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Also, typically you need heavier and larger tools than most folks have.
If you decide to do it yourself, remember to follow safety rules, jackstands, wheel chocks, etc. It would help a lot if you had access to a floor jack.
Let's hear your ideas and experiences.
Here's my answer:
your nissan strut mounts might need replacement. you should change every single one of them when you change one. check also on your suspension brushing. it may need some replacement too.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
In a wishbone suspension you have two A-frames, one on the bottom of the hub (similar to strut assembly above), and another on the top. The hub pivots on balljoints between these two A-frames. The spring then mounts between the body frame and one of the A-frames, and the shock mounts similarly as well. More parts to this assembly.
There are pro's and con's to both. Factors are cost, space, wheel alignment under different loading and body lean conditions, etc.
The car is a '98 Civic. I first started noticing the sound after an accident about a year ago in which the car's right side ran over a wooden log on the highway (long story). I had a blown tire up front and since only one side of the car ran over the log, the (auto) transmission case got hit by it and was cracked open. I got a brand new transmission and, since the dealership told me the front right suspension was bent and could not be aligned, the entire knuckle assembly (and some other parts -- probably the control arm) were replaced as well. The repair was done well but I'm now stuck with this clunking sound problem. I've brought it back to the dealer but they told me they could not reproduce the problem.
Sorry about the long post, but can anyone tell me what is the most likely cause of this sound and how dangerous it is to continue driving? I have been driving the car for about a year since I first noticed the problem and so far nothing has happened. But it sure is unsettling whenever I hear it! Thanks in advance.
I've noticed that dealers are good for that.
It could be a loose strut or a CV joint that is having a problem. Is it more pronounce on slow turns? Or on bumps?
The best thing is to take it to a good tire shop, they usually have a good suspension person. Have them take a look and see what they think.
Thanks for the advice. As far as tire shops, would you recommend any of the national chains? If so, which one?
As for one of the national chains, if they have a suspension/alignment guy, then they should be able to locate the problem. If you are on the west coast, Les Schwab Tires usually has pretty good alignment guys.
Just have them check it out (you may have to pay for diagnostics). Then you can decide how you want to procede. If the dealer won't warranty the work, then you may be better off having someone else do the work. Their work for you wasn't very good.
Here is a small list of thoughts of things it could be.
Loose or broken motor mount.
Loose or broken strut or strut tower.
Loose or broken steering knuckle.
worn out wheel bearings.
Loose brake caliper.
Any of these will cause a clunk.
Does it clunk on acceleration or deceleration more than not?
Or is it only when going over bumps?
Usually CV joints will make more noise on turning than going straight.
If you can narrow down where the noise seems to be coming from, that will help.
Should I go to Midas in the Maryland area?
I have about 60,000 miles on the Accord.
If your talking about two new strut assemblies, without the springs (old springs compressed and re-used), two new upper bearings, alignment and labor, it sounds a bit high. If completely new struts are used (new springs already installed) then it could be about right. I'm not real familiar with the car though so there could be something I'm not aware of that makes it more expensive.
Drove the car to work the next day and the ride was terrible with hard bumps and bouncing.
Called the mechanic first thing to see if any adjustments had been made to the suspension during the tire rotation to explain the rough ride. He got defensive and stated that he did not do a tire rotation and nothing he did could have caused any problems. Though the garage secretary mentioned the tire rotation twice to me before the work he stated that the tire rotation was listed on the receipt but he blamed it on a computer error.
Took the car back that evening and the mechanic found that all four struts are frozen. No movement up or down.
He could not explain what would freeze all four struts simultainiously and implied that the problem was there before he touched it. It was not. This same mechanic had replaced the brakes on the car 6 months earlier with no problems at that time. His only solution was for me to pay $800 to replace all four struts with no acceptance of fault or reduction in price.
Could he have damaged all four struts with improper lift placement or usage?
I am not sure about the ride height. The gap between the tires and the wheel wells are even on all four sides and if anything a little bit wider than before. That is why the first thing that I thought about was the mechanic's lift.
Maybe he/she "forgot' to mention they did a weekend Baja road trip.
The second shop replaced all four shocks\struts with Mcpherson's for just over $500.
Thanks for the responses this one had me stumped.
You can put a car on a lift where the ramps lift the tires up, just as if it was sitting on the ground. Good for basically getting underneath it. Or, you can lift the frame up, so the tires extend down and allow you to work on each of the wheels.
I guess it is conceivable that if you have NOT had it up on a lift for a long period of time, that each shock could have gone completely bad over that timeframe, and when they lifted it as each wheel dropped down somehow because the shock was internally broken that it bound up in a fully down position.
I guess it is possible, but I would have thought that you would have noticed the shocks/structs bad....making a racket everytime you went over any little bump.
I just can't imagine all of those coincidentally going bad at the similar timeframe, and not recognizing any problem along the way.
Edit....I wonder if someone had previously replaced the original mfg struts, with an incorrectly sized strut that wasn't the right length, and because not the right length they went bad.
I am guessing that I need two new Struts and an Alignment, but wanted to check.
One mechanic stated that I needed new springs, while a 2nd stated that I probably did not. The 2nd also stated I could get spacers for the springs if I was really worried about it.
What should I do?
Alignment sounds like a good idea. The WRX is not all that great a handling car to begin with, so any real alignment issues is probably going to aggravate that.
Alignment sounds like a good idea. The WRX is not all that great a handling car to begin with, so any alignment issues is probably going to aggravate that. The rear tire deviance sounds like some sort of camber issue, worth looking into.
Huh?
-mike
All correctable with some suspension parts, at the expense of some noise and comfort.
-mike
-mike
If you want to die and go to heaven, buy Bilsteins---but they are expensive. however, if you plan to keep the car for a long time, well worth it. But Koni makes a good shock, and the KYBs are decent enough for the money.