Auto Repair Advice by Professional Automotive Experts
Troubleshooting
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Clicking Sound
Car Front Suspension Noise Ticking, Popping, Bumping and Rattling
The front suspension in your car is designed to hold the front wheel steady
when turning and as the car travels over bumps. There are basically two styles
of vehicle steering systems, rack and pinion and worm gear box. Rack and pinion
steering is one of the oldest types of steering systems and is still used today.
Inside the rack body a flat rack gear moves in a linear direction driven by a
circular gear called a pinion. The steering wheel is connected to the pinion
gear (shaft). The rack gear is connected to an inner tie rod end that is covered
by a rubber bellow. The inner tie rod end is connected to the outer tie rod end.
These tie ends have the ability to move in any linear direction. Finally, the
tie rod end is connected to the wheel spindle. A worm gear box style of steering
system is constructed of two main parts much like the rack and pinion style
system. The main part is called a worm gear, the other is a selector shaft gear.
The worm gear is connected to the pitman arm and then to a center link and tie
rod ends. The opposing end of the center link is supported by an idler arm,
which is located on the opposite side of the frame from the steering box. If
you're steering is making a gurgling noise and is not operating properly
please visit,
Power Steering Problems. If your car is making a ticking, bumping, rattling,
or popping you are in the right place. While some road noise is acceptable when
driving, a clicking or rattling sound is an indication of a component that has
failed or has come loose. Many suspension components are in action while the car
is driving include shocks, struts, ball joints, lower control arm, bushings,
sway bar links and more. Isolate the noise from front to rear; this will help in
the diagnoses. If the location of the noise is difficult to detect have a helper
ride along in the rear seat of the car and compare opinions. We have listed
below the some of the more common reasons for these noise conditions.
Troubleshooting Procedure
A. Checking Front or Rear Strut Failure: Struts are built with
hydraulic dampening valves that can fail causing a clicking or popping noise. If
strut oil is leaking the shaft seal has failed and will cause a rattle or
clicking noise as well. To test for this condition disassemble strut assembly
and check for excessive strut movement, if strut is easily moved (low
resistance) replacement is needed. A spring compressor is required for
disassembly.
Front Strut Leakage
B. Checking Front or Rear Shock Failure: Shocks are built with hydraulic
dampening valves much like struts and can fail causing a clicking or popping noise.
If shock oil is leaking the shaft seal has failed and will cause a rattle or clicking
noise. To test for this condition inspect shock assembly and check for leakage,
if shock is easily moved (low resistance) replacement is needed.
Rear Shock Leaking
C. Inspect Strut Rod Bushing: Strut rod bushings are designed to hold the
front suspension steady during acceleration and braking conditions. Inspect
strut rod bushings for cracks or dilapidation. When a strut rod bushing fails it
allows the suspension arm to contact the frame, this is what produces the
rattling sound. This condition can be more noticeable when braking or
accelerating. If this condition exists replacement is needed.
Cracked Strut Rod Bushing
D. Testing Check Front Drive Axle CV Joints: When CV joints start to wear
they will bind up on acceleration or hard turns. This causes a vibration in the
front suspension that transfers to the vehicle. Remove drive axles and inspect
flexibility of each CV joint. If a bind or hard spot is observed the CV
Joint/Axle needs to be replaced.
Front Wheel Drive Axle
E. Check Sway Bar Links/Connectors/Bushings. The
sway bar on your car is designed to stop the car from rolling (Leaning) when
driven into a corner. This bar is attached to the frame on each side and
connected to each suspension control arm on both sides. To inspect sway bar
bushings for wear look for cracked bushings or missing link insulators. If
damage is observed replace the sway bar links with new and recheck for noise.
Sway Bar Link and Mount
F. Drive Shaft U Joints. A driveshaft U joint is designed to act as a
rotating junction that can be flexible while still transferring energy from the
engine to the
rear differential. A universal joint or U joint is constructed of 4 bearing
caps that house multiple needle bearings. The universal joint is lubricated by
adding grease through a zirk fitting on the joint. Some u joints are
manufactured with a proper amount of grease and do not need service and
therefore do not have a service fitting. If a universal joint fails it can make
a squeaking noise that contours the motion for the car. This condition is most
noticeable at very slow speeds, and fades at higher speeds. To check for this
condition inspect the U joint and look for a light rust powder around the
bearing cups. This rust colored powder is caused by metal disintegrating and is
a sign of universal joint failure. When a universal joint has failed it must be
replaced and cannot be repaired.
Universal or "U" Joint
For exact specific repair procedures for any of the steps above visit our
online repair
manual page.
Troubleshooting
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Clicking Sound
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