On Jul 22, 11:11 pm, Tony <tonyjNOS...@NOSPAMvisi.com> wrote:
> >> I really do hope that your clunking doesn't turn out to be serious.
>
> >> Peter.
>
> > thanks for the wishes. i bought this car with 28,000 miles on it and,
> > granted, i have driven it hard. a lot of city driving on the barely
> > paved streets of baltimore. but i have had a bad thermometer, two bad
> > vacuum lines, and now this issue all in about a year. add that to
> > regular service and my bill is really rising.
>
> > i drove home today from the shore, probably about 150 miles. the
> > clunking was there at low speeds, when driving out of a toll booth for
> > instance, but there was nothing noticeable at highway speeds.
>
> > also, as a slight adjustment to my original post: i now do not
> > believe that the noise is in any way connected to vibrations that i
> > can feel through the steering wheel. i studied that as much as i
> > could, and there was no correlation between the sound, a bump in the
> > road, or vibrations through the steering wheel.
>
> > if the problem truly were related to the bushings, wouldn't the thunks
> > come during moments of turning, accelerating, or hitting road bumps?
> > as far as i can tell, the noise is MORE likely to happen when
> > traveling slowly on smooth roads in first or second gear at a steady
> > pace.
>
> > it's very strange.
>
> > i also noticed that my door has recently gotten a little creaky when i
> > open and close it. the sound is a very similar pitch to the thunk i'm
> > describing. is it possible that the door swing mechanism is creating
> > the noise, even when closed? i'm going to spray some WD-40 on it to
> > see if that helps.
>
> > also, is there anything that a ley-person could see regarding bad
> > control arms from an unsprung inspection? cracks? leaks? is there
> > any portion of the assembly i should particularly look at?
>
> > any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
> If it is due to control arm bushings you could reach in to the joints
> while the car is sitting on the ground and feel for any play.
>
> Again while siting on the ground get a good hold of each front tire with
> both hands and try to shake it in / out at the top and back and forth
> when holding it at 9 / 3 O'clock as if it is steering. If you feel any
> clunks or other mechanical sounds this may be your problem.
>
> Another thing that can happen is that the rubber sway bar mounts can
> deteriorate and cause sounds. You might be able to detect this by trying
> to bounce each front corner of the car by pushing on the bumper. Don't
> try thi when pushing on and plastic trim or sheet metal as it cound be
> damaged.
>
> Another thing to look for is leaks in the fluid filled engine mounts. If
> the leak the engine drops down a bit and can cause components to hit
> things they are near.

I did these tests just now, and there was no fluid, I could not
replicate any sound while "sitting" on the car to make it move up and
down. But when I pulled outward on the tire, as you said, there was a
"ting" noise of metal hitting metal on some of my harder pulls. This
sound did not sound like the clunk that I hear when I am driving and
there wasn't any real perceptible "play" in the wheel. The noise I
hear while driving is much more muted than this noise was, and, I
believe, louder.

 

