Okaayyy....two weeks after I replaced the endlinks, and I hear a familiar noise. I am not 100% sure that its the endlinks agains (I was a cheap-*** and bought the cheapest kind, but still only 300 miles and they are broken???), the sound is a bit different - it's more like a clunk, and it only happens when I go around a right curve and there is a bump or hole on the road.

It could possibly be my bumper, hitting against the fender. My wheel wells are shot as a result of the 55 tires, and the I can see that the bumper is slightly sagging. I'm gonna run some tests this weekend see if I can determine if it's the bumper indeed, or is it the endlinks again

 

Use a wrench and try to spin the top strut nut. If is spins the spring seat is bad.

 

I tried that. It doesn't. Plus, I'm fairly confident the spring seats are only 6 months old.

When I had the previous clicking problem, I could actually feel the click with my feet on the floor of the car. Now there is nothing - just this noise.

 

HMMM I would start checking things under the front end.

 

I'm sorry to revive the thread, but the problem remains.

I checked the swaybar links and they seem to be fine. The bumper is a bit loose but it seems unlikely to be causing the clunk.

It's a hollow clunk (tin against tin). It doesn't happen when the car goes through a speed bump, but if there is a hole only on the right side of the road, something clunks.

Someone suggested it could be the lower control arm...but the wheel doesn't move when I have the car jacked up. And the steering is still precise.

The other thing I suspect is the right hood latch...I just remembered that I've been having problems closing the hood. I have to really slam it, otherwise it doesn't close properly on that end. Can that be cause of the clunk?

Anything else I can check?

 

Sorry refresh have the struts been replaced yet?
The hood latch is possible.

 

Struts were replaced six months ago. Ride is still firm, steering is precise.

I really don't think it's anything serious, but the noise is annoying me. I;m guessing that something is loose, but I can't see it for the life of me. I'm gonna look around one more week and then I'm giving up and taking it to my mechanic.

 

OK it should not be the struts unless one is bad.

Hopefully you find it.

 

Just came back from my vacation and had a chance to look at the car. The problem still remains. It seems to be louder than before.

I'm taking it to a mechanic tomorrow. When I described the problem, he reckoned the spring itself may be broken at the top...I don't see how this is possible, and I sure hope it is not.

Bouncing on the fender produces no sound, and neither does going through a speed bump. Any time the road is uneven and the car shakes, it makes the clunking noise.
I checked the strut nut once again with a wrench - I can turn it with a lot of effort by about 20 degrees, but it returns back to its original position. Is that okay?

Also, I recorded a small clip to show you the sound that I'm talking about. You can hear it at seconds 0:11, 0:21, 0:49. The sound at 1:03 is very loud due to a big hole and camera movement, but you can still hear the clunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSs70nrkq1c

Steering feels tight. Car rides good. It's just that stupid sound. If the mechanic can't tell me anything tomorrow, I'll take a look at those sway bar links again. I got the Scan Tech ones...which may have been a big mistake.
Can I take off one of the sway bar links and drive without it for 500 feet to see if the noise is there, or is it dangerous/impossible?

 

Its a bit difficult to distinguish what sounds are what.

It does and will not hurt anything to disconnect the swaybar, just dont leave it hanging if you disconnect both sides, could slide down and hit the road.

Movement can come from the strut, wheelbearing or control arm.

The strut will have two movement points. The strut cartridge or the upper strut mount. I would look at the upper strut mount first. Just pop the hood and jump on the car watching the strut bold. It should be very controlled, not loose. If its solid but you hear/feel that clunky noise its your strut.

Bearings you can spin test then grab the tire and give it a good back and forth jerk top and bottom and side to side.

Control arm you should test with the car jacked up and a pry bar for movement. Check all three contact points. Ball joint especially.

 

Okay...took the car to my mechanic today and he looked at struts, springs, wheel bearings, control arms, tie rods...everything is tight and sound. The ScanTech sway bar links seem to be okay as well...

He was baffled...the only thing that he said might be making the sound is the actual sway bar banging against the frame of the car, due to a worn sway bar bushing.

How hard is it to change the bushing? What do I have to remove?

 

And actually - is the sway bar bushing replaceable on a 94 850 (late-94, like a 95)? I've heard that on some models you have to change the whole swaybar...

 

Most of them you have to replace the sway bar unless you find aftermarket bushings and cut the factory bushings off.

 

Thanks, tech!

I still haven't been able to work on the car. I don't have a garage, so it will be very unpleasant to work outside in below freezing temperatures.

Just by driving the car, I start to think more and more that it's the stupid sway bar link again. It only clunks when the wheel is turned right, it doesn't do it in the opposite direction.

 

Well damn and blast!

I got under the car today, removed the suspicious endlink. It looks fine. Drove the car without it for 500ft...it still clunks (maybe even more without it, but that's subjective).
Put it back on, retightened everything...still the same noise. One thing that got my attention was the stiffness of the endlink ball joints...they don't move freely, and they require quite a bit of force to move them around...is that how they are supposed to be?
Installing them was easy, but required a bit of force so the bolts can go through the holes. And they went in like that:
/|
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|/

If the problem is not with the sway bar...what is it then? Spring seat maybe? How can I test that. I tried jumping on the fender, but nothing clunks when I do that. Also, are strut mounts the same as spring seats?

I took a look at the top of the suspension and this is what I saw: