Clunking from left front over rough roads

wheatpaste · 11-15-2008, 06:01 PM

I'm getting a lot of clunking from the left front corner of my car over rough pavement at all speeds. It doesn't feel like a swaybar/endlink clunk and it doesn't feel like bad ball joint.

I thought it was a blown strut, but I just put on brand new D-Specs and I'm still getting clunking from the same side.

Would a bad axle/CV joint give me clunking like I'm experiencing? Both of my inner CV joints up front have spit out a little grease, but I think they're still ok... I don't notice any clicking when I turn which I've heard is a symptom of bad CV joints.

Any ideas? Loose axle nut?

Car and mods:
2004 WRX wagon, ~62,000 miles
04 STi BBS wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 225/45-17 tires
D-Spec struts + RCE wagon springs + Group N top hats
Whiteline 24mm FSB + Kartboy wagon front endlinks
Whiteline 22mm RSB + Whiteline rear endlinks
Whiteline ALK (sport)
Whiteline roll center kit
Whiteline steering rack bushings

Thanks,
Jason

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

wrxman4331 · 11-16-2008, 04:56 AM

I just noticed the same thing with my car....idk what it is but am def going to jack it up later today and have a look. Will def be keeping an eye on this one to see what people say so i have an idea on where to start.

Subie Gal · 11-16-2008, 11:18 AM

bad axle
bad tie rod end
bad ball joint

any of the above could be your issue

how new is your new suspension?
could need to be tightened down.
esp. if this noise started just after the suspension was installed.

wheatpaste · 11-16-2008, 02:10 PM

I'm pretty positive that it's not a bad ball joint. I had one go bad a few thousand miles ago which is when I put in the roll center kit. This feels and sounds different.

The noise was happening before with my stock struts and springs. The top hats, struts, springs, perches, and washers are all different and I'm getting the same noise, so I think I can rule out the strut assembly.

I guess I'll start with making sure the axle nuts are tight. Would a bad axle or bad CV joint cause clunking over rough road or would it be a constant noise?

jaxscuby · 11-16-2008, 04:58 PM

lube sway bushings..

wheatpaste · 11-17-2008, 03:52 AM

It's not the swaybar.

It's a weird sensation but I've been paying attention to it more... what it feels like to me is the left front wheel quickly bouncing up and down without proper damping, which is why I thought it was a blown strut at first. It does seem to be more prominent in long turns over rough pavement.

Thanks for the help guys... I think I'm going to try replacing the axle.

preacher#1 · 11-17-2008, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaxscuby

lube sway bushings..

DITTO...

wheatpaste · 11-20-2008, 05:12 AM

Crawled under the car tonight to take a closer look at the axles. Inner CV joint on my left front axle has puked grease all over, all the way back to my lower control arm bushings and the axle itself is pretty greasy, looks much worse than it did a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed the axle and there is lots of radial play. I checked the right side and it doesn't have the same play.

So... I guess we'll see but it looks like it was the axle all along. It's weird because I never got any of the tell tale clicking from the bad CV joint. Going to try to change both front axles tomorrow and report back if it cured my clunking.

jascrutch · 11-29-2008, 10:50 AM

Waiting anxiously for results. I have had some clunking (passenger side) for a short while on my '02 WRX sedan as well. After putting it in the air, I did not ID any exceptional difference in axle radial "play" side to side. I suspect you simply rotated the front tire and measured rotation to stop back and forth.

wheatpaste · 12-03-2008, 04:24 AM

Sorry for the delay on my response. Apparently no auto parts stores stock more than one of any of the axles... got one at Kragen and one at Pep Boys.

After replacing the front left axle the clunking is gone...

jascrutch-
About the play in the axles; I simply got under the car with the front end in the air and grabbed the axle to see how it felt. The axles should be able to slightly move in and out along their long axis (what I would call axial play) because of the CV joints. They should not be able to move up and down (what i would call radial play). The axle that was noisy on my car had radial play while the other axle did not. I'm not sure if this is 100% correct, but it is what I observed.

So it was really a combination of three things that led me to the bad axle diagnosis.
1. Leaking CV joint
2. Radial play in axle
3. Clunking from one corner only

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11-15-2008, 06:01 PM	#1
wheatpaste Scooby Specialist Member#: 170747 Join Date: Feb 2008 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: Oakland Vehicle: 2004 WRX Wagon PSM	Clunking from left front over rough roads I'm getting a lot of clunking from the left front corner of my car over rough pavement at all speeds. It doesn't feel like a swaybar/endlink clunk and it doesn't feel like bad ball joint. I thought it was a blown strut, but I just put on brand new D-Specs and I'm still getting clunking from the same side. Would a bad axle/CV joint give me clunking like I'm experiencing? Both of my inner CV joints up front have spit out a little grease, but I think they're still ok... I don't notice any clicking when I turn which I've heard is a symptom of bad CV joints. Any ideas? Loose axle nut? Car and mods: 2004 WRX wagon, ~62,000 miles 04 STi BBS wheels, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 225/45-17 tires D-Spec struts + RCE wagon springs + Group N top hats Whiteline 24mm FSB + Kartboy wagon front endlinks Whiteline 22mm RSB + Whiteline rear endlinks Whiteline ALK (sport) Whiteline roll center kit Whiteline steering rack bushings Thanks, Jason * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