tockeyhockey@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jul 22, 11:11 pm, Tony <tonyjNOS...@NOSPAMvisi.com> wrote:
>>>> I really do hope that your clunking doesn't turn out to be serious.
>>>> Peter.
>>> thanks for the wishes. i bought this car with 28,000 miles on it and,
>>> granted, i have driven it hard. a lot of city driving on the barely
>>> paved streets of baltimore. but i have had a bad thermometer, two bad
>>> vacuum lines, and now this issue all in about a year. add that to
>>> regular service and my bill is really rising.
>>> i drove home today from the shore, probably about 150 miles. the
>>> clunking was there at low speeds, when driving out of a toll booth for
>>> instance, but there was nothing noticeable at highway speeds.
>>> also, as a slight adjustment to my original post: i now do not
>>> believe that the noise is in any way connected to vibrations that i
>>> can feel through the steering wheel. i studied that as much as i
>>> could, and there was no correlation between the sound, a bump in the
>>> road, or vibrations through the steering wheel.
>>> if the problem truly were related to the bushings, wouldn't the thunks
>>> come during moments of turning, accelerating, or hitting road bumps?
>>> as far as i can tell, the noise is MORE likely to happen when
>>> traveling slowly on smooth roads in first or second gear at a steady
>>> pace.
>>> it's very strange.
>>> i also noticed that my door has recently gotten a little creaky when i
>>> open and close it. the sound is a very similar pitch to the thunk i'm
>>> describing. is it possible that the door swing mechanism is creating
>>> the noise, even when closed? i'm going to spray some WD-40 on it to
>>> see if that helps.
>>> also, is there anything that a ley-person could see regarding bad
>>> control arms from an unsprung inspection? cracks? leaks? is there
>>> any portion of the assembly i should particularly look at?
>>> any help would be greatly appreciated.
>> If it is due to control arm bushings you could reach in to the joints
>> while the car is sitting on the ground and feel for any play.
>>
>> Again while siting on the ground get a good hold of each front tire with
>> both hands and try to shake it in / out at the top and back and forth
>> when holding it at 9 / 3 O'clock as if it is steering. If you feel any
>> clunks or other mechanical sounds this may be your problem.
>>
>> Another thing that can happen is that the rubber sway bar mounts can
>> deteriorate and cause sounds. You might be able to detect this by trying
>> to bounce each front corner of the car by pushing on the bumper. Don't
>> try thi when pushing on and plastic trim or sheet metal as it cound be
>> damaged.
>>
>> Another thing to look for is leaks in the fluid filled engine mounts. If
>> the leak the engine drops down a bit and can cause components to hit
>> things they are near.
>
> I did these tests just now, and there was no fluid, I could not
> replicate any sound while "sitting" on the car to make it move up and
> down. But when I pulled outward on the tire, as you said, there was a
> "ting" noise of metal hitting metal on some of my harder pulls. This
> sound did not sound like the clunk that I hear when I am driving and
> there wasn't any real perceptible "play" in the wheel. The noise I
> hear while driving is much more muted than this noise was, and, I
> believe, louder.
>
A noise like you describe would likely be a bit different than when
driving because driving the forces are much greater. It does sound like
control arms or tie rod ends are a problem. At least that is my guess.

 

tockeyhockey@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jul 22, 11:11 pm, Tony <tonyjNOS...@NOSPAMvisi.com> wrote:
>>>> I really do hope that your clunking doesn't turn out to be serious.
>>>> Peter.
>>> thanks for the wishes. i bought this car with 28,000 miles on it and,
>>> granted, i have driven it hard. a lot of city driving on the barely
>>> paved streets of baltimore. but i have had a bad thermometer, two bad
>>> vacuum lines, and now this issue all in about a year. add that to
>>> regular service and my bill is really rising.
>>> i drove home today from the shore, probably about 150 miles. the
>>> clunking was there at low speeds, when driving out of a toll booth for
>>> instance, but there was nothing noticeable at highway speeds.
>>> also, as a slight adjustment to my original post: i now do not
>>> believe that the noise is in any way connected to vibrations that i
>>> can feel through the steering wheel. i studied that as much as i
>>> could, and there was no correlation between the sound, a bump in the
>>> road, or vibrations through the steering wheel.
>>> if the problem truly were related to the bushings, wouldn't the thunks
>>> come during moments of turning, accelerating, or hitting road bumps?
>>> as far as i can tell, the noise is MORE likely to happen when
>>> traveling slowly on smooth roads in first or second gear at a steady
>>> pace.
>>> it's very strange.
>>> i also noticed that my door has recently gotten a little creaky when i
>>> open and close it. the sound is a very similar pitch to the thunk i'm
>>> describing. is it possible that the door swing mechanism is creating
>>> the noise, even when closed? i'm going to spray some WD-40 on it to
>>> see if that helps.
>>> also, is there anything that a ley-person could see regarding bad
>>> control arms from an unsprung inspection? cracks? leaks? is there
>>> any portion of the assembly i should particularly look at?
>>> any help would be greatly appreciated.
>> If it is due to control arm bushings you could reach in to the joints
>> while the car is sitting on the ground and feel for any play.
>>
>> Again while siting on the ground get a good hold of each front tire with
>> both hands and try to shake it in / out at the top and back and forth
>> when holding it at 9 / 3 O'clock as if it is steering. If you feel any
>> clunks or other mechanical sounds this may be your problem.
>>
>> Another thing that can happen is that the rubber sway bar mounts can
>> deteriorate and cause sounds. You might be able to detect this by trying
>> to bounce each front corner of the car by pushing on the bumper. Don't
>> try thi when pushing on and plastic trim or sheet metal as it cound be
>> damaged.
>>
>> Another thing to look for is leaks in the fluid filled engine mounts. If
>> the leak the engine drops down a bit and can cause components to hit
>> things they are near.
>
> I did these tests just now, and there was no fluid, I could not
> replicate any sound while "sitting" on the car to make it move up and
> down. But when I pulled outward on the tire, as you said, there was a
> "ting" noise of metal hitting metal on some of my harder pulls. This
> sound did not sound like the clunk that I hear when I am driving and
> there wasn't any real perceptible "play" in the wheel. The noise I
> hear while driving is much more muted than this noise was, and, I
> believe, louder.
>
A noise like you describe would likely be a bit different than when
driving because driving the forces are much greater. It does sound like
control arms or tie rod ends are a problem. At least that is my guess.

