drdave88

iTrader: (3)

after a search i couldnt find anything that related to my concern. under normal braking and occasionally when taking off again, i feel a clunk that is coming from the right front area. the ball joints have maybe 20k on them, strut bearings are maybe 30k. im thinking control arm bushings. i havent had a chance to get underneath it yet, but i was wondering if anyone has had this concern?

if it is the control arm bushings, how much does it affect the ride? ive already got Spohn control arms and panhard bar in the rear and it does seem stiff. im just wondering how much stiffer it will make it, not too bad, or night and day difference.

drdave88

iTrader: (3)

i noticed today that the clunk sound seems to be more under moderate to heavy braking. but it is occasionally under normal braking.

anyone?

bgmoss

Hi,

I'm hoping this will help someone by following up with my experience...

After a couple of years of diagnosing an annoying clunk/pop in my 89 formula 350 tpi, I have figured it out. Searching on the forum sort got me thinking in the right direction recently.

The symptoms:

pop/clunk heard and felt in the floor board under lisght braking near stop/start speeds.

It took a while to figure out that it was really related to braking- I thought something was fatigued/cracked so I kept puting off looking closely at the Front Brakes.
I replaced the strut mounts, but it didn't help. The control arm busshing were still good, the rear shock mounts wer not cracked.

When I finally did - it all made sense. The 4 rubber bushings(where the guide pins go thru) in each stock caliper were worn out, allowing the whole caliper to rock back and forth hitting the steering knuckle. I took the caliper off and noticed the shiney surfaces on the knuckle and the caliper confirming the contact problem.

The clunk was being transmitted up into the strut tower and into the floorboard.

Solution:

New calipers or new bushings/guide pins if you can find them. Stock calipers are really inexpensive.

regards,
-Brent

bgmoss

Well... still not solved. I thought I solved it- that's all, but I have new trans mount, torque arm mount, calipers, strut tower mounts, ball joints as a result.

Checking the A-Arm bushings as best I can- they look good, but maybe that's the problem.

No cracks near the steering box either. I've had the wonder-bar on since almost new. Subframe connectors are welded/bolted. I tightened the bolts anyway. Bolts mounting the torque arm to the diff are tight. Rear shocks are tight/ no cracks at the top mount. Strut-to-steering knuckle are tight.

It's got to be the A-Arms then. Or a cracked front spring that's not visible.

Just at before a complete stop, I hear/feel a clunk just under my feet or in the tunnel- it's really annoying to me.

Someday I'll figure it out...

bgmoss

Hi,

I finally figured it - slightly loose transmission cross member mount bolts.

A couple of years ago, I was diagnosing a vibration - turned out to be a bent driveshaft(now replaced with aluminum) by shimming the trans mount down.
I had stripped one of the 4 bolts that hold up the crossmember to the "frame". I drilled and tapped it for a bigger one and replaced it.

I was so worried about stripping another that I didn't tighten them all down as tight as I normally do. I backed them all off a turn to make sure they turned freely, then honked them down tight.

The clunk-pop just before completely stopping vanished.

drdave88

iTrader: (3)

Wow, talk about "Return of the Dead" lol. I really appreciate all the input from you about this..... and as far as i can remmeber (haven't driven it since Oct) the noise is still there. My crossmember is welded in on both sides, 3 out of 4 bolt holes were stripped out, and I was kinda in a pinch, so...... I dont think thats an issue for me. I really appreciate you still giving input on this issue. This fall I hope to have my own garage and tear the car down for some SERIOUS repairs/maintenance/upgrades. I may not drive it for a while, but Im ready to be w/o it for a while to do this work.


Thanks again for the input though, most old posts go unseen or get repeated.