metal clunk noise going over bumps in the road, where to look?

[cliffcoggin]

2 hours ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi Cliff, try Googling in track rod and I guarantee it will come up with the ball joint assembly, tie rods or rack ends is the term used over the last thirty years I have been working on any car, I only know one American, my brother in law.

Since when has Google been the arbiter of correct English? I have been working on cars for 54 years, long before Google (an American company,) was invented, and I was trained by my father who was a mechanic for the GPO. He and his colleagues used the term track rod for the link connecting the hub assembly to the rack (or the Pitman arm on a re-circulating ball steering box.)

Having said that, it's not worth arguing about so let's concentrate on Arron's problem.

[gsmdo]

[Magnet]

Don’t worry Cliff, we will be on to rotors (for brake discs), rocker panels (for sills), hoods (for bonnets)  etc., etc.  next as Google guides us across that vast water to the land of the Stars and Stripes! 
For me? - I too will stick with the correct British terminology, but 
I fear I’m getting too old for this. 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

[arron1995]

just an update guys, decided to jack the car up and if i grab either front wheel at 3 and 9 o clock i can turn it quite a lot, i tried it with the steering lock on and it was making a noise, which i can only assume is the steering lock itself. ive looked at the springs and they look fine, but i did notice today on my 80 mile trip home when going over rough roads i get the metal knock noise but the car also feels very harsh going over rough terrain, almost like the shocks on its way out, again i can only assume.  fingers crossed it will be sorted by the end of next week.

[Stevey Y]

22 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

just an update guys, decided to jack the car up and if i grab either front wheel at 3 and 9 o clock i can turn it quite a lot, i tried it with the steering lock on and it was making a noise, which i can only assume is the steering lock itself. ive looked at the springs and they look fine, but i did notice today on my 80 mile trip home when going over rough roads i get the metal knock noise but the car also feels very harsh going over rough terrain, almost like the shocks on its way out, again i can only assume.  fingers crossed it will be sorted by the end of next week.

Hi its the tie rod joints moving as the steering lock has no movement due to the fact years ago Fords and everyone else made the columns and locking tabs with a massive amount of movement this led to car thieves being able to rock the wheel from side to side and using sufficient force broke the locking tab, looking at the shocks they are eleven years old so age/milage would have done for them.

Steve.

[cliffcoggin]

2 hours ago, arron1995 said:

 on my 80 mile trip home 

Do you realise that is wrecking the front tyres?

[arron1995]

32 minutes ago, cliffcoggin said:

Do you realise that is wrecking the front tyres?

The thing is ive checked my tyres every day for at least the past 4 days and they don’t look to be wearing unevenly, this is what’s odd.

[Stevey Y]

18 hours ago, arron1995 said:

The thing is ive checked my tyres every day for at least the past 4 days and they don’t look to be wearing unevenly, this is what’s odd.

Hi what you have that is worn won't cause uneven tyre wear as the ball joint is obviously still ok and the tie rod is still within tolerance, the only thing that will cause premature even wear is the shock absorbers as lack of damping control tends to give a harsh ride as a lot of the axial pressures normally taken by the shock unit will be transferred to the tyre, I always found this with the cabs I have run, rapid wear is a sign of weak units so when changed the tyre life was increased dramatically and when I mention wear this was over a period of months not days, if it happens over a couple of days you would have a major component failure in which case you could move the wheel assembly at all sorts of angles even when not jacked up, if you go for it and change everything that is required you will see where the money went on your first drive, the steering will be sharper with less cabin noise and cornering will be much more precise.

Steve.

[arron1995]

54 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi what you have that is worn won't cause uneven tyre wear as the ball joint is obviously still ok and the tie rod is still within tolerance, the only thing that will cause premature even wear is the shock absorbers as lack of damping control tends to give a harsh ride as a lot of the axial pressures normally taken by the shock unit will be transferred to the tyre, I always found this with the cabs I have run, rapid wear is a sign of weak units so when changed the tyre life was increased dramatically and when I mention wear this was over a period of months not days, if it happens over a couple of days you would have a major component failure in which case you could move the wheel assembly at all sorts of angles even when not jacked up, if you go for it and change everything that is required you will see where the money went on your first drive, the steering will be sharper with less cabin noise and cornering will be much more precise.

