'99 Infiniti i30- lower control arm problem?
'99 Infiniti i30- lower control arm problem?
I am getting a clunking noise when I shift into reverse and back into park. The car was put up on the lift with a mechanic inside who repeatedly shifted the car into reverse and back to park. The noise comes from the passenger side lower control arm bushing. Is that noise normal? The noise is also heard when acclelerating or slowing down- just coasting too. It's like something locks up and then releases. At first, it seemed to come from the right front brake caliper but once on the lift, it could be heard directly from the bushing only. Also, the engine tilts back when the car is put into reverse. Is that normal? I only noticed that because the hood was up and the mechanic was shifting back and forth. I want to be sure that it has nothing to do with the engine mounts. I don't completely trust the head mechanic. He misdiagnosed the problem of the clunking sound once already, saying he was sure it was the brake caliper. I insisted on making sure and now it looks it is not the problem. But he did solve another problem for me that no one else did so I am trying to work with him for the time being.
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MinisterofDOOM
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Re: '99 Infiniti i30- lower control arm problem? (mk1625)
Welcome to NICO!
It is normal for the engine to tilt a little when put into gear (forward or reverse). A lot of movement could indicate a (or maybe more) bad motor mount. BUT bad mounts wouldn't cause a clunking unless they were in VERY bad shape. The way the mounts are designed, even if they break there's still rubber isolating metal components from each other, so you won't get clunking noises unless they've been severely chewed up. I have some experience with motor mounts (my shift kit eats them up, I've replaced them multiple times on my '93 Maxima) and I really can't see how you could possibly get them into such bad shape that they'd make noise.It should be very easy to see if the mounts are bad with the car up on a lift. Even crawling under it in the driveway should give you a pretty good look at them.
A bad lower control arm bushing could cause the noise. But I would expect it to make noise under other circumstances as well, like any time the suspension moves and possibly while steering.
My guess is a bad CV joint is your culprit.
It is normal for the engine to tilt a little when put into gear (forward or reverse). A lot of movement could indicate a (or maybe more) bad motor mount. BUT bad mounts wouldn't cause a clunking unless they were in VERY bad shape. The way the mounts are designed, even if they break there's still rubber isolating metal components from each other, so you won't get clunking noises unless they've been severely chewed up. I have some experience with motor mounts (my shift kit eats them up, I've replaced them multiple times on my '93 Maxima) and I really can't see how you could possibly get them into such bad shape that they'd make noise.It should be very easy to see if the mounts are bad with the car up on a lift. Even crawling under it in the driveway should give you a pretty good look at them.
A bad lower control arm bushing could cause the noise. But I would expect it to make noise under other circumstances as well, like any time the suspension moves and possibly while steering.
My guess is a bad CV joint is your culprit.
Re: '99 Infiniti i30- lower control arm problem? (MinisterofDOOM)
Thanks for the welcome and thanks for the quick reply!
About 2 months ago, I had the front axles replaced- due the fact that I had the creaking noise/clicking noise while turning. I put it off as long as I could and then went ahead and had them replaced. It caused some uneven wear on the tires, I believe. I did have the wheels spin balanced after the recent front axle replacement. Everything was fine until this clunking noise started. It happens more and more now as I am driving. I don't notice any noise when I am turning- only when I am driving straight- accelerating, braking or coasting and it's not everytime. It happens sporadically and usually more at speeds around 30-40- just taking it easy. The noise was coming from the lower arm control bushing on the passenger side when placed on the lift. btw-Thanks for letting me know that the tilt of the engine is normal. Also, one other issue is that I had the rear shocks replaced a couple weeks ago and now I am experiencing a lot of vibration in the floorboard and steering wheel at speeds of 65 (most pronounced) and up. I don't know if it's related to the shocks being replaced or if it's a coincidence that this is happening right after they were replaced. Before that, I had reached 100mph on the highway (a one time event a couple months ago) and it was a smooth ride.
Modified by mk1625 at 6:27 AM 5/28/2008
About 2 months ago, I had the front axles replaced- due the fact that I had the creaking noise/clicking noise while turning. I put it off as long as I could and then went ahead and had them replaced. It caused some uneven wear on the tires, I believe. I did have the wheels spin balanced after the recent front axle replacement. Everything was fine until this clunking noise started. It happens more and more now as I am driving. I don't notice any noise when I am turning- only when I am driving straight- accelerating, braking or coasting and it's not everytime. It happens sporadically and usually more at speeds around 30-40- just taking it easy. The noise was coming from the lower arm control bushing on the passenger side when placed on the lift. btw-Thanks for letting me know that the tilt of the engine is normal. Also, one other issue is that I had the rear shocks replaced a couple weeks ago and now I am experiencing a lot of vibration in the floorboard and steering wheel at speeds of 65 (most pronounced) and up. I don't know if it's related to the shocks being replaced or if it's a coincidence that this is happening right after they were replaced. Before that, I had reached 100mph on the highway (a one time event a couple months ago) and it was a smooth ride.
Modified by mk1625 at 6:27 AM 5/28/2008