Can't pinpoint this noise... SOLVED!

[sidepipe87]

Ok so starting a couple weeks ago I started hearing a noise when I'd back out of my driveway, put the car in gear, and turn the wheel left. I don't know how to describe it other than a sort of faint click/clunk perhaps. It will do it once, not repeatedly. It comes from the driver's side.

Now I'm starting to notice that if I stop and pull away quickly I will also hear this sort of noise. Now occasionally I will hear the noise from what appears to be the passenger side as well. The car must be under a load for the noise to occur and it seems like it is when there is a weight shift.

I thought perhaps the wonderful new exhaust was banging against the floor when the motor twists so today I popped in some motor mount inserts I had so I could check this theory and the noise is still there. The car just vibrates more now.

As for what has been done recently:

-new OEM LCA bushings (May)
-Hotchkis sway bars/bushings/end links (May)
-coilovers (early July)

As for what I tried:

-tightened lug nuts to ensure none were loose
-tightened end links more so they are quite tight (could they bind??)
-checked LCA vertical bolts to ensure they are tight
-checked sway bar mounts to ensure they are tight
-checked strut to knuckle bolts to ensure coil is tight
-checked top mount bolts to ensure they are tight
-jacked car up and tried to look for play in the wheels but couldn't really notice any

FWIW the car has 56,000 miles on it.

Thoughts... shots in the dark:

-bad cv joint (although the fact I get this on both sides sometimes and just once makes me think no)
-bad ball joints (did not replace these)
-bad outer tie rods
-bad inner tie rods/steering rack
-loose steering rack
-end links binding somehow, or bar moving in bracket since end links are tight

This is really starting to frustrate me and I can't seem to find anything seemingly out of place and I don't want the problem to get worse and create a bigger problem, or worse.

Like I said, I've never noticed the noise more than once at a time (aka not rhythmic). There is no vibration while driving

Any help would be appreciated, but please don't post if you really don't have any clue. Thanks guys!

[cgneon]

sounds like an engine mount maybe?....


you say its been happening for a couple weeks, and the most recent mod is coilovers... unfortunatley i dont know anything about coils, but are your springs seated on there properly? maybe one is shifting under load?..

[sidepipe87]

Well the top mount and bottom mount just got solid inserts in them today like I said, so I'd think that'd stop it... Unless it's the one on the side of the frame. But also, there is no motor mount on the lower left side where I hear the noise backing out of the driveway.

[cgneon]

damn ur fast, answered before i had a chance to edit with coils question.. do you have the struts you can switch back in to rule out coils being a problem? prolly a PITA.. but throwin ideas around

[sidepipe87]

No I sold them already, and I kinda ruled that out because I drove a few hundred miles to Carlisle and back then a few weeks after with the new coils and it wasn't doing it. That's not to say it couldn't be them somehow, but I'm thinking not. Also the fact that I can kinda tell/feel in the floor (barely) it's lower in the steering/suspension makes me think it's something else.

I'd have to say that they are seated properly and can't possibly be moving with them being so stiff and I have the dampening set to almost full soft all around.

[cgneon]

you say u got inserts? for the torque struts right?

i meant the actual engine mounts... not the torque struts..

[sidepipe87]

I call the top mount and lower bottom mount engine mounts like everyone else. You know, what people replace with dogbones. Are they torque struts?

[cgneon]

those are torque struts..

[sidepipe87]

Well now you've got me thinking and I was doing some searching. Perhaps my ATX mount is bad. But the thing that keeps coming to mind is that I hear the noise initially when I back out of the driveway and turn the wheel left. Which leads me to believe it is steering related. I'll have to see if I can get a better look at that mount tomorrow.

[heydockyle]

I could've swore I posted in a topic about your strange noise saying tie rod ends.. Where'd it go lol.

[FAC3L3SS]

Different thread haha. This guy hears one noise and makes 5 threads on it. My car used to make 900....as does this current car I own.

[sidepipe87]

Different thread haha. This guy hears one noise and makes 5 threads on it. My car used to make 900....as does this current car I own.

crackin me teh fuck up.

Kyle, that was my prog log I believe.

I don't THINK it's the outer ties though. God I hope it is though. As that would be the easiest thing to fix out of all the possibilities.

[heydockyle]

Let me know. I will come help.

[sidepipe87]

dude I'm about to junk everything from the steering wheel forward (minus coils, haggard lip and wheels) and start over with all new SRT parts!

Thanks for the offer. If I figure out what it is I'll let ya know.

[FAC3L3SS]

Come hither and Jake and I can haz help you.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

So there was no play

< to > and ^ to v in the wheels when jacked up? That will rule out a lot if no play.

[sidepipe87]

^ I could not get any play yanking on the wheel in any direction.. Hope this ends up being something stupid, and not something costly.

