Knocking Noise Front Suspension

[chrisp83]

Hi all,

I have a "knocking/clanging" sound thats really frustrating on the front of my car. Mostly happens if i reverse and then brake to a stop. The very next time i brake when moving forward there a "clang" sound when first applying the brake then quiet. Doesn't do it again until the next time i brake whilst reversing. I also get a "knocking" when running over bumps slowly, the sound is significantly less when running over the same bumps but with my foot on the brake.
The knocking sound also happens when i go over bumps in a sort of diagonal way, i.e when the body of the car is rocking side to side a bit as opposed to just up and down (eish hope my explanation is not greek ).

Ive changed the lower ball joints and track rod ends and had the tracking done after that. The knocking is alot less but still there. A search through the forum gave me the test of jacking up the car and putting a crow bar under the wheel to check for any play. There was before changing the joints, but now theres none. Ive checked all nuts and bolts around the joints/shocks/spring etc, all tight.

Thought could be worn out brake pads. I opened up the calipers and took some measurements, pad thickness is around 14mm (new pads are 17mm). Disc thickness is around 30mm (new discs are 32mm). Could they be worn enough to cause this issue? I also have a '2000 camry and the brake pads go down WAY more than this before they need replacing.

Any help would be appreciated.

[chrisp83]

One thing i did notice was i could "move" the suspension links by hand. These items....(http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-IS200-I ... 4ac22cfcb7)

Could this be the issue?

[natune]

could it be the top mounts? what suspension are you running?

[chrisp83]

Whole suspension is stock.

[nenaghcorolla]

ive had a similar problem and it turned out to be the upper ball joint was the problem

[chrisp83]

So did you change the whole upper arm, or just did you just press in a new ball joint?

[nenaghcorolla]

i changed the whole upper arm...

[ChilledChef]

I had the same "clang" sound at every first brake, and since the pads was changed with new pins for caliper the sound is gone. Hope that helps
Have one extra set of genuine pins if ya needed.

[chrisp83]

Thanks. Might just take you up on that offer.

One thing i'm wondering, if the issue is the upper ball joint, shouldn't there be play/movement in the wheel when i do the test with a crow bar? The sort of play that was there before changing the bottom ball joint.

[nenaghcorolla]

i didnt find any play anywhere then i opened the ball joint and noticed it had serious play with it

[chrisp83]

Thanks for the advice. I'm busy getting quotes for the arms now.

By the way, has anyone here bought from this site http://www.amayama.com

Apparently they are able to supply original parts for all Toyota as well as Nissan, Honda, Kia etc

[daveo]

sheck the bushing on the lower control arm that is bolted to the body of the car. ill have money on with you that thats the problem.have seen a few of these give the same trouble in the last few weeks

[poTTa]

If you only hear the clunk when u reverse and apply the brake then it's most likely the caliper shifting because of the reverse movement. Nothing to be alarmed about. When you stopped reversing and then go forward and apply the brake you may or may not hear the clunk again.

Do you hear the clunk any other time driving, cornering, hard braking?

[poTTa]

i had a similar knock too going over bumps too...but i fixed it. The upper control arm is to be tightened in the level position. Most people use a jack to work on their car, like me, and when i changed my springs we levelled the upper arm and raised and propped the hub to level and then reconnected the upper arm to the wheel hub. It's called relaxing the upper arm.

Remember, bushings in the arms are set to a position. Be sure to grease all of your moving suspension components. We use diesel mixed with used ATF fluid and you will notice the difference between a dry and a well greased wish-bone suspension.

I would also like to say that our suspension has a lot of components. Check all of the ball joints - upper and lower, Steering rack and rod ends, upper and lower control arm bushings, damper bushing, links, stabiliser bar bushings, steering rack bushings, shock mounts...

LOL...do you see the tediousness of the checks?

[chrisp83]

sheck the bushing on the lower control arm that is bolted to the body of the car. ill have money on with you that thats the problem.have seen a few of these give the same trouble in the last few weeks

Can you advise how i go about checking this? Should i undo it?

The upper control arm is to be tightened in the level position. Most people use a jack to work on their car, like me, and when i changed my springs we levelled the upper arm and raised and propped the hub to level and then reconnected the upper arm to the wheel hub. It's called relaxing the upper arm.

Remember, bushings in the arms are set to a position. Be sure to grease all of your moving suspension components. We use diesel mixed with used ATF fluid and you will notice the difference between a dry and a well greased wish-bone suspension.

Erm, wanna run that by me again

Disconnect the hub as i did when changing lower ball joint. Level the upper arm and jack up hub until they meet then connect? Am i right?

Also, how should i apply your super secret lube mix? Do i need to undo the different joints, or just spray the solution onto the parts? Oh, and is it a 50/50 mix of ATF and Diesel?