02 Pathfinder left side clunk?

[jimmygoogle]

I have an 02 Pathfinder that has 108K miles on it. It started as a light clunk and now almost every bump ( no matter how small) I hit I get this clunk on the left side by the tire. There is no sounds on flat roads though. The car handles ok. One note, if I am slowing down and the road is bumpy, I hear the noise and it almost feels like the ABS is kicking in even though its not.

The mechanic last weekend couldn't fix it and I ended up with a large bill because I needed the car inspected and he said the tie rods would have made the car fail inspection. I dont know if I believe him or not. At any rate below is the list of things recently replaced, if anyone has any insight or guesses I love the input before I go back to another garage.

I have recently replaced the following (in this order)
brakes
tires
shocks/struts
left tie rods (last week)

[ARKQX33V6]

Sounds like the start of front shock tower failure, the struts, have a wear out life of 65,000 miles and up.

Raise both front wheels off the road and leave them up, with a 5' pry-bar under each wheel try to lift that wheel, feeling with free hand the top of the shock.

If any movement, click, clunk the tower assembly needs to be checked and the shock absorber replaced.

Shocks should be tight, but when well used the oil orifice within allows rapid movement of the shock piston and this rapid movement is noticed as a metal slapping other metal. That sharp sound is usually the indication of a change needed.

The noise starts out as described and progressively gets louder and continuous without being on rough terrain.

While the wheels are up and hanging, grasp them at 12 at 6 and the 3 and 9 o'clock try shaking and torquing them and feel for bumps, clunks or any looseness...could be bearings, tie rods, lower tower looseness.

While driving along on a smooth road and you hear a tight clicking...could be suspension links chattering.

All these sounds happen at about 65,000 miles more or less and each sound is distinctive and represents components as listed above.

The worst case is saying to a service garage, fix it, because you are giving them carte blanche or a blank check to replace everything under the front end.

You do not have to know how to fix things but it helps if you know what might be wrong.

[jimmygoogle]

I just had the front shocks and struts replaced 2 years ago and I only put like 25K miles (highway) on it since. Is there a way to test this otherwise. If I used a tire jack to get the left tire off the ground a little then used a pry bar would that work?

[Finkle]

Mine makes the clunking sound too. It's pretty faint and sounds like something is wobbling in the rear. How would that be the front strut? I'm confused.

[patqx4]

Climb under the car and grab the sway bar links and push/pull. If there's any play replace them. Not expensive or hard to fix. Nine times out of ten thats where the clunking is.

[jimmygoogle]

I will climb under there today and poke around. I forgot they the sway bar links were supposedly replaced as well when I had the shocks/struts done. I will report back.

[jimmygoogle]

Mine makes the clunking sound too. It's pretty faint and sounds like something is wobbling in the rear. How would that be the front strut? I'm confused.

Mine clunks in the back ever since I bought it and no one has figured it out. I have just left it.

[ARKQX33V6]

Jimmy if you can only get one side front up at a time with a ry bar try to raise the wheel assembly that is raised.

The added torque placed by the pry bar lifting will show any movement within the top of the strut tower. You should be able to feel/hear movement.

Struts are McPherson, it is the internal shock absorber that makes the thumping sound as it rides up and down especially when worn or wearing out. The metered oil is now not metered and the shock piston travels freely and bumps the rigid top attached to the body fender which is drum like and amplifies the noise.

Worst case is to remove the strut assembly and test the shock, this means a spring compressor and time to remove. When apart the shock itself should be hard to move in and out but worn is easily moved. If easy to move by hand imagine a 1 ton weight moving it back and forward.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Mine clunks in the back ever since I bought it and no one has figured it out. I have just left it.

Clunks when you jump on the gas? Upper trailing link bushings.


Chuck

[jimmygoogle]

Climb under the car and grab the sway bar links and push/pull. If there's any play replace them. Not expensive or hard to fix. Nine times out of ten thats where the clunking is.

Everything is tight as can be under there. I have an appt with a garage on Monday, I will see what happens.

[jimmygoogle]

OK so here is an update, I didnt catch the technical term but the part of the car that houses the strut and tire etc. is rusted and is pulling away from the body of the car. The mechanic cannot do anything but his brother owns a body shop next door and said he would try and fix it. He isnt sure that is what the noise is but at this point but he said the car is not safe to drive. I actually did notice this when I was under the car the other day checking the sway bar links. I didnt think too much of it since Firestone didnt mention it to me. Lesson learned there.

[WPGQX4]

Isn't that the recall issue going on right now?

[jimmygoogle]

Hopefully, this will help someone in the future. Its a recall issue. The guy at the garage said the strut was moving 'with' the housing not inside the housing.

NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 1996-2004 PATHFINDER AND MODEL YEAR 1997-2003 INFINITI QX4 VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WASHINGTON D.C., WEST VIRGINIA AND WISCONSIN. IN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY IN WHICH HEAVY CONCENTRATIONS OF ROAD SALT ARE USED, A MIXTURE OF SNOW/WATER AND SALT MAY ENTER AN ASSEMBLY LOCATION HOLE IN THE UPPER STRUT HOUSING, CAUSING WATER TO COLLECT AT THE MATING SURFACE OF THE STRUT HOUSING PANEL AND THE INNER HOOD LEDGE ASSEMBLY. OVER TIME, THIS SNOW/WATER AND SALT INTRUSION MAY RESULT IN CORROSION OF THE STRUT TOWER HOUSING IN SOME SUBJECT VEHICLES.

THE STRUT HOUSING MAY CRACK AND PULL AWAY FROM THE INNER HOOD LEDGE ASSEMBLY. THIS MAY LEAD TO GRINDING NOISES, INCREASED STEERING EFFORT, AND POSSIBLY THE STEERING COLUMN TO BREAK, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

NISSAN WILL INSPECT THE STRUT HOUSING AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. AN INTERIM NOTIFICATION LETTER TO OWNERS WILL BE MAILED ON OR BEFORE MAY 16, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.

[zentiques]

We had the same issue, thought strut tower bearings. Sounds like it will be declared unsafe to drive. Get it to your local dealer for an inspection, under the recall guidelines, they'll provide a rental or loaner, then you have to wait to be contacted by Morley Vehicle Inspection Services, provide some documentation and wait for their inspectors. Might as well be ready to empty it out and start thinking about a replacement. Sounds like you never received the recall notice from Nissan, ours came about a month ago, still a month late, ours was dead in June. This delay in notification is as much of an issue as the defect, the lawyers are going to have a field day.

[jimmygoogle]

The body shop by me fixed it for $400, I am still going to bring it for an inspection but the strut housing is good a new.

[jimmygoogle]

So an update to this issue. I brought my car in for inspection to Nissan for reimbursement purposes and they told me the body shop fixed it wrong and its not repairable. They condemned my car. I leaned a ton in the thread below about the process. I am not looking for this

97-04-pathfinder-qx4-strut-housing-corr ... 2-240.html