 

tockeyhockey@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jul 22, 11:11 pm, Tony <tonyjNOS...@NOSPAMvisi.com> wrote:
>>>> I really do hope that your clunking doesn't turn out to be serious.
>>>> Peter.
>>> thanks for the wishes. i bought this car with 28,000 miles on it and,
>>> granted, i have driven it hard. a lot of city driving on the barely
>>> paved streets of baltimore. but i have had a bad thermometer, two bad
>>> vacuum lines, and now this issue all in about a year. add that to
>>> regular service and my bill is really rising.
>>> i drove home today from the shore, probably about 150 miles. the
>>> clunking was there at low speeds, when driving out of a toll booth for
>>> instance, but there was nothing noticeable at highway speeds.
>>> also, as a slight adjustment to my original post: i now do not
>>> believe that the noise is in any way connected to vibrations that i
>>> can feel through the steering wheel. i studied that as much as i
>>> could, and there was no correlation between the sound, a bump in the
>>> road, or vibrations through the steering wheel.
>>> if the problem truly were related to the bushings, wouldn't the thunks
>>> come during moments of turning, accelerating, or hitting road bumps?
>>> as far as i can tell, the noise is MORE likely to happen when
>>> traveling slowly on smooth roads in first or second gear at a steady
>>> pace.
>>> it's very strange.
>>> i also noticed that my door has recently gotten a little creaky when i
>>> open and close it. the sound is a very similar pitch to the thunk i'm
>>> describing. is it possible that the door swing mechanism is creating
>>> the noise, even when closed? i'm going to spray some WD-40 on it to
>>> see if that helps.
>>> also, is there anything that a ley-person could see regarding bad
>>> control arms from an unsprung inspection? cracks? leaks? is there
>>> any portion of the assembly i should particularly look at?
>>> any help would be greatly appreciated.
>> If it is due to control arm bushings you could reach in to the joints
>> while the car is sitting on the ground and feel for any play.
>>
>> Again while siting on the ground get a good hold of each front tire with
>> both hands and try to shake it in / out at the top and back and forth
>> when holding it at 9 / 3 O'clock as if it is steering. If you feel any
>> clunks or other mechanical sounds this may be your problem.
>>
>> Another thing that can happen is that the rubber sway bar mounts can
>> deteriorate and cause sounds. You might be able to detect this by trying
>> to bounce each front corner of the car by pushing on the bumper. Don't
>> try thi when pushing on and plastic trim or sheet metal as it cound be
>> damaged.
>>
>> Another thing to look for is leaks in the fluid filled engine mounts. If
>> the leak the engine drops down a bit and can cause components to hit
>> things they are near.
>
> I did these tests just now, and there was no fluid, I could not
> replicate any sound while "sitting" on the car to make it move up and
> down. But when I pulled outward on the tire, as you said, there was a
> "ting" noise of metal hitting metal on some of my harder pulls. This
> sound did not sound like the clunk that I hear when I am driving and
> there wasn't any real perceptible "play" in the wheel. The noise I
> hear while driving is much more muted than this noise was, and, I
> believe, louder.
>
A noise like you describe would likely be a bit different than when
driving because driving the forces are much greater. It does sound like
control arms or tie rod ends are a problem. At least that is my guess.

