clunk in steering

[91Saleen#15]

I've got a clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk in my steering when I turn right somewhat aggressively. It sounds like it's coming from the driver's side front end. I pulled the coilover and the camber plates apart, but everything seems ok. There is a small bit of play in the left tie rod, so I've ordered a new one. In fact, I'm going to replace the control arms and bushings as well. It sort of feels like the springs are winding up and releasing, but the tires don't seem to hit. I put a quarter inch spacer on the wheel, but that didn't fix it.

Other than that, I'm out of ideas. Guess I'll have to wait till the new parts get here.

[seatown88]

hows the steering guibo?

[EyExR]

CV Joint

[91Saleen#15]

CV Joint

I thought about that, but it seems like it comes from the front. OTOH, my hearing isn't the greatest. I guess I'll need to take someone for a ride and have them sit in the back

[EyExR]

I thought about that, but it seems like it comes from the front. OTOH, my hearing isn't the greatest. I guess I'll need to take someone for a ride and have them sit in the back

?? Why not check your driver's side front CV? - inner and outer... look for torn boots. You may have to pull the shaft and see what the joints feels like. If they are rough and notchy, that's most likely your issue...

good luck

[seatown88]

?? Why not check your driver's side front CV? - inner and outer... look for torn boots. You may have to pull the shaft and see what the joints feels like. If they are rough and notchy, that's most likely your issue...

good luck

He's probably not an ix so he doesn't have a front cv.

It's most likely the balljoint in the control arm or the play that you found in the tie rod. I guess you'll know for sure when you replace those items.

[EyExR]

He's probably not an ix so he doesn't have a front cv.

It's most likely the balljoint in the control arm or the play that you found in the tie rod. I guess you'll know for sure when you replace those items.

whoops! That's right - wasn't thinking... Then maybe a balljoint?

[j0oftheworld]

One clunk? Could be your springs rotating..
Have someone watch your spring when you turn the wheel side to side.
Mine does this because I removed the spring pads so when the spring binds it rotates slightly. It only does it at stopped/slow speeds.

[91Saleen#15]

no ... it's multiple clunks. rear CV joint is the best guess so far, but it means my hearing is really bad 'cause it sounds like its in the front. Could be a bad front bearing that only makes noise when the force of cornering puts extra weight on the outside of the turn.

[Cynical 1]

u joint on steering column?

[g22]

the bearing at the end of the rack was bad on my car. It sees a bunch of track time though...

[91Saleen#15]

Okay, here is an update on this problem.. It's kind of interesting and fairly uncommon, as the problem only occurs in cars setup up for racing. People who normally do suspension work wouldn't have seen the problem because they always set up cars with toe-in. My car is set up with toe-out because I use it solely for racing. The problem is a very slight amount of play in the inner tie rod ends..... not much, just enough to make a slight click. Normally you wouldn't notice this problem because with toe-in, the road continually pushes the wheels together and no noise is made as the gap is closed and held together. However, with toe-out, the road is constantly trying to push the wheels apart which opens up the gap in the tie rod ends as far as possible, and then flexes the sidewalls outwards until the pressure exceeds the grip of the tires, and then.... bam .... the tires lose traction, and the wheels slap together making a resounding "clunk". And then, it starts all over again, so that in the course of a 90 degree turn, you get multiple "clunk clunk clunks".

Interestingly enough, the clunks only happen loudly when I run my street tires. When I run my Hoosier A6 slicks, it's barely noticeable, but it is present.

I may have had too much toe-out. At this point, I don't know how much I had because I have just changed the tie rod end on one side. I still had the problem because the other tie rod end still has a small amount of play. However, since I reset the wheels to toe-in, the problem is gone, even with a slight amount of play in the linkage.