Popping/Clunking noise from the front end

[deiaggie]

I have a clunking/popping sound comming from the front end of my 1996 LT1 coupe. I only experience this sound when I am making a fairly hard left turn and usually when i am on my brake. This sound occurs at both high and low speed but only when the wheel is turned fairly far to the left. Any ideas on what this might be?

 

[berky2500]

Welcome to the CAC, I'm sure someone will be able to point you in the right direction.

Have you had the wheel off? Pull the wheel, check all of the bushings for the control arms and for the sway bar. Check that the caliper mounting bolts are tight.

Put the wheel back on, but leave the car jacked up. Put your hands at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock, pull back and forth. Then do the same at 12 and 6, excessive movement and you probably have a bearing problem.

Keep asking questions and posting what you find.

 

[jmccloud]

Clunking/popping

Had the same symptoms and found a bad wheel bearing.
Since it's noisy turning left, it's probably the right wheel.

 

[deiaggie]

ok i jacked up both ends and found that the driver side had a very small amount of play and the passanger side had just a hair more in both directions. I could move the tire back and forth about 1/8 " or less on the passange side and a tiny bit less on the drivers side. both sides did not seem like there was really an excess amount of play but the passanger side seemed like there was more than the drivers side. Also when i pulled back and forth on the passenger side, there was a little squeak while i was shaking it.

some other things that i have noticed, while driving in a parking lot at 10 mph and makeing hard left and right turns, i could make it make the sound turning both right and left although during normal driving it occurs more while turning left. The other thing i noticed is that it usually makes the sound while making a turn under load like when accelerating or while braking but it rarely makes the sound coasting (except when making a fairly hard turn). I looked at all the bushings and they looked OK, they were a little cracked but not rotted.

I also checked the calipers and both seemed tight. How can i test to see if it is a bushing?

Any ideas?

 

[deiaggie]

anyone?

 

[compyelc4]

I had a bad driver side bearing. Same popping and clunking while turning left or accelerating in reverse with wheel cocked to left. Took me months and 1 reman. rack AND a set of McPhersons to find the noise!

Seems I could not get enough oomph with the "12:00/6:00 tug". Just about to give up. Here's how I finally found the bad bearing:

I kept the front wheels ON the ground. I planted both feet against the bottom of the driver-side tire at the 6:00 position (don't know why but I had a hunch it was that one). I wrapped my hands around the back of the tire at 12:00 position. I placed my butt against the side of my wife's Honda to get some real leverage. I then pulled like hell with my hands and pushed real hard with my feet. FINALLY I HEARD THAT POP/CRUNCH. It seems that it took a mighty 12:00/6:00 tug on that rascal to make that bearing let go. I did not have the leverage and strength using just my arms with the wheels elevated....OR maybe I was afraid I was going to yank the car off the jacks!

You might want to try my technique.

Ted