"clunking" sound from front suspension

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magnusf
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"clunking" sound from front suspension

Post by magnusf »

I have this annoying clunk sound on my Xsara 1.4, especially when I'm driving on bumpy roads and so on. I've checked the suspension and the lower wishbones are brand new. The drop links does also seem ok to me. But this afternoon I decided to do yet anther inspection and I tried to yank the driveshafts. If I applied a bit of force I could move the left one around a bit (I'm guessing a couple of millimeters) and the shaft made this wague clunking sound. The one on the right also seemed to move, but far less than the left one. Could this be the source of my annoying problem? Should the driveshaft feel "rock solid" or is it normal to be able to move it around a bit? Any help is appreciated!
Magnus
cheesesliceking

Post by cheesesliceking »

ooh this sounds like my previous post.. mine turned out to be a CV Joint ..changing the whole driveshaft..[B)]
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Driveshafts usually make noises when cornering and not on the straight. The classic way of checking is to drive the car in a tight circle and listen - if you get a regular ticking noise - then its driveshaft joints (usually the outer one.)
Droplinks connect the anti-roll bar into the suspension and can make a lot of noise for a little wear. If you drive over a straight join in the car so that bot wheels hit it at the same time then the anti-roll bar is not under tension and there is no load on the drop links. Is there any noise now or does it only happen when one wheel hits a bump? this takes a bit of practice to listen for but can help trace the problem.
Other possible sources of noise on ZX / xara are the top strut bearings which would probably creak when the steering is turned. these bearings are not present in hydraulic Citroens.
jeremy
magnusf
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Post by magnusf »

Well, after a little testing it seems to me that the noise is more noticable when only one of the sides hit a bump (the left more so). I just ran a quick test and will check it more later, but I think we may be on to something. As for the driveshaft I think we can rule them out since no ticking sounds can be heard (will test some more for that as well).
rctonka
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Post by rctonka »

my xsara 1.4 has the same "clonking" from the front
took it back to the garage and they said it was a small amount of wear in the front tie bar, sort of a short link bar, not enough wear to fail the m o t but annoying all the same, the noise only seems to appear below 35mph over minor bumps in the road, has not got any worse in the 10000 miles i have put on the car
FDV
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Post by FDV »

More likely to be a wishbone bush I'd have thought? that said I know driveshafts can make all manner of strange noises.
I'd put my money on an anti-roll bar drop link. About £18 and two bolts to fit!
zxb29
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Post by zxb29 »

Sounds like the anti roll bar drop links.
best thing to do is jack up the front, place car on axel stands. Remove both front wheels and then check for play in the drop link.
Also do some mot type checks by rocking the front wheel to check for ball joint play.
Your wishbone can be checked by straighting the front tyres and kicking the wheel from the front. If it judders back to far then the bushes have worn.
Dave1
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Post by Dave1 »

Have you checked to see if the pinchbolt round the ball joint has been tightened sufficiently. The ball joint has a recess and if the bolt is not tight it allows vertical movement. The bolt can also wear so if not replaced with the arms that could be the problem.
You can test for play with a bar between the strut and the arm.
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