[hansken_yo]

Ok... My first thoughts from what you described was your CV.

Do a CV test in a parking lot. Put the car in reverse with the steering wheel turned all the way to one side, and repeat for the other. if you hear a continuous popping sound then your CVs are going

You may hear a few pops but you're really looking for something rhythmic and consistent to your speed.

If they appear good my next thought would be ball joints.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

He would have play in his wheel if it were his balljoints I believe. You checked the pinch nut under the ball joint? Mine was loose once and making a noise.

Try the half shaft think yo man said, could be that too.

[sidepipe87]

Yeah I'll have to give that a shot, but like I said I never get a rhythmic noise. It does it once then that's it. I didn't check that nut (the one on the knuckle?) I had it loose when I replaced the LCA bushings and I know I tightened it, but I'll check it again.

[MyNeonSaysHi]

Yeah, its literally right under the ball joint. Reading your original post agn, sounds like a half shaft issue.

[sidepipe87]

no. I refuse to have it be a half shaft issue. simply not dealing with that

[LionheartedSXT]

It almost sounds like a power steering issue. You will hear some kind of click or sound coming from the pass side of the car when its under load (i.e. turning the steering wheel) Doesn't hurt to check that out. Also Half shaft is fun, great time on a hot summer day

[sidepipe87]

^MY thoughts were power steering rack too... Not really sure how to check that though.

[LionheartedSXT]

^MY thoughts were power steering rack too... Not really sure how to check that though.

I say start at the source, the pulley and PS reservoir, then work your way down to the rack. I'd say look for anything out of place, see if those pinion boots on both ends are torn. Make sure the rods coming out each side of the rack are properly attached. Hopefully its not the entire rack and pinion.

[sidepipe87]

Well after searching and searching for possible causes of this noise I found it and wanted to let others know what I found in case someone searches like I did and finds this thread.

Initially I went back and checked everything I could think of... top strut mount nuts, knuckle nuts, coilover lock ring, lug nuts, long bolts through LCA since I had replaced the bushings two months earlier. Nothing was loose and nothing fixed the problem.

Searched some more and heard maybe CV joint but that didn't fit my noise and when I was hearing it. Thought the rack was perhaps going bad or was loose. I checked the bolts and none were loose. Another thread said the balljoints were making noise. I bought zerk fittings, replaced the stubs and greased the balljoints. Still the noise persisted.

I wiggled the wheel all around while the car was jacked up and the wheels didn't move at all indicting that the tie rod ends were not bad nor the balljoints.


Last night I was searching and came across a thread which referenced this SRTForums thread. I had installed ES bushings but the noise being described was similar.

http://www.srtforums.com/forums/f163/in ... ndex4.html

This thread suggested checking the pinch nut that holds the balljoint in the knuckle. I know I had rechecked that but I figured it was worth a shot. I checked them this morning and torqued them with an impact wrench but they were tight and would not budge... Someone else in the same thread mentioned that it was the horizontal bolt that goes through the LCA.

I checked under the car and the ones on the driver's side (which is the side where I was hearing the most noise) had a mark around the bolt head which looked like it had moved at some point. I got out a 21mm socket and took a breaker bar to it and I was able to turn the bolt several fractions of a turn (due to the weird angle I had to approach it at). In full probably around a half a turn! It was tight, but clearly had no longer been fully torqued. I decided to remove the lower torque strut on the other side and check that bolt as well since I'd occasionally hear the noise over there but much less muted. I was also able to turn that bolt but VERY little at all. These bolts were initially torqued with the impact wrench as well... The noise started about two months after doing the LCA bushings so they wither backed off slightly, or the forces were now greater due to new bushings not moving added with the new coilovers.

I put the car all back together and took it for a test drive. Usually I'd back out of my driveway and turn the wheel right so I could go up my street. After I'd shift into D and turn the wheels left I'd hear a loud but muted crack/pop noise. This time I didn't hear it... It would do it as I turned right at the top of my street while accelerating hard, but it didn't do it. I went all around my neighborhood and didn't hear the noise once. The problem seems to be solved. I love simple solutions!

[gilly02le]

hmm, going to have to jack my car up and see if i've got some loose bolts. I had everything off a while back to install some poly bushings. Wondering if like you said, less play in the bushings, caused the bolts to loosen. I'm getting the same dull pop/clunk when i turn my wheel and accelerate from a stop, or back out of the driveway.

[sidepipe87]

I'd definitely check the balljoint pinch nut as well as the two front LCA bolts. You'll have to drop the pass side lower torque strut to access that bolt. (I'm sure you know that if you did your bushing already)

[greybox]

Not sure if this is the same noise as mine since nothing except wheel and tires have been changed in the last...well, forever....but I will give it a shot--thanks for adding solved to the title, made me read to the end