Prims making clunking sound at lower speeds.

Tiny
RFXCASEY
  • MEMBER
  • GEO PRIZM
My Geo is making a clunking sound when moving at any speed bellow about 30 mph. I'm sure the only reason you don't hear it past 30 is that it's just being drown out by road noise ect. But I installed 2 new CV axles thinking that the joints were shot, which they were and it did quiet the car down quite a bit but the clunk clunk clunk as the wheels turn can still be herd. I have jacked up the whole front of the car with a racing jack and put it in gear so the wheels will turn but I don't hear the noise as it only seems to happen when there is either weight on the front or the drive train is under the load of pulling the cars weight. If when the car is still and off I push down on one of the front fenders I hear a little of the clunk. I don't know exactly but I believe it is either the struts making the noise brought on by play in them when the wheels are turning or there is side to side play where the axle sits in the splines in the hub. I have jacked up a wheel and tried to wiggel the CV axle in and out left and right (passenger side to driver side) several times and it seems like there is a little horizontal play of the axle in the hub. I have with the wheel jacked up tried to wiggle the tire left and right to see if a tie rod is going bad but there is not play. I have also wiggle the tire holding the top and the bottom of the tire to see if the hub or wheel bearing is bad but there is also no play. I thought for a second maybe it was the trans axle making the clunk clunk but after riding as a passenger in the car and putting my head closer to the floor I am pretty sure the noise is coming from the strut/hub area and not from the trans axle which is as you probably know about half way between two front wheels. I really don't want to just start randomly replacing things is an effort to fix this as money is tight but whatever it takes ultimately.
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 AT 8:43 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
MMPRINCE4000
  • MECHANIC
  • 8,548 POSTS
Check control arm bushings and ball joints, also jack car up and put on stands, remove tire and use jack to raise control arm, you should be able to see/feel if the struts are loose.

You may also want to check motor mounts.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 AT 12:39 PM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Sponsored links