DrD123 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 So did anyone ever figure out what the source of the clunk is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Well, I hit the spring seat at the strut top with silicone and it seemed to go away, so replaced that, but the noise is still there. I am guessing this is what is described in TSB 12-169-14 as it sounds like it's coming from the front near the base of the A pillar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 My latest clunk causer was top hats. Diagnosed by car on the ground, bounce the front suspension with a hand on the top hat. I felt some play so went ahead and replaced both. Currently clunk free but with the roads here and on stiff coilovers, plus me jinxing it by mentioning it, it's only a matter of time till the next one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I don't think it's the strut tops - I just replaced those dealing with noise they were making while driving over bumps, etc. - the drivers side seemed ok, but the passenger side felt gritty/indexed, and was weeping grease/oil. So both top hats are brand new, as is the drivers side spring seat. This isn't a clunk while driving normally - when I am making a sharp, slow turn it makes a single clunk/pop sort of sound on the drivers side, and the sound seems to originate somewhere below the base of the a-pillar - just one clunk, and it doesn't repeat afterwards if I make the turn again. It doesn't do it if I just turn the wheel back and forth, or when you compress the suspension, or when driving over bumps... it's weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco26 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 If it sounds metallic, give your axle a once-over just in case. Otherwise, maybe just double check the torque on the strut nut and strut mount nuts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I am not sure what I would check on the axle. The axle nut is tight and staked in place. It doesn't do it going over bumps - when it makes the noise, the car is moving (usually very slowly - walking pace), and a little bit into a turn (won't do it just cranking the steering wheel back and forth), and doesn't usually do it while driving around. It's a single clunk. then it seems to be all good for a while - sometimes I have noticed a single clunk at other times on slow, sharp turns. It always does it when leaving for work in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco26 Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 I (and at least one other person on here) have had an issue similar to that, but I'm not quite sure what the problem is yet. For me, any time after sitting for a long period of time (overnight), backing out of a parking spot or driveway would make a clunk and kind of jolt the car a little bit. Almost like the front diff was "locked" from sitting, and dragging a tire broke it loose. After that initial pop, it wouldn't do it again until another long soak. I recently changed an axle an it hasn't done it since, but that may just be because of the warmer weather. There's not much to check other than side to side slop and making sure the grease is where it belongs... I had previously slung all of my grease out through a hole in the boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Peterson Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Center differential issue? We had the center diff go bad on the 2010 LGT we had, but I don't remember what the symptoms were. Norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 well that's not a happy thought... I certainly hope it's not the center dif. It really sounds like it's coming from the a-pillar instead of the transmission, though. I had the center diff start to go out on my old 02 WRX, but the symptoms there were binding when it was warm (so no noise when you first got going, but after driving around a bunch, as you made slow turns, you could hear and feel a rhythmic grinding sort of feeling - not really a clunk, and you could feel the car sort of jerking with each sound/binding event. interesting that it went away with an axle replacement. the front diff is open, but the center is the standard sealed viscous coupling... I wonder if maybe it can bind up when sitting, but if it were that, I would expect it to make the noise backing up straight as well, and not only when turning, so I don't know. Here's a picture from the TSB showing the two areas that can make noise - this is looking at the base of the a-pillar with the quarter panel removed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 ^Yeah I was gonna post about recalling a TSB about spot welds or panel joints having a problem, I think that's it. I hope that's it, had a car that did a similar once-in-a-while pop and never found what it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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