Front suspension knocking rhs

[madas]

My au111 has developed knocking noise when driving over rough and potholed roads. The noise seem to only affect the right handside. Has anybody else come across this or have an idea what it could be?

[dgrover]

Mine started doing it too and mechanic showed me right ball joint worn badly

[mif73]

Put a jack under lower control arm and lift the wheel about 20mm off the ground.
Then grab the wheel with 2 hands 180 degrees apart and rock the wheel back and forth in different directions. You may find slack in the ball joints that way.
More likely to be lower ball joint as it carries the weight of the car.

Can also be bushes or sway bar links and D bushes.
If sway bar links or bushes they are easy to replace.
Ball joints can be replaced on car without taking out arms if you make or buy a tool.

Check pass and drivers side while you have the tools out.

Good luck.

[madas]

Cheers thanks mif73 will give that a go

[ben131185]

just been through a similar thing.
done the sway bar bushes, noise still there so i did the ball joints and all the front suspension bushes and all fixed.

unless you want to go with nolathane bushes or the like it would be easiest and probably cheapest to get a new set of after market lower control arms which come with new bushes and ball joints, they can be had for $320 i think off ebay.

that would leave only the upper control arm bushes left to change but you may get away without it as i believe its the lower control arm bushes that generally wear the most.

[SantoAU]

This is probably the route I'm going to have to take with Monty. The ride has gotten quite harsh and I'm really not happy with it. Could well include the IRS mounts as well

[dgrover]

Mine has been booked in for Tuesday, New L&R Upper & Lower Ball joints and bushes, New sway-bar rubbers.
week after new rotors and following week new front shocks,.
Hope this is enough to stop the knocking.

[mcfly94]

I lowered my car yesterday, but forgot to tighten one of the sway bar links completely, and that sounded like the sway bar was about to fall out, so check them.
Change the upper strut bushing and lower strut bushing when you do the front struts, use superpro, highly recommended did mine when I lowered yesterday.

[mif73]

Originally Posted by mcfly94

I lowered my car yesterday, but forgot to tighten one of the sway bar links completely, and that sounded like the sway bar was about to fall out, so check them.
Change the upper strut bushing and lower strut bushing when you do the front struts, use superpro, highly recommended did mine when I lowered yesterday.

Super pro is good stuff. I did my whole front end with that stuff and it now feels like the steering wheel is connected to the front wheels.

Will do the same for the irs when those bushes are due.

[ben131185]

Originally Posted by dgrover

Mine has been booked in for Tuesday, New L&R Upper & Lower Ball joints and bushes, New sway-bar rubbers.
week after new rotors and following week new front shocks,.
Hope this is enough to stop the knocking.

you would be better to get it all done at the same time.
when the bushes are done the shocks and springs come out anyway so you'll save on labour doing it all at once.

[dgrover]

Thanks Ben
Cant afford it all done together and ball joints urgently need doing.
So have to wear this one.

[dgrover]

Well had front ball joints and swaybar bushes replaced, now NO knocking atall.
only noise i hear is the road noise from tyres, suprisingly the brake pulsing has gone too.
Next job replace rotors as their showing heat marks.

[ben131185]

thats good then!

[madas]

Just replaced the sway bar bushes and all is good. No more knocking. Bushes from supacheap did the trick

[mif73]

As Monty Burns would say.

Excellent...

[Polyal]

Hmm I have the same and have been told the ball joints are shagged...will note the swaybar bushes aswell.

[Silver']

Polyal, I've replaced the struts, all four ball joints and the (slight) knock in the front hasn't changed a bit. The Whiteline bars are sitting in the garage waiting to be put on and they come with new bushes so if that does the trick for me I'll try to remember to update it in here. Smarter to start with the cheap and easy stuff unlike me so could be worth you going the DIY on the swaybar bushes first?

[mcfly94]

I have a knock when I go over train lines and harsh bumps, ive replaced all shocks, all springs, upper and lower strut bushes with superpro, sway bar d bushes with super pro and the driver sway link, and im going to do the passanger sway link today.

I honestly don't think its any of these.
To describe the sound, it sounds like somethings loose and jiggles and thuds up and down a few times?

Could be it be the rack?

[dgrover]

Going out to try it now, gone will be the seat belt wife keeps leaving hanging out the door.

[baboon]

The knock could be the sway bar bushes, or a loose sway bar link nut.

But could also be the sway bar brackets too. You know the bracket which
mounts onto the chassis and where the sway bar D-bushes/D saddles bolt onto.

Check tightness of the two hex head bolts and two torx head bolts holding the
bracket to the chassis. If loose, the bracket could slide up and down on the
chassis whist hitting the bolts holding it up causing a knock.

Good luck.

[Silver']

Originally Posted by mcfly94

I have a knock when I go over train lines and harsh bumps, ive replaced all shocks, all springs, upper and lower strut bushes with superpro, sway bar d bushes with super pro and the driver sway link, and im going to do the passanger sway link today.

I honestly don't think its any of these.
To describe the sound, it sounds like somethings loose and jiggles and thuds up and down a few times?

Could be it be the rack?

Sure sounds like something's loose so unless a bush has squashed out somewhere, look for something loose. baboon's suggestion is a really good place to start.

Originally Posted by SilverT2TE50

Polyal, I've replaced the struts, all four ball joints and the (slight) knock in the front hasn't changed a bit. The Whiteline bars are sitting in the garage waiting to be put on and they come with new bushes so if that does the trick for me I'll try to remember to update it in here. Smarter to start with the cheap and easy stuff unlike me so could be worth you going the DIY on the swaybar bushes first?

This fixed the clunks in my front end so I'd definitely recommend throwing swaybar D-bushes at the car as a first step in resolving clunks in the front of an AU. The lubricant in mine had long ago gone hard and the bushes were like rocks so it's easy to understand how they make noise. I did a bit of a how-to thread on it if anyone's interested in a little DIY.

[ben131185]

Originally Posted by mcfly94

I have a knock when I go over train lines and harsh bumps, ive replaced all shocks, all springs, upper and lower strut bushes with superpro, sway bar d bushes with super pro and the driver sway link, and im going to do the passanger sway link today.

I honestly don't think its any of these.
To describe the sound, it sounds like somethings loose and jiggles and thuds up and down a few times?

Could be it be the rack?

ball joints, or control arm bushes are a possibility.

[mcfly94]

Originally Posted by ben131185

ball joints, or control arm bushes are a possibility.

ill get ford to check it out, control arm bushes look fine but looking and being is two different things, think ill just leave this to the pros , but on the upside the sway links and bushes made for a nicer ride, feels smoother to drive on certain roads/