I heard a clunking noise coming from the front left of my car. Got it up on the rack today and turns out my axle is loose. I just dropped the car (comptech w/ tokico hp) a month ago, never noticed the clunking until after the drop.

I know the drop puts a little more strain on the axles...has anyone else had problems with this?

Do you think there is any way the install shop could have screwed up an axle while doing springs/struts/sways installation?

Finally...what do you think the dealer would say if I tried to get it covered under warranty? Is it voided for this b/c of the drop?

 

comptech parts are technically covered under the wty, but only if the dealer did the install. If u know the service rep they may overlook the install and cover it. Haven't heard of shocks and springs damaging the axle, but it is possible. Good luck mang

 

i've seen other posts concerning a "clunk" from the left front of the car. try a search and see if anyone else has had this tracked back to a loose axle.

also, where was it loose? at the transaxle? at the hub? in between?????

i want to know what to keep an eye on.

 

I grabbed the axle about 8 inches from the wheel and shook it...and it had a little movement in it towards the center of the car somewhere...I could hear it clicking back and forth. The other side didn't do that.

 

Sounds like a bad CV joint. At real low speed does it change if you move the steering wheel from one side to the other?

 

does what change?

I noticed this problem initially when I was parking and turned my wheel all the way to the left...I heard a kind of clunking noise...if that gives any indication of what the problem is...

 

i hear a clicking noise sometimes coming from the right front tire.



Same thing beetroot?

 

I had an axle problem, but it was b/c of my wreck.

 

mine kind of sounds like two solid pieces of metal clunking against each other. I thought it was a loose sway bar at first but that wasn't it...

 

I had a CV boot tear. That's it.

 

I had a CV joint go bad on an Accord, made a deep clunking sound when going straight but if you turned the wheel it went away. The side load took all the slack out of the joint.

Take a look underneath, I'll bet you a cold beer you'll find a torn boot which let dirt into the joint.

 

Nope, no torn boot. I had it up on the lift today. Had three mechanics and myself under there trying to figure out what was wrong. Nothing out of the ordinary other than the slight give in the axle.

The noise is subtle...not loud at all. I actually haven't even heard it for two days.


oh and I like Heineken....and:

des·sert Pronunciation Key (d-zûrt)
n.

1. A usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit, ice cream, or pastry, served at the end of a meal.
2. Chiefly British. Fresh fruit, nuts, or sweetmeats served after the sweet course of a dinner.

 

Does it click-click? Then stop when you brake? Since it goes away when you turn, I too was think a CV joint. If it click-clicks, check your caliper guiding pins.

 

i'm not sure what the clunk is. i would expect the axle to give a little from side to side for expansion/contraction. i wouldn't expect any noises though. maybe some gear whine when operating, but not a clunk.

it could be the CV joint. it could be within the tail shaft of the transaxle. it could also be in the front wheel assembly.

there should be splines or gear teeth at both ends of the axle. one where the tail shaft of the transaxle drives the axles. and one where the axle drives the wheel.

have you had the front wheel assembly torn down? this seems a little drastic but it depends on how bad the noise is and how much it freightens you. but it would be where i'd start. see if you can see what effect moving the axle causes as you remove each step of the wheel assembly.

if you can't find anything there you'll have to move to the transaxle output. this will be a real mess to disassemble, but if its not in the wheel hub its got to be in the trans.

let us know if you find anything. i'm going to check my axles for side to side play when i get a minute. its something i'll keep an eye on during maintenance procedures. i'd like to know if there's any play in it when its not making clunking sounds. should give me something to compare it to if and when mine starts to do this.

 

it doesn't go away when I turn, it happens when I turn...when I turn all the way to the left there is a clunking noise.



thanks for the info carquest...good stuff. I'll work on this over the weekend and I'll post whatever I find out.

 

So it doesn't happen in a straight line? Only when make a hard left turn? Does it vary with RPM? Is it only at slow speeds?

 

I really hope it is not the CV joint. My beater is an 88 Accord and the CV joints go bad on that car alot more than I feel they should. I really don't want to have 2 cars with the same problems.

If it is a CV joint and if it is anything like my Accord, it will get louder and louder the more you drive it until you get it replaced.

I hope it is an easy fix. Good luck!

 

Next trip to Phoenix the brew is on me!

As the lady in my life is into activity involving whipped cream and strawberries I stand by my spelling.