2002 Mitsubishi Diamante 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante 125000 mi

My 02 diamante is doing the same thing. I think it is the knuckle? The pbar that attatches to the upper control arn and curves around the tire. On that side I have about a third of an inch clearance where as on the other I have about an inch. Sounds kind of like real rapid rumble strip noise. I took it to a mechanic 2 days ago but he still hasn't figured it out. The price on a new knuckle is over $800. Where as both upper and lower control arms are under $100 a piece. Did you ever figure out what was causing your problem? I just bought the car of some shiester used car lot a month and a half ago, it came with a 1 month warranty and the problem started right after that expired. It occurs when I first start driving and stops after a couple of blocks then starts back up for a few seconds after every bump. I havn't noticed any fishtailing and it doesn, t noticably slow the car.

It did turn out to be the knuckle - actually the knuckle bushing. There is a rubber bushing where the suspension parts come together (at the knuckle) that keeps them the right distance apart. The original part was made of substandard rubber, so they wear out.

The knuckle was $800 and labor was $800, so it would have been $3200 to do both sides, which is what the dealer recommended (actually they recommended getting a new car). Found that the knuckle bushing was available for about $30 online (took me a while to find it and don't remember where). Had a local mechanic install two for a total of $400. However, the problem seemed to be recurring within about 2 months. So I took $100 for it at trade in and bought a different vehicle.