suspension questions

[CiscoBite1Time]

i have a few questions here. i have a 2g talon awd and just started to notice that up front when i'm on a crappy/rough road i keep hearing loud clunking noise (ball joints? tie rod? axle? etc?). on a smooth road absolutely no noise. i also feel small vibrations from up front when i'm on the hwy and accelerate. i only feel it from my pedals not my steering wheel. no vibrations from steering wheel at all. alignment looks good also.

i checked everything over the weekend and things look good with the wheels off. no leaks, everything looks intact. i did check for play with the wheels on. grabbing top and bottom on both sides i dont get any play. grabbing side to side i get some but i'm sure that's normal. i dont want to start replacing parts blind so i need some advice.

also i'm getting a whinning noise from the rear. the whinning gets louder as i accelerate. i've already rotated my tires in hopes it was just my tires but the whinning still continues from the rear. i'm thinking wheel bearings?

 

[Indyxc]

Have you checked inside the engine bay near the strut towers for rust and loose strut towers? A common problem with older 2nd gen DSMs is the strut towers rust and develop holes (it would be obvious) and then over bumps the suspension bangs.

It's probably not the case, as you probably would of seen it, but an idea never the less.

 

[CiscoBite1Time]

yeah i'm aware of the strut towers and they're nice and clean. thanks for the heads up though.

 

[Two4 Stroke Her]

you should also check the strut mounts just open the hood and check the tops of the struts as you bounce the car and move it side to side, if you see the top of the struts moving you might have some bad strut mounts. As for the whinning in the back its possible its a wheel bearing,you rear diff might be low on fluid, or your e brake may not be completly releasing. hope any of this advice helps

 

[eclipsh]

A couple thoughts:

1. Did you check your CV joints? You could have an axle going out. That will give you vibration when you try to accelerate.

2. When you were checking the ball joints did you use a pry bar to pull the joint apart? You need to in order to see if it is worn. Just pulling on it with your hands won't tell you nearly as much.

 

[Mr Peepers]

My strut tower nuts(the big one in the center) were loose and made a clunking noise over small bumps. Make sure they are on as far as they go, sometimes the only way you can fully tighten them is with an impact wrench, otherwise the rod spins with the nut.

 

[romeen]

Also double check the integrity of your suspension bushings.

For the whining in the rear it could be wheel bearings or the rear diff as mentioned. Does the whining change when going around corners? If you change your rear diff fluid check for metal flakes.

 

[CiscoBite1Time]

the whinning in the rear is a pretty consistant whine. it changes with the speed i travel obviously.