Front end clunk that I can’t identify!

[Klutch9]

Sometimes I wish I could just give in and let a shop fix my vehicles. But in the meantime, I have a front end clunk on the Sedona I cannot solve. It’s been present for awhile, and has gotten worse. It’s usually only present when going over bumps while turning. Like pulling into a driveway or parking lot. It’s a clunk you can feel too. I replaced the sway bar links, but the sound is still there. I’m thinking either control arms and/or the attached ball joint, but I cannot see any abnormal bushing wear, or get the ball joint to click or pop no matter what I do. I also get vibration on and off at highway speeds, but tires are freshly balanced and new. Any ideas? I doubt it’s the subframe mounts but I’m sure that’s a possibility.

 

[spasm3]

Front strut bearing/mounts. Also could be the struts too.

 

[Gimpy1]

Have you checked the swaybar bushings?

 

[92saturnsl2]

If you have some time on your hands, and a bit of pocket change, I suggest replacing control arms (with bushings and ball joint already installed) / struts / strut mounts / outer tie rods ends together. I've chased these problems before, and it's much simpler to replace the whole get-up (I'd include sway bar links, but you've already replaced them) as it will solve the problem almost 100% of the time, and you don't have to realign the front end several times if you try to throw each part at it independently. These components often wear together, and if you replace one or the other, the rest are usually not far behind. For most vehicles, you can get a quick-strut kit that saves you a lot of time and the headache of compressing springs. If you buy quality parts (Moog, OEM, KYB, etc.) you're set for 100k+ miles. That's been my experience.

 

[Nick1994]

After 10 years and 117k miles, I'd do as 92saturlsl2 said and just refresh the front end. Get new control arm assemblies, then I'd take it for a drive since that won't change your alignment as much and see if it clunks. If so, throw some tie rods on it too.

 

[khittner]

If you can’t ID the source of the sound and felt clunk, you need to find someone who can, and do so promptly. At 117K on Michigan’s overloaded-truck-beaten roads, any/all of your suspension pieces can be past their useful life, though some bits can last much longer than others—wholesale replacement of essentially all suspension wear components is a needlessly expensive approach to solve what may be a discreet problem. But not all worn suspension bits pose risks of similar magnitudes; a failed ball joint can leave a wheel pointed in any random direction at any time—always a bad situation, and easily injury-inducing or worse. Get it looked at and properly diagnosed before you or a loved one have a really bad day, or worse, foist your fear of mechanics literally into the paths of other road users.

 

[das_peikko]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Sometimes I wish I could just give in and let a shop fix my vehicles. But in the meantime, I have a front end clunk on the Sedona I cannot solve. It’s been present for awhile, and has gotten worse. It’s usually only present when going over bumps while turning. Like pulling into a driveway or parking lot. It’s a clunk you can feel too. I replaced the sway bar links, but the sound is still there. I’m thinking either control arms and/or the attached ball joint, but I cannot see any abnormal bushing wear, or get the ball joint to click or pop no matter what I do. I also get vibration on and off at highway speeds, but tires are freshly balanced and new. Any ideas? I doubt it’s the subframe mounts but I’m sure that’s a possibility.


Motor mounts and transmission mounts . . . or . . . just one of the mounts. It's usually the front center mount that wears out first because it's constantly being tugged on by the engine torque. Where's the noise coming from you say? The noise is coming from the engine literally sliding over and banging into stuff when going over bumps while turning.

 

[ZZman]

I lean towards control arms.

 

[khittner]

Worn engine/transmission mounts would cause vibrations at idle that go away when the vehicle is in gear, moving, and pushing against whatever remains of the mounts’ bushings, and the mileage & time on OP’s vehicle seems pretty low for those issues. At 200K, maybe.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
If you have some time on your hands, and a bit of pocket change, I suggest replacing control arms (with bushings and ball joint already installed) / struts / strut mounts / outer tie rods ends together. I've chased these problems before, and it's much simpler to replace the whole get-up (I'd include sway bar links, but you've already replaced them) as it will solve the problem almost 100% of the time, and you don't have to realign the front end several times if you try to throw each part at it independently. These components often wear together, and if you replace one or the other, the rest are usually not far behind. For most vehicles, you can get a quick-strut kit that saves you a lot of time and the headache of compressing springs. If you buy quality parts (Moog, OEM, KYB, etc.) you're set for 100k+ miles. That's been my experience.


Spend all the money and time rebuilding the front end, and then cheap out on quick struts. Terrible advice! Also, OEM suspension components on a 10 year old offbrand van with 117k miles? That's ridiculous!

Don't try to diagnose, just throw as much money at you can at it. That'll fix it.

 

[das_peikko]

Originally Posted By: khittner
Worn engine/transmission mounts would cause vibrations at idle that go away when the vehicle is in gear, moving, and pushing against whatever remains of the mounts’ bushings, and the mileage & time on OP’s vehicle seems pretty low for those issues. At 200K, maybe.


You and the OP are both going to find out that I'm right.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Spend all the money and time rebuilding the front end, and then cheap out on quick struts. Terrible advice!


To each their own. The couple vehicles I've used loaded struts on, I'd had a wealth of options from cheap chinese clones, all the way to the top-tier brands which I trust. Using them doesn't imply cheaping out, it just saves a lot of time unless you have the time and tools to set up a new strut assembly.

Do what you wish, but on a vehicle with a front-end clunk-- if I can't pinpoint the cause, I'm replacing all the associated parts and call it day. This approach has never failed me.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Spend all the money and time rebuilding the front end, and then cheap out on quick struts. Terrible advice!


To each their own. The couple vehicles I've used loaded struts on, I'd had a wealth of options from cheap chinese clones, all the way to the top-tier brands which I trust. Using them doesn't imply cheaping out, it just saves a lot of time unless you have the time and tools to set up a new strut assembly.

Do what you wish, but on a vehicle with a front-end clunk-- if I can't pinpoint the cause, I'm replacing all the associated parts and call it day. This approach has never failed me.


I understand but this is a dude asking for troubleshooting advice. Anyone can go full nuclear but the challenge of being a good mechanic is not throwing parts or money at things but diagnosis, that's how you learn the most.

I would get someone to rev it while standing on the brakes to see if the engine is moving from bad engine mounts. My car has bad strut mounts and it knocks while turning or going straight.

 

[Silverado12]

Check your swaybar center links first, then take it to a good alignment shop and have them look at it as if they were going to do an alignment.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: maxdustington
Anyone can go full nuclear but the challenge of being a good mechanic is not throwing parts or money at things but diagnosis, that's how you learn the most.


Sounds like you haven't been a mechanic for long

. If you bring it to any mechanic/dealer, they're not going to risk trying this/that/the other and have you disappointed and back in the garage three times. They're going to suggest what they know works, and that's replacing all related parts unless it's absolutely certain which one is the offending part-- most times that's hard to discern in the little time mechanics have to diagnose things. It's super easy to replace them all while you're in there.

I see it as a cost vs. benefit analysis, and I like to know things are done RIGHT. It's just not wise to replace one thing, then come back to the other in 30k miles and need something else and whaddya know, another alignment.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: spasm3
Front strut bearing/mounts.

+1
My 08 Hyundai had this problem from new. The dealer had it 5 times and replaced MANY front end parts under warranty (including both struts) before finally finding the problem. One of the upper strut mount bearings was bad from the factory. They replace both of them, problem solved. Hyundai/Kia probably got a bad batch of these from their supplier and you may have gotten one of them.