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nodl

New member
Hey everyone, hopefully someone can point me in the right direction!

So , my '97 GTP is running pretty well considering, we've been through a lot together. I have had a problem for a while that I have ignored because of other issues which are now fixed.

Basically, whenever I really go for it on the gas there is a rythmic bump/shake/noise that feels like its coming from the lower engine area/suspension, hard to pin it down due to the sweet whine and general craziness of the acceleration.

What i would compare it too is a VERY minor/slower version of the highway bumps/notches that are supposed to wake you up if you stray out of lane- if you went over them pretty slowly
(i think the shake/noise is around 4 per second or so), I can feel it in the wheel a tiny bit, in the pedal, and in general.

My friend thinks it is a lower engine mount, but he admittedly doesn't have much experience with 3800s- I know even as good as my mechanic is, if i take it to him he will be pretty sure its going to "grenade" and try to convince me to replace the entire suspension (which could use it, but i can't afford it).

There is also a knock/creak that occurs whenever I turn the wheel fast at slow speeds, and sometimes when it gets into gear from P. I think this could be unrelated.

Really wondering if anyone has encountered the same thing, and if you can help me narrow it down before I take it in- so the mechanics don't dog it too hard before giving me their BS.

Thanks for reading!
 
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If it was me, first I would jack up the car and put stands under for support, or preferably drive the car up on a couple ramps. Slide under the front end and start checking the suspension. Look for worn ball joints, tie rods, anything that has slack in it would likely need to be replaced, 97 is 16-17 years old, if the front end parts are still factory they will likely be part of it. I would look at the sway bar, being in NY you have harsh winters and salt sets in rust on the sway bars and they are know for breaking. I would also check on the motor and trans mounts, lower and upper, if they are old and worn it will give more play than it should, that would also be a possible culprit.

Sadly there is so many places to check that could cause knocks, I have an issue with my 99 every once in a while from a stop, can't figure it out.

but Good luck, let us know what you find or don't find and we can push from there.
 
The biggest cause of a knock like you mention is typically the strut mounts. Take a look at them while you are inspecting.
 
alright, thanks guys. Will check this out soon, luckily i have barely any rust on the chassis. Whats a rough estimate for a mechanic replacing pretty much all of the bushings up there and a ball joint/strut mount or two?
 
If it was my guess I'd guess busted lower motor mount which lowers the engine and changes the cv axle angle, it binds a little bit when it's really pushed on lower cars or cars with broken motor mounts and can vibrate enough to be very annoying while accelerating hard.

Also the turning clunk is most likely your front strut mounts , if your struts are already shot is would be really easy to replace using quick struts, it's literally 2 bolts on the bottom 3 on top while jacked up and replace it takes half an hour a side tops.
 
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