Clunking

[captluv]

Hey all,

There's a clunking noise coming from my right front wheel area. It happens when I go over a pothole or any kind of moderate bump. It sounds like something is loose somewhere and gets bumped around a bit when I hit uneven road. What's the most likely cause of this; broken/worn shock or spring? That's just my first guess, I mean it's gotta be suspension related because of when it happens.

any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Beancooker]

Broken strut, worn out strut mount, discharged strut, it could even be loose lugnuts.

[captluv]

Did the bounce test on the shocks and they're all ok, in fact the car still rides smooth with no other problems except that sound. Could it be a worn out bushing? If so, which bushing is most likely to go on a strut assembly? Control arm?

[MaximA32]

my guess would be bad strut mounts. could also be a broken stabilizer link as well.

[Sentientbydesign]

I have a similar problem on my 96 I30. It's a slight rattle/clunk when I go over bumps or go from forward to reverse. My lower control arm bushings are shot per the tire shop, so I think that might have something to do with it. I know it's definately affecting my alignment. It won't stay straight for more than a month.

Anyone know where to buy the bushings? Some people say you can only buy the whole are, but I've seen bushings online and at Autozone. Only problem with the Autozone bushings is that they are only made for the Max?

[maxhopper]

You can get energy suspension bushings here. http://www.suspension.com/nissancars.htm

I would also recommend replacing the sway bar and end link bushings. They will tighten up the handling on the front end considerably.

[captluv]

Thanks for all the help guys. I took it to a suspension mechanic and it was a broken strut mount, so I got that fixed. But he also told me that it was time to do the shocks and lower bushings as well, so I plan to have that done soon (and yes, I will have the sway bar bushings done as well. My steering is a bit loose).

[Staindfan03]

Check your front sway bar bushings and links. That is really common on most cars.