• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

Suspension Clunking Noises going over expansion joints and moderate bumps

Crispykit

Crispykit

New member
I am having some clunking noises going over moderate cracks in the pavement. The suspension is mostly new in the front and tight in the back. The car is a 2001 Grand Prix GT with stock shocks springs. The front has new GMPP Sway Bar, all new ball joints, new axles, Mevotech Sway Bar Links-Poly bushings, new Brembo Rotors and Premium No-Dust pads, Shock tower brace and new lower control arms. The rear has the GMPP sway Bar, Mevotech links, UMI Trailing Arms and shock tower brace. I have put the car on jack stands and can't see any thing that is loose even when banging around with a rubber mallet. I don't know how to replicate the noise when the car is in the air and don't know anything else to try. Any direction or suggestion would be helpful.
 


strut mounts can clunk, so can cheap sway bar bushings. my dorman bushings are shot to hell after only a year and maybe 6,000 miles.

and ball joints. did you just change the ball joints? or the whole lower control arm, cause they can clunk too.
 
Thanks for the replies (first thread I have posted since I didn't know a "Thread" is the same as a "Question" :)).

The transmission mounts look OK and I just had the engine lifted to replace the oil pan and the garage did an inspection so I think they are OK.

I had new control arms installed and they have the ball joints in them, I should have said new outer tie rod ends were done in the front.

The first things I checked were the sway bar bushings but the Mevotech Sway Bar Links with Poly bushings are in good shape and tight front and back.

When I tried to remove the old sway bar links in the front the shaft broke and seized in the hole.

I had to drive to the mechanic with it and I know what that clunk sounded like (mine is not that consistent).

The noise seems to be coming more from the rear than the front, so I'll try and concentrate on the back (it also has the least new parts).

Is there a good way to check the Strut mounts? They feel good when I shake them with the wheels off the ground?

The tops are kind of hard to see from inside the trunk but I could possibly get a torque wrench on the mounts and check that (I have that spec as 33 lb ft)

Might even test a few of the others if I get the use of a hoist (I'm looking to rent one by the hour from a guy who is making an electric car as a hobby).
 
Blown strut will clunk too. If the bushing around the shaft is gone. Would be kinda easy to see tho (oil everywhere on strut and excessive camber)
 
heres a thought, check your exhaust system mounts, my mounts broke by the cat and the rear mount broke off and my add a hanger turned and got loose and it was causing a lot of clunky sounds when going over a bumpy road, fixed all that and the car sounds much better.
 


Check the rear lower control arms with the car on the ground to see if there is any movement in them. If the car is raised any amount it will put these under load and they will not seem to be lose. :th_sick1:
 
On the rear I have Spindles, Trailing arms, Stabilizer bar, links, strut mounts but no controlling arms. Which parts are best to test on the ground? I had the car on the hoist and everything was tight. Still have to check the Strut mounts to Body nuts and the Strut Shaft Nut (my towers have a rubber dome on top that's not easily removed (is this a stock item?) so I can't get to them.
 
Well the culprit was the spare tire was loose. I remembered reading in one of the forums to check the spare. I was checking the Strut Mount to body bolt nuts and had cleaned out all the stuff in the trunk. They were tight and I remembered the forum comment and pulled the cover and sure enough it was loose. Boy you just never know (I wonder what a shop would have charged me to find this). Thanks to everyone for your help.
 
i have a 04 gp and was making the same noise even over small bumps... i tightened up the bar/bracket leading from the strut tower to the radiator housing. solved my problem...
 


You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top