Clonk / clunk coming from N/S/F when turning right
 

This has been occurring over the last few weeks and is getting more and more noticeable. Every time I turn right sharply, I get a clonk from near side front. I can feel that it happens at exactly the moment the weight transfers across to the left because I've turned right. If I take the turn slower or with less than a quarter turn of lock it won't do it. It's the sudden right to left weight transfer that does it.

It's also now starting to do the opposite -i.e. 'resetting' itself by clonking back again on a sharp left hand turn (still sounds like its coming from the n/s/f though). It doesn't do it on bumps etc, the only time when driving over the partially lowered kerb onto my driveway which is also a slight right hand turn.

Any ideas for what to look for before I get in there to look for a cause? All front and rear drop links were replaced a couple of months ago and this cured a rear clonk that I was getting before, which has never come back. Since then it's had the geometry checked and set at Leda and they didn't notice anything loose under there while it was up in the air but the clonk is still there. So what could it be? A top mount? A balljoint? A wheel-bearing? A bush that needs tightening up?

i had a similar problem years ago on my old cilo 16v - turnned out i had cracked a spring - probably not related but worth checking i guess

LOL that's about the only noise I DIDN'T have on MY old valver! The thing was like sailing in a bloody pirate ship the way it creaked and groaned the whole time. I'll have a look though. Any other ideas?

CV joint/boot worth a look.

I'll check that out then...any other ideas?

broken top suspension mount worth a look too. And drive-shaft.

get the ball joint's checked.
I killed two not long ago.
Easy to perforate the 'boot' and all the grease leaks out and the joint becomes overly mobile.

Gotcha. I'll check all those things then, cheers for the ideas everyone. Balljoint does sound like a possibility, as I can imagine the sound of it popping in and out when turning left and right would make the clonking but I guess top mounts and driveshafts could do with checking too.

top mounts are unlikely- BUT possible.
Btw-you havent said what year of car.

agree with CV joint :)

You are describing EXACTLY what I expereinced a few weeks back..


........... bottom ball joint....

jack car up and grab the wheel at the quarter to 3 position and 'wiggle'


.....any movement ??

phil

I'll go and do that now.
BTW it's a MY98 wagon.

Just tried wiggling the front wheels. Nothing significant I don't think. THere was a tiny bit of play but that's just the wheel actually turning, not any looseness. I got underneath and tried looking at the hub but couldn't see anything that seemed loose or leaking.

Hmmm.

Clunk
 

I have the same every few months since fitting a whiteline ARB. The 'Nylon' bushes just need re-greasing then the problem goes away for again. Indeed need the bushes regreased at the moment.

Yellowvanman what sort of grease did you use?

I've just started to notice exactly the same problem on my MY99 wagon. I was hoping it was just a cracked bush. CV joint sounds more expensive....

I'll let you know what i find out.

Right, I've just been under the car again to see what's what. I've had it up on a pair of little ramps to try and keep the wheels sort of in a normal driving position, rather than drooping. Either I'm too weedy to rock the car side to side enough to reproduce the clonk or I just can't get the right kind of leverage on it. I still can't get any kind of unusual movement in the joints or the ARB.

But the driveshafts are definitely wiggling up and down a fair bit at the inboard end, so it's not just the endfloat that people were saying about on this thread. If I grab the middle of each shaft I can jiggle them left and right quite easily and get a good old knocking sound from each end. The n/s one makes a louder knock in the hub end.

At the hub ends there is no play up and down, but in and out there's a little. Presumably there shouldn't be any play in the hub ends of the driveshaft (I'm sure there's a technical term for this but I've never dealt with driveshaft problems before). If it helps, I did notice underneath the driveshaft boot at the hub end, a pile of manky black grease sitting right there. Does this mean that the boot could have split, lost its grease and dried up causing the knock?

If the outer joints are worn they clack when on full lock going round say a roundabout tight.

When did the clunking start?? soon after the eibachs were fitted??
If it was, I'd say that maybe they haven't been fitted right.
Either the spacer washer was put on upside down or the top hat was "buzzed" back onto the strut elongating it's hole as it went on (springs ideally need to be compressed and everything seated before doing the top nut up)
Washer is an easy fix (just turn it up the right way) however once the top hat is made a loose fit then it tends to clonk forever more.

Andy

Is this reply for me (I'm wondering which Eibachs we're talking about here cos I don't have any)?

MY dampers and springs have never been taken out since I've owned it, and the clonking only started a month ago. I definitely don't have the normal repeating noises that you get with knackered CV joints when driving round in circles. I get a single loud clonk from the n/s/f, I can almost predict exactly when it's going to happen, as soon as that side is given a certain amount of load, either from cornering or coming off a kerb etc.

ball joint.
bet ya 10p ;)

my BJoint only clunked under severe cornerning.. we'e talking 90+ on track..
when it was investigated nothing obvious.
then on the off chance they had a close look at the ball joints and both were grease free with a good 2" movement when removed!
you couldnt 'feel' it when under the car and wiggling it around..


hope you get it sorted.

Got knows where that came from Nick, Looks like I read something into your post that wasn't there. :cuckoo:


Andy

LOL

So in other words, get the wheels off, start dismantling the hubs and see what's what?