Few suspension questions

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

Got a few suspension-type questions I figured I'd ask the experts on:

 

First off, going real slow either forwards or backwards when turning the wheel (i.e. low speed parking, etc) I get one or two loud pops/clicks. Bad CV Joint(s)?

 

Second, going over bumps in the road with the windows down (going say 25 mph), I get a little click/clatter noise. I thought the center cap on one of my wheels was loose (as that is almost what it sounds like), but took them off and still hear it. It comes from the front of the vehicle towards the tire (thats the best I can describe it as I can't be outside the car going 25 mph ). Could this be related to the above issue? My buddy's old 77 lincoln had a worse version of this noise which ended up being something in his brakes, but my brakes were checked recently and didn't have any problems according to my mechanic.

 

Any ideas on the above? Sorry for the long post, just trying to get the MC in tip-top shape for the upcoming plans I have for it.

 

WhiteMonteZZZ

[cutlass1991]

As far as your second question.... I say it IS the brakes. I changed mine and after a few miles, they started making the same clicking rattle noises. It is the hardware on the caliper. On the rear brakes, there is a little ring that attatches to the calpiper piston and then the inboard pad snaps into it. Over time, the clips that hold the pad, as well as the clips that attatch it to the piston, wear out and become loose. This allows the pad to bounce around between the caliper and the rotor. The easy fix is to just get a new retainer clip, but I was in the middle of a job, and cheap, so I just bent the retainer back to its original shape and now it is a tight fit.

 

If you can move your brake pad a little bit with your hand in any direction, then this is most likely your problem.

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

As far as your second question.... I say it IS the brakes. I changed mine and after a few miles, they started making the same clicking rattle noises. It is the hardware on the caliper. On the rear brakes, there is a little ring that attatches to the calpiper piston and then the inboard pad snaps into it. Over time, the clips that hold the pad, as well as the clips that attatch it to the piston, wear out and become loose. This allows the pad to bounce around between the caliper and the rotor. The easy fix is to just get a new retainer clip, but I was in the middle of a job, and cheap, so I just bent the retainer back to its original shape and now it is a tight fit.

 

If you can move your brake pad a little bit with your hand in any direction, then this is most likely your problem.

 

I'll check this later. It's coming from the front. You mentioned the rear brakes (mine has rear drums ) Are the fronts the same basic setup?

 

WhiteMonteZZZ

[cutlass1991]

Oh sorry, I didn't know you had rear drums. I guess the noise isn't being caused by what I said then. The front setup is totally different from the rear.

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

Darn. Yeah :-( I have rear drums. What from the front then would cause this noise do you guys think?

 

WMZZZ

[jdcutty]

Could be a bad strut mount. Go out and push the car up and down over the wheel that is making the noise, if it pops then you have a broken strut mount.

[MonteCarloChick]

Definitely strut mounts..

 

But simply pushing the car up and down isn't a real good determining factor. I'm currently working on my BF's and when pushing his front end down it's fine. But take the strut out and looking at the mount.. it's shot. Oh and it's a pain in the ass trying to get the nut off to get the mount off. Ugh.

[cutlass1991]

shes not kidding when she says it's a pain in the ass. make sure you have a good quality t-50 torx bit when trying to do this, or the bolt will strip and you will have a lot more to worry about than a noise.

[MonteCarloChick]

shes not kidding when she says it's a pain in the ass. make sure you have a good quality t-50 torx bit when trying to do this, or the bolt will strip and you will have a lot more to worry about than a noise.

:withstupid: And make sure you have a beer handy because you will get frustrated if you're doing the job yourself lol

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

Thanks gang. I thought maybe strut-related. I was gonna do KYBs...maybe this is my excuse 8)

[WhiteMonteZZZ]

Oh another thing, if it's a bad strut mount, could this make a pop type noise when slowly moving and cutting the wheel left/right? Kinda like a bad cv joint would? Could the pop when turning and the rattle noise when going over bumps be related to bad strut mounts? :?:

[DaveFromColorado]

I agree with everything said above - but feel I should add ...

 

could be a bad spring bearing (allows the spring to stay in one place while the rest of the assembly turns) typically you'd hear that moving, or stopped.

 

I'd inspect the CV axels, give 'em a good shake, if they've got a lot of play, they are bad, if they feel fairly tight, and no rips in the boots (usually seen by seeing CV grease everywhere) then I'd call 'em as good.

 

I'd check everything connected to the front end, ball joints have a way of making strange noises all the time, and worn out busings can cause issues that can cost you a LOT of money, because people forget those bushings can ware out (they often don't ware out, but they can)

 

one thing no one has mentioned is the engine cradle itself, if this is lose or broken (or has a broken bolt) this can cause all sorts of strange noises, creeks, pops etc... Hope that helps

 

--Dave.