I have this "clunking" noise coming out of driveway and going over large bumps in the road. After reading other forum posts I proactively replaced the front shocks today. The shocks I removed appeared to be fine, the rubber was good, the rebound in the shocks was fine as well, but I was already in there and it's an easy job. What should I look for next? In terms of suspension being in Colorado my suspension bushings look fantastic all around, no real rot or rust anywhere, ball joints appear to be tight, etc. I don't have any drive ability issues that I can detect, just this noise.

 

Assuming front????

Sway bar "D" rubbers, where that bar attaches to the chassis.

Not sure on the later cars, but the earlier cars were FUN to replace, NOT.

The sway bar links usually rattle, more than clunk.

 

Yes, front, sorry. I should inspect the sway bar next I suppose. I do hate doing sway bar bushings on most any vehicle.

 

The bushes are easier to do with two. One with a very long extension from the top - believe it or not you can see the two bolts from above once stuff it pushed aside - and an assistant at the bottom holding the other end of the nut and bolt from turning.

 

Agree with other remarks and will add a couple tidbits:

My experience is the lower shock bolts have to be very tight....tighter than you'd normally expect..... or they'll clunk.

Also check the diagonal braces in the engine bay. They also need to be very tight. If not they clunk and it'll sound like a suspension noise.

Cheers
DD

 

 

 

Mine does the exact same thing, front right side, driving over a bump or applying brake driving very slow, CLUNK. Hope someone can figure it out.

 

Hi Time-Pilot,

Presumably you replaced both foam / rubber bushes at the top of each front shock absorber? Apologies if you are way ahead of me on this one it is just that I have just replaced my bushes (easy job) and got rid of a really annoying rattle / clonk over rough surfaces that I have had for a while. Seems to be a common issue on this set up.

Macdoesit - might be worth you checking this out. Put a spanner on the nut at the top of the shock absorber in the engine bay and see if you can wobble it about.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

 

Yes, that's how I check them, with a very large pry bar under the tire.

 

Hi 944 XJS,

Suggest you check the top shock absorber bushes - the description of your noise sounds similar to mine especially the rattle. Just see if you can move the top of the shock absorber around from inside the engine bay. If this is it than a fairly easy fix - I did mine without taking the wheels off.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

Hmm. Interesting. I'm going to add my car to this list of Weird Noises Going Over Bumps. In my case I can only hear the noise at low speeds, it does appear to be more front than rear, and happens going over uneven roads, multi-level carpark ramp lips, and sharp steering (like turning a corner), though not always. It's also a light, unladen clank or rattle (though not continuous like a rattle might be), that doesn't appear as if the car's weight is on it. So I've assumed something in the steering, as I've read on other forums people suggesting things from anti-sway bars to those linkages behind (inside) the wheels that I cannot remember the name of offhand.
While my top front shock bushes are relatively new (two years), and seem to be in good shape, I didn't actually check the tightness of the nuts, and will also have a look at the bracing bars.

 

I have had a crazy noise in my 98'. Went through control bushings ball joints a Shock bushings. After months I found out that the tube routing the water from the Sun Roof that goes down through the panel over the driver side was hitting the panel down there. I shook it and that was it. I just pulled in up about an inch and no more noise.

 

Okay, I tried tightening the nuts on top of the front shock bushes in the engine bay, and they appeared to just turn freely without getting tighter, as if there should be another thing on the other side that you have to hold in place before tightening them. I felt with my fingers, but couldn't find anything obvious. Do the wheels need to be removed?

 

Hi Someday

Depending on the Setup and difference in the make of Shock Absorbers, they either may or may not have a Locknut (ie two nuts)
or maybe just one nut a 'Nylock'

But the one thing they all have in common (or nearly all of them anyway) is that the end of the Spigot of the Shock Absorber, should have a couple of 'flats' on the round stem

That you can get a small Spanner on, to hold the Shock Absorber to prevent it turning round, while you are in the process of tightening up that Single Nylock or those (Twin Locking Nuts)

No need or any reason for taking the Wheels off, if its just that Nut or those Locknuts that you are Tightening up but in the event that you are renewing the Shock Absorber Top Bushes

Then it is a lot easier if you take the Road Wheels off (Not essential but easier, so you can see what you're doing)

You can see how I replaced my Shock Absorber Bushes and you should also just about be able to see the 'flats' on the side of the round stem of the Top of the Shock Absorber (or would have been able to see it if 'You' had taken the Photo!) instead of me

On Page: 62 of my 'Cherry Blossom' restoration thread
And here is a link to that Page: Replacing The Top Shock Absorber Bushes And Making My Own Replacements

 

 

OB - this is the sort of nutty arrangement I have on the top of my shocks. Apologies for the iPotato crappiness of the photo quality. Two nuts, one on top of each other, and a large flat washer thing underneath.

 

SDSD
Take two spanners and hold the bottom nut while undoing the top one. Then take a spanner or a self locking wrench and hold the top of the shocker rod, using the flats clearly visible. Then undo the bottom nut. Then pull off the metal washer and the rubber bush and you should find a metal specially shaped washer that fits into the bodywork hole. Pull this and look to see if the rod, rubber bush or special washer show any signs of touching the bodywork, or if the shaped washer has been loose for some reason. Check also that BELOW the bodywork, in the wheelarch, the same special washer and rubber bush and bottom washer are in place on the shocker rod.
From the photo it all looks pretty OK, but you never can tell just be looking.

 

Thanks, Greg. I can't check now, unfortunately, as my car's in the shop for shaken (as in sha-ken ["car test"], the biannual mandatory inspection, not as in how Bond likes his martinis), and won't be out for a few days to a week or more, depending on how much work it needs. I'll be glad to get it back for less than US$2,000....