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Old 04-16-2009, 10:49 PM   #1
andrewt461
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Default Mystery Sound when turning and going uphill

Need a little help diagnosing this sound i'm hearing.

Sound:
I'm hearing a muffled sound coming from the front of the car that sounds like something between knuckles popping.. or another way to describe it is maybe a very muffled sound of one something very solid rattling...

When it happens:
It only occurs when turning and going uphill while turning at slow speeds.

At least i don't feel it or hear it at high speeds (tho this may be due to engine noise).

Looking under the car:
I've put the car up to look for what was most obvious to me - the sway bar / sway bar end links. But those looked OK i think.
(anyone got pics of endlinks gone bad?)

I tried turning the wheels and then spinning the tires to see if it would replicate the sound while off the ground... but nothing at all. (I figured if it was the axle, it should repeat the sound even when on the jacks).


mods:
Suspension: jdm spec C suspension - been on the car for 20k miles - and been perfect so far. All stock for the rest. 85k on the odo.


Another thing (maybe related, maybe not)
When turning at very high speed high RPMs high angle (ie - track time) it seems like power steering dies for a instant. That goes away if i just lift off the throttle for a second - and doesn't happen at any other time.

got any ideas about these 2 symptoms???
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Old 04-16-2009, 10:53 PM   #2
pnutbutta
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Kinda sounds like front axle......
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Old 04-17-2009, 08:58 AM   #3
andrewt461
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hmm.
Well if I can't SEE something wrong - I guess i need to come up with a way to reproduce the sound while it's on the jacks to verify...
I don't want to deal w/ axles any more... that's for sure.
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Old 04-17-2009, 09:58 AM   #4
68Cadillac
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Might be the CV-Joint on one of your front axles. Check all four (inner and outer) for splitting/wear. Look also for tell tale grease splatter on your chassis/wheel.
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Old 04-17-2009, 11:27 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 68Cadillac View Post
Might be the CV-Joint on one of your front axles. Check all four (inner and outer) for splitting/wear. Look also for tell tale grease splatter on your chassis/wheel.
yah - i've been there before.... someone decided to use my car as a donor car and take my OEM axle - and then put on a generic one that did that.
I ended up having to get another OEM axle myself and put it on the car. That was a good few months ago - and the axles are holding up as far as i can see.

No grease spatter on the current axles - or leaks etc.
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Old 04-18-2009, 08:43 PM   #6
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anyone got some good diagnosis tricks for this sort of deal?

All i got is lift car and turn steering wheel + spin wheels - not getting anything yet.
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Old 04-20-2009, 01:55 PM   #7
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Sounds like a CV joint.

-Dylan @ DS1
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Old 04-21-2009, 04:37 PM   #8
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thanks for the input Dylan.

I spose I'll try putting it back up on jack stands and trying to let the motor push the wheels and see if that reproduces the sound.
Since the car was on jacks a few days ago - the sound hasn't come back - so going to be even harder to diagnose if the symptom disappeared.
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Old 04-21-2009, 04:48 PM   #9
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Old 04-21-2009, 05:59 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 06HAWKMAN View Post
good idea with the video.
The sound i get is more solid than what you're hearing.
Almost sounds like something's tapping the body on your car it's so hollow
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Old 04-21-2009, 06:23 PM   #11
06HAWKMAN
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post up a vid if you can and I will do all I can to help you out
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:20 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 06HAWKMAN View Post
post up a vid if you can and I will do all I can to help you out
OK, since I put my car on the jack for an hour or so a few days ago - the car stopped making that sound.

Now i'm at a loss as to what it was. Symptom has dissappeared for now.
What sorta thing would just disappear from being taken off the ground for a second?

Center diff that was off due to front and rear wheels not going @ same speed?
Hmm........ i just thought of something... i don't want to test.

Going into my apt - there's a speed hump. If i take it a little quickly, maybe the front wheels may jump ahead of the rears??
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Old 04-22-2009, 04:44 PM   #13
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I dont think our tires spinning at different speeds would do this, same as if one tire is slipping on ice. That is why we have diffs right?
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Old 05-05-2009, 02:17 AM   #14
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I spose so...


Well I just had a friend come over and try to make the sound happen driving it while the car is off the ground - wheels moving and steering wheel turning. No sound at all while the car's off the ground.

The only thing that seems a little suspect was dampness around the power steering rack...
Can't think of a safe way to put load on the suspension and get in close to try and find the sound...

I'm not really a big fan of just replacing parts based on guessing... i'd rather diagnose the issue first.
So any testing/diagnosis ideas would really be helpful!!
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Old 05-07-2009, 07:27 PM   #15
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Im in the same situation. I had both Axels replaced and it still dose the same noise.

interested in finding a fix for this.
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Old 05-11-2009, 06:57 PM   #16
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my friend suggested the steering rack bushings may be bad, or the rack itself may be loose.
So when under heavy load - this makes sense. the rack really pushes hard, and slips and pops on one side or the other.

Will have to take a closer look to see if this is my issue
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Old 05-11-2009, 09:48 PM   #17
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^^that sounds a bit like something that happened in my old 97 z24. i went nuts. replaced front srutmounts and bearings. turns out it was the lower balljoints. They were SHOT!!! took em in when i got my parts and the guy was like "holy ***t, these should've popped out!". what was happening was i'd go into a turn, at a normal speed, and about halfway through the front end would dive over a little. Like if i had hit ice for a second and hit pavement again at a slightly tighter angle, i'd have to lessen my steering to get back on course. wife was scared to drive it.

so check that for sure.

also i never trust wheel bearings anymore, if i start hearing any noise/vibration from the front at any time, but especially during turns. NEVER trust the bearings!

Last edited by Meat Supply; 05-11-2009 at 09:54 PM.
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Old 06-05-2009, 12:51 PM   #18
Ravioli172006
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any luck?
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Old 11-07-2009, 01:59 PM   #19
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did you find a fix?
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