Nodaclu

The struts were my initial suspect, as it definitely sounds like a strut/rubber binding as I turn. I don't have the boxes any longer, and didn't read about the issue with the quick struts until after I'd gotten rid of them.

But wasn't that issue resolved like, 5 years ago? I know stock can sit on a shelf for a long time, but sitting for 5 years seems unlikely. Of course, I may have simply received a correct one - just defective.

I'll trust you guys that it cannot be the control arm, and the sound it's making leads me more in the direction of the strut than the hub. I guess I'll order another strut and see if that resolves things.

Appreciate the help and advice!!

donbrew

It was resolved around 2009.

hellshotrod

i would change the sway bar bushings to gm , iv tried most out there and they are the only ones that have worked the best and not made noise , good luck its a cheap fix before a strut ,

Nodaclu

Thanks guys . Those bushings were a @$*$ to get to and change out, and I'll need to very new brackets too, but I agree that I should probably go that route either first, or in addition to.

Nodaclu

Changed the sway bar bushings yesterday. That resolved the rubber binding sound when turning. Now however, I'm left with clunking that seems to be coming from the strut towers when driving over rough (or even slightly uneven) surfaces.

So I'm back to the struts again. I did notice that the boot and jounce seems to move freely along the shaft (that's what she said...heh), and an internet search produced a TSB where a potential solution was to glue the jounce and boot to the top of the spring housing to keep it from moving and "slamming" (the TSB's words, not mine). against the top of the tower.

Sounds crazy, but at this point, that's cheaper to try than replacing the strut assemblies (again).

Any thoughts? Confirmations? Experiences? As always, I appreciate 'em all. :)

donbrew

The bumper and boot don't make noise; if it worries you most new ones come with tie wraps. If the shock is bottoming out it needs to be replaced.

Struts and shocks wear out in around 35,000 miles, even if you don't see leakage. They used to get replaced more often when they were cheap. In the 60's a tire store wouldn't let you out the door without trying to sell a set; but they were $5 + labor then.

The TSB for finding clunks is linked in my sig.

Nodaclu

Thanks for that - didn't make sense to me either, but at this point I'm grasping at straws.

Everything is new on the front end. The struts now have about 2,500 miles on them. There should be no noises, yet the noise I hear is the exact noise I'd expect to hear from the struts if they hadn't been replaced over the entire 12 years and 113,000 miles that the car now has on it.

The issue with the Monroe Quick Struts were brought up earlier in the thread, but I have a hard time believing that that there would still be product on the shelf from an issue that was resolved 8-9 years ago (though I know it's still possible).

Based on 30+ years of wrenching on cars, and being able to reasonably isolate and reproduce the sound, I keep coming back to those damn struts. ::Sigh:: I wish I wasn't so OCD about these kinds of things. It'd be easier to just give up and live with it.

Unfortunately, I'm not wired that way. I *have* to get to the bottom of it. It'll drive me crazy(er) otherwise...

donbrew

The Monroe thing was the spring rubbing not a clunk, rattle ,etc. Basically the spring were too wide.

Don't discount the bumper cover, the foam bumper, the fender insulator and any other bolt on part. Lots have complained about the air box bracket getting broken. Hubs can do it.

Oldblue