% sure thats the noise your talkin about but also check the sway bar bushings, if there hard or egg shaped there prob gonna need replacing. if you need anymore help just ask

lmananT

thanks for all the help guys. im gonna get my rack rebuilt and get my bushings done while im at it. hope this solves my problem!

pettyboy69

iTrader: (2)

when you lift it up in the air grab the wheel and push and pull side to side, then push and pull on the top and bottom of the wheel, if it moves side to side its somethin to do with the rack, inner or outer tie rods. if it moves up and down its the ball joints. also are you shure all your motor mounts are good?

lmananT

my motor mounts have cracks in it. does that mean they're done?

sleepingciv

iTrader: (2)

could have a bad stut mount also

Alex_C

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lmananT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">my motor mounts have cracks in it. does that mean they're done?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, they are pretty much toast. BUT if they aren't too bad, you can get Energy Suspension motor mount inserts for around 30 bucks that will prolong the life of them - OEM mounts cost more. If I were you, I'd put my car on a lift and work my way through the whole drive train, shaking/jostling/yanking etc to see where the weak link(s) is/are. I personally don't subscribe to the school of "throw money at it until the problem goes away", so this might save you a few bucks if you can pinpoint the problem. Happy wrenching!

88efZ6

Check the wheel bearings while your in there doing all that work.

lmananT

so i just did my upper control arms the other day. while i was under there, i see now that my rack has tons of play on the passenger side. the boot is also ripped. the noise is definitely coming from the inner tie rod because i tried tugging on it and it is loose as a ****. after replacing my 20+ year old upper control arms, driving feels a bit more precise. clunking is still there from the rack but not as loud.

I'll be tackling the rack and pinion sometime next week.

lmananT

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Alex_C &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

yeah, they are pretty much toast. BUT if they aren't too bad, you can get Energy Suspension motor mount inserts for around 30 bucks that will prolong the life of them - OEM mounts cost more. If I were you, I'd put my car on a lift and work my way through the whole drive train, shaking/jostling/yanking etc to see where the weak link(s) is/are. I personally don't subscribe to the school of "throw money at it until the problem goes away", so this might save you a few bucks if you can pinpoint the problem. Happy wrenching!</TD></TR></TABLE>

thanks. im planning to change out all the suspension components eventually so spending a bit now will save me the trouble down the road.
i do see some red inserts on the rear mount that the previous owner put in, but it was only for that mount

Alex_C

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lmananT &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

thanks. im planning to change out all the suspension components eventually so spending a bit now will save me the trouble down the road.
i do see some red inserts on the rear mount that the previous owner put in, but it was only for that mount </TD></TR></TABLE>

what a jerk! I'm assuming the one that is cracked is the front engine mount, by the rad. Unless it's completely torn I don't think it would cause the problem you described. Checking your steering box/tie rod ends is a good idea too. Pretty much anything that moves that's attached to the wheels can make noise so your steering linkage is definitely a possible suspect. I think if your ball joints are fubar then replacing the entire steering knuckle would be your best bet. They should include the wheel bearing, which if worn could also give mess things up.

lmananT

im going to be replacing the lower ball joints this weekend. is there a way to replace them without removing the axles from the hub?