Steve.

I’ve got her booked in for Friday Steve, today I noticed when I turn the steering wheel when stationary with the engine running I hear a creak Near the footwell, so I got my girlfriend to turn the wheel side to side slowly whilst I listened near the front wheel and it’s 100% coming from the front driver side and deffo near the steering rack, again can only stipulate its the tie rods until then. I’d assume if it was the steering rack it would be a lot more obvious or am I wrong? Other than when turning stationary I don’t hear any creaks etc when turning.

[Stevey Y]

4 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

I’ve got her booked in for Friday Steve, today I noticed when I turn the steering wheel when stationary with the engine running I hear a creak Near the footwell, so I got my girlfriend to turn the wheel side to side slowly whilst I listened near the front wheel and it’s 100% coming from the front driver side and deffo near the steering rack, again can only stipulate its the tie rods until then. I’d assume if it was the steering rack it would be a lot more obvious or am I wrong? Other than when turning stationary I don’t hear any creaks etc when turning.

Hi you won't hear any creaking whilst moving as there is no static pressure between the tyre and the road as the wheels are turning and have less friction, it sounds like a spring is turning in the seat.

Steve.

[arron1995]

9 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi you won't hear any creaking whilst moving as there is no static pressure between the tyre and the road as the wheels are turning and have less friction, it sounds like a spring is turning in the seat.

Steve.

its 110% coming from under the car mate, you can hear it in the footwell and then when i put my head near the front wheel it was underneath. fingers crossed its just the tie rods like we say.

[Stevey Y]

7 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

its 110% coming from under the car mate, you can hear it in the footwell and then when i put my head near the front wheel it was underneath. fingers crossed its just the tie rods like we say.

Hi my guess is its to do with the shocks and springs as when they are misbehaving sound/vibration transmits, sounds like it needs stripping down to find the true combination of worn parts.

Steve.

[arron1995]

9 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi my guess is its to do with the shocks and springs as when they are misbehaving sound/vibration transmits, sounds like it needs stripping down to find the true combination of worn parts.

Steve.

fingers crossed on friday the problem is all sorted mate, expensive week its going to be as i also need 2 new back tyres.

[Stevey Y]

4 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

fingers crossed on friday the problem is all sorted mate, expensive week its going to be as i also need 2 new back tyres.

Hi unfortunately this is the side of ownership of any car no one cares to mention in polite conversation but its a fact of life that after eleven years the diversity of logic says components will fail, thats what makes me smile when people like my neighbour bought a fifteen year old Fiesta with 36k on the clock, his opinion was that there won't be a lot wrong with that, as soon as his daughter started using it for a work commute 50 miles a day bits were failing at an alarming rate within a month, its the age thing rubber mounts, wheel bearings, shock absorbers, lower wishbones, driveshaft boots,

just count yourself lucky your car is a lot better built.

Steve.

 

[arron1995]

4 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi unfortunately this is the side of ownership of any car no one cares to mention in polite conversation but its a fact of life that after eleven years the diversity of logic says components will fail, thats what makes me smile when people like my neighbour bought a fifteen year old Fiesta with 36k on the clock, his opinion was that there won't be a lot wrong with that, as soon as his daughter started using it for a work commute 50 miles a day bits were failing at an alarming rate within a month, its the age thing rubber mounts, wheel bearings, shock absorbers, lower wishbones, driveshaft boots,

just count yourself lucky your car is a lot better built.

Steve.

 

i totally agree steve, people think because a car has lower mileage that it will suddenly live longer, chances of engine etc being in better shape are much higher but as you say, rubber perishes regardless. i will keep you informed. thanks for the help.

