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Strut clunk

Hpiracr28

Hpiracr28

New member
About 6 months ago I installed new moog quick struts on the front of my GP. Since the install, I have notice a faint clunk when turning in either direction. What would cause this on a brand new strut?
 


Could be the strut mount bearing, cv axle, or a number of suspension parts. One way of diagnosing is to put your hand on the strut mount when someone is turning the wheels and feel for popping or clicking. This isn't a definitive death knoll on the strut mounts since a number of vibrations can transfer up through the mount. Usually if you can repeat this on the same strut off the ground too, it's the mount. Next you can raise the vehicle and feel for play with the wheel locked on both tires. If so, it's not your strut mount unless it's about to come off. Feel for excessive play on the cv joints, ball joints, control arm bushings, end links, and tie rods. If anything is loose, that's most likely your noise. I had something similar and it ended up being cv axles that I just replaced with brand new ones that were bad from the start, go figure!

Also, it's not a bad idea to lube up bushings like sway bar and end links. Good luck!
 
Here is why my assumption is the brand new strut...1 hour before install...no clunk. 10 minutes after install on test drive...clunk. it does sound like it is coming from up high, like the strut mount, but dang...bad bearing or something up there from the factory?
 
Sway bar endlinks maybe? Tie rod ends?

I just looked on Rock Auto. Did you get knuckle bolts with them?
I hope you used the old ones if you did.

Maybe the springs are binding, but it looks like they have them wrapped at the binding spots.

Can you duplicate it with car not moving and turning left/right?
 
Sorry Hpiracr28, didn't see that they started immediately after install. What did you remove to install and did you use correct torque specs when re-installing?

I'd be shocked (no pun intended) if they were bad from the factory. I'd try spraying some silicone lube on everything up there and if it stops, you know you have your friction point.
 
I used the knuckle bolts that came with the new strut. The old seemed pretty rusty and I started to mushroom the bolt pounding the old ones out. I didn't torque them to a certain spec, just German spec (gooden tight). I will see what happens when turning the wheel lock to lock with the car stationary, and with the front end off the ground. My Camry had this happen before...just had to pound the metal around the center of the strut by the top mount and spray with silicon lube.
 


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