Jon Petersen

My rear end makes a lot of noise: on the driver side, it constantly sounds like something is clunking around, and on the passenger side, there's a slamming noise when I go over bumps around corners. The shocks are both super rusty, but so is everything, it's an old Utahn car. I jacked up the car, and when I spun both rear wheels, there was an scraping sound every rotation, like something is rubbing against something else. I've been told this can mean the wheel bearings are bad. I might end up changing the sockss and the wheel bearings, but what's your take? Thanks for any advice, friends.

mk378

Worn out bushings are the usual reason for clunking when going over bumps.

Check for obvious play in the bearings by trying to wobble the wheel side to side when it is off the ground. There should be no such wobble. Noise you hear may be from the brakes, you would have to remove the brake drum or caliper so only the bearing is turning.