11-16-2008, 04:56 AM	#2
wrxman4331 Scooby Newbie Member#: 182548 Join Date: Jun 2008 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Jamestown Ny Vehicle: 2005 WRX silver	I just noticed the same thing with my car....idk what it is but am def going to jack it up later today and have a look. Will def be keeping an eye on this one to see what people say so i have an idea on where to start.

11-16-2008, 11:18 AM	#3
Subie Gal GC84Ever Super Moderator Member#: 301 Join Date: Sep 1999 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: WA Vehicle: 1970 FF-1 & '70 Van 02 WRX/01 RS	bad axle bad tie rod end bad ball joint any of the above could be your issue how new is your new suspension? could need to be tightened down. esp. if this noise started just after the suspension was installed.

11-16-2008, 02:10 PM	#4
wheatpaste Scooby Specialist Member#: 170747 Join Date: Feb 2008 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: Oakland Vehicle: 2004 WRX Wagon PSM	I'm pretty positive that it's not a bad ball joint. I had one go bad a few thousand miles ago which is when I put in the roll center kit. This feels and sounds different. The noise was happening before with my stock struts and springs. The top hats, struts, springs, perches, and washers are all different and I'm getting the same noise, so I think I can rule out the strut assembly. I guess I'll start with making sure the axle nuts are tight. Would a bad axle or bad CV joint cause clunking over rough road or would it be a constant noise?

11-16-2008, 04:58 PM	#5
jaxscuby Sammo Hung Moderator Member#: 10613 Join Date: Sep 2001 Chapter/Region: South East Location: GTMO / S Ga / N Fla Vehicle: 2002 USDM WRX WRB	lube sway bushings..

11-17-2008, 03:52 AM	#6
wheatpaste Scooby Specialist Member#: 170747 Join Date: Feb 2008 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: Oakland Vehicle: 2004 WRX Wagon PSM	It's not the swaybar. It's a weird sensation but I've been paying attention to it more... what it feels like to me is the left front wheel quickly bouncing up and down without proper damping, which is why I thought it was a blown strut at first. It does seem to be more prominent in long turns over rough pavement. Thanks for the help guys... I think I'm going to try replacing the axle.

11-20-2008, 05:12 AM	#8
wheatpaste Scooby Specialist Member#: 170747 Join Date: Feb 2008 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: Oakland Vehicle: 2004 WRX Wagon PSM	Crawled under the car tonight to take a closer look at the axles. Inner CV joint on my left front axle has puked grease all over, all the way back to my lower control arm bushings and the axle itself is pretty greasy, looks much worse than it did a couple of weeks ago. I grabbed the axle and there is lots of radial play. I checked the right side and it doesn't have the same play. So... I guess we'll see but it looks like it was the axle all along. It's weird because I never got any of the tell tale clicking from the bad CV joint. Going to try to change both front axles tomorrow and report back if it cured my clunking.

11-29-2008, 10:50 AM	#9
jascrutch Scooby Newbie Member#: 54951 Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ohio Vehicle: 2002 WRX sedan Silver	Waiting anxiously for results. I have had some clunking (passenger side) for a short while on my '02 WRX sedan as well. After putting it in the air, I did not ID any exceptional difference in axle radial "play" side to side. I suspect you simply rotated the front tire and measured rotation to stop back and forth.

12-03-2008, 04:24 AM	#10
wheatpaste Scooby Specialist Member#: 170747 Join Date: Feb 2008 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: Oakland Vehicle: 2004 WRX Wagon PSM	Sorry for the delay on my response. Apparently no auto parts stores stock more than one of any of the axles... got one at Kragen and one at Pep Boys. After replacing the front left axle the clunking is gone... jascrutch- About the play in the axles; I simply got under the car with the front end in the air and grabbed the axle to see how it felt. The axles should be able to slightly move in and out along their long axis (what I would call axial play) because of the CV joints. They should not be able to move up and down (what i would call radial play). The axle that was noisy on my car had radial play while the other axle did not. I'm not sure if this is 100% correct, but it is what I observed. So it was really a combination of three things that led me to the bad axle diagnosis. 1. Leaking CV joint 2. Radial play in axle 3. Clunking from one corner only