[arron1995]

Went to my mechanic, he couldn’t find any issues under the car but there is deffo an issue somewhere, the car feels harsh going over rough road and the knocking noise seems to be getting louder.

[cliffcoggin]

Time to find a mechanic who knows what he is doing Arron. Three of us on the list have said repeatedly that at least one of the ball joints is clapped out, and there are suspicions about other parts of the suspension and steering. What more can we say.

[Magnet]

As Cliff says Arron. As you appreciate, the car is trying to tell you something is wrong, and there is something wrong, and it might mean some dismantling/ replacement to sort it. 
Probably nothing to do with i, but back to your initial post - you mentioned you replaced the drop links/ ARB links. Where did you get them as a matter of interest? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

 

[arron1995]

2 hours ago, Magnet said:

As Cliff says Arron. As you appreciate, the car is trying to tell you something is wrong, and there is something wrong, and it might mean some dismantling/ replacement to sort it. 
Probably nothing to do with i, but back to your initial post - you mentioned you replaced the drop links/ ARB links. Where did you get them as a matter of interest? 
Kind regards,

Gareth. 

 

 

Gonna have to take it to another mechanic, and from eurocarparts mate, I purchased trw ones

[Stevey Y]

11 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

Gonna have to take it to another mechanic, and from eurocarparts mate, I purchased trw ones

Hi nothing wrong with TRW as they were fitted O.E. along with brake callipers and a ton of other stuff.

Steve.

[arron1995]

1 minute ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi nothing wrong with TRW as they were fitted O.E. along with brake callipers and a ton of other stuff.

Steve.

That’s why I bought them mate, I’m gonna see what local mechanics I can find to book me in to have a look, because I can’t cope with how rough it feels now, it’s fine on decent roads but as soon as I get to a rough one it’s horrific.

[Stevey Y]

11 minutes ago, arron1995 said:

That’s why I bought them mate, I’m gonna see what local mechanics I can find to book me in to have a look, because I can’t cope with how rough it feels now, it’s fine on decent roads but as soon as I get to a rough one it’s horrific.

Hi it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the shocks/springs are toast, after the amount of years the car has been running and the corrosion on the shocks I would get the units changed on principle, if you ask most manufacturers of suspension components most use time/milage as a rule of thumb when advising on possible replacement.

Steve.

[arron1995]

51 minutes ago, Stevey Y said:

Hi it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work out that the shocks/springs are toast, after the amount of years the car has been running and the corrosion on the shocks I would get the units changed on principle, if you ask most manufacturers of suspension components most use time/milage as a rule of thumb when advising on possible replacement.

Steve.

Il buy some shocks mate, the springs look ok, what else should I replace? I may aswell get new top mounts for what they cost. 

[cliffcoggin]

1 hour ago, arron1995 said:

, the springs look ok, 

Looking OK is not good enough.  When you take them off measure their length. Old springs will be weak and short.

[Stevey Y]

11 hours ago, arron1995 said:

Il buy some shocks mate, the springs look ok, what else should I replace? I may aswell get new top mounts for what they cost. 

Hi if you replace the shocks and top mounts the springs are a must Kilen or KYB are good units I have used both on my taxis and they all gave excellent milage about 100k, and possibly get some new tie rods and ends, you will soon see where the extra money went with vastly Improved handling and the extra life you get from the tyres, in fact there is no way of checking spring compression rates without specialised equipment which none of us mere mortals possess and if you start with all new they will wear nicely as a set.

I can honestly say that over the 970,000 miles I have covered between four vehicles whenever I have changed my suspension the difference in ride has been like night/day and well worth the money as its like driving from new again. If you eventually get to do the backs just replace the shocks as rear springs get less of a hard time its only damper failure that snaps them I often watch other cabbies on the motorway where the rear wheel springs bounce over the bumps like Zebedee where the shocks are knackered and should only bounce once or twice instead of going up and down like crazy because the spring is doing all the work, nothing is making the spring compression gradual.

Steve.