 

tockeyhockey@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jul 22, 11:11 pm, Tony <tonyjNOS...@NOSPAMvisi.com> wrote:
>>>> I really do hope that your clunking doesn't turn out to be serious.
>>>> Peter.
>>> thanks for the wishes. i bought this car with 28,000 miles on it and,
>>> granted, i have driven it hard. a lot of city driving on the barely
>>> paved streets of baltimore. but i have had a bad thermometer, two bad
>>> vacuum lines, and now this issue all in about a year. add that to
>>> regular service and my bill is really rising.
>>> i drove home today from the shore, probably about 150 miles. the
>>> clunking was there at low speeds, when driving out of a toll booth for
>>> instance, but there was nothing noticeable at highway speeds.
>>> also, as a slight adjustment to my original post: i now do not
>>> believe that the noise is in any way connected to vibrations that i
>>> can feel through the steering wheel. i studied that as much as i
>>> could, and there was no correlation between the sound, a bump in the
>>> road, or vibrations through the steering wheel.
>>> if the problem truly were related to the bushings, wouldn't the thunks
>>> come during moments of turning, accelerating, or hitting road bumps?
>>> as far as i can tell, the noise is MORE likely to happen when
>>> traveling slowly on smooth roads in first or second gear at a steady
>>> pace.
>>> it's very strange.
>>> i also noticed that my door has recently gotten a little creaky when i
>>> open and close it. the sound is a very similar pitch to the thunk i'm
>>> describing. is it possible that the door swing mechanism is creating
>>> the noise, even when closed? i'm going to spray some WD-40 on it to
>>> see if that helps.
>>> also, is there anything that a ley-person could see regarding bad
>>> control arms from an unsprung inspection? cracks? leaks? is there
>>> any portion of the assembly i should particularly look at?
>>> any help would be greatly appreciated.
>> If it is due to control arm bushings you could reach in to the joints
>> while the car is sitting on the ground and feel for any play.
>>
>> Again while siting on the ground get a good hold of each front tire with
>> both hands and try to shake it in / out at the top and back and forth
>> when holding it at 9 / 3 O'clock as if it is steering. If you feel any
>> clunks or other mechanical sounds this may be your problem.
>>
>> Another thing that can happen is that the rubber sway bar mounts can
>> deteriorate and cause sounds. You might be able to detect this by trying
>> to bounce each front corner of the car by pushing on the bumper. Don't
>> try thi when pushing on and plastic trim or sheet metal as it cound be
>> damaged.
>>
>> Another thing to look for is leaks in the fluid filled engine mounts. If
>> the leak the engine drops down a bit and can cause components to hit
>> things they are near.
>
> I did these tests just now, and there was no fluid, I could not
> replicate any sound while "sitting" on the car to make it move up and
> down. But when I pulled outward on the tire, as you said, there was a
> "ting" noise of metal hitting metal on some of my harder pulls. This
> sound did not sound like the clunk that I hear when I am driving and
> there wasn't any real perceptible "play" in the wheel. The noise I
> hear while driving is much more muted than this noise was, and, I
> believe, louder.
>
A noise like you describe would likely be a bit different than when
driving because driving the forces are much greater. It does sound like
control arms or tie rod ends are a problem. At least that is my guess.