Heavy...clunk over bumps

[coopns]

02 Dodge Caravan 100K. It has done this for 4-5 years. Go over a pretty good bump or pot hole and there is a pretty good...clunk..clunk. Yes two. Not hellish but enough to notice. Last year I had the ball joints replaced. Could it be tie roads? What else?

 

[moribundman]

I don't know if this applies to your car, but on mine the front stabilizer bar bushings go bad every 5 years. When the bushings go bad a clunking noise occurs. Bushing replacement is very easy and takes only 15 minutes.

 

[BearZDefect]

mori, aren't there stabilizer bar end link bushings, and stabilizer bar frame bushings? Do you replace both sets in your case?

 

[coopns]

I am not scared to giv'er a try. So take the wheel off then...

Really though, not bad? Can I buy the bushings at AZone?
If that didn't do it, wouldn't hurt anything anyway eh?

Thanks for the info.

 

[alreadygone]

I you pulled into my shop the first thing I'd check would be sway bar end links. Probably check frame mount bushings also, but they almost never go bad. Kinda foolish to replace though, without first determining that they're actually bad.

If you have ramps elevate front untill you can access sway bar (you do know what it looks like?

) take a large screw driver/pry bar and work sway bar up and down near end watching end link for any play. Repeat on both sides. Both sides of vehicle must be either elevated or lowered for wear to show.

If there's no obvious play in sway bar, begin prying every movable suspension point. As long as you pry against suspension assemblies you can't hurt anything. When you pry the part with slop/wear/play it'll be obvious it's not the same as its counterpart on the other side of the vehicle.

Also MOPAR will occasionally have broken/missing engine cradle mounts (rubber donuts sandwiched between subframe and body). Worth a look and maybe a good pry.

Just get under there and try to force something to moove!

Bob

 

[va3ux]

Worn Sway bar bushings are pretty common on these and on the LH series. They will cause a clunking sound if they are worn. These are certainly a cheaper fix than the replacing the links (which can also cause the clunking sound if they're worn).

 

[Mucho_MPG]

Sway bar end links? I know on a Saturn VUE you replace them multiple times as standard maintenance and it will develop that same sound the OP describes.

 

[Jimmy9190]

My 01 Dakota is not front wheel drive like the Caravan but I had the same problem not long ago. Heavy clunk noise from the front end when I would go over a speed breaker or large bump at low speeds. I had some degree of vibration in the steering wheel at higher speeds also. The bushings on both stabilzer bar links were shot. Replacement links were about $30.00 each from Napa and it was very easy to replace them. I have no noise or vibration at all now from the front suspension.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
mori, aren't there stabilizer bar end link bushings, and stabilizer bar frame bushings? Do you replace both sets in your case?


After almost 170k miles I'm on the second set of front stabilizer bar frame bushings. The end links have no yet gone bad, so I haven't replaced them yet.

 

[Quest]

Assuming that it has nothing to do with upper strut mount bushings, ball joints, front differential bearing clearances (FWD) and/or CV axles, then the rest should be to do with rubber related suspension components/bushings.

Best bet is to replace them all. Afterall: rubber bushings aren't that expensive and replacing them would restore the vehicle back to proper handling (excluding worn shocks/struts).

Q.

Do not discount the possibility of rubber muffler/midpipe hanger.

 

[AcuraTech]

Yup. Sway bar links are common failure points on mid 90's and up cars. Why? Because they started making them partially out of plastic. In the old days it was just steel and rubber. Plastic isn't nearly as good.

 

[Merkava_4]

Well, since this is a front wheel drive vehicle and no one has mentioned the motor/trans mounts, I'll mention it.

 

[Greggy_D]

Had the same sounds in my '02 Taurus. Needed new sway bar links and front struts/mounts.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

I was getting a clunk on my wife's 2004 Forester. It only showed up when accelerating. We took it into the mechanic, turned out a suspension bolt was loose. It must have been hard to find, they managed to check my brake pads as well.

$40 to tighten a bolt

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: moribundman
I don't know if this applies to your car, but on mine the front stabilizer bar bushings go bad every 5 years. When the bushings go bad a clunking noise occurs. Bushing replacement is very easy and takes only 15 minutes.


Have to agree with this as well. Having owned a '99 Grand Caravan, I can say I went through two sets in 140 000 KILOMETRES. It was not the endlinks. First time it was a clunk, second time it was a loud squeeking noise.

I just replaced the bushings on my '01 Outback H6 for the same reason. Clunk over bumps - gone with the new bushings.

I think I read somewhere that if you drive over a bump (speed bump in malls work) straight on and it doesn't clunk it's not the sway bar, but if clunks when you hit the bump diagonally, it's the sway bar.

 

[alreadygone]

Originally Posted By: 2002 Maxima SE
I was getting a clunk on my wife's 2004 Forester. It only showed up when accelerating. We took it into the mechanic, turned out a suspension bolt was loose. It must have been hard to find, they managed to check my brake pads as well.

$40 to tighten a bolt


I'd expect totally itemized bill to be more like;

time spent finding loose bolt- $40.00

tighten bolt- N/C

total- $40.00

If that seems too high, next time crawl your arse under there and find it yourself!

bob

 

[oldmaninsc]

Originally Posted By: alreadygone
Originally Posted By: 2002 Maxima SE
I was getting a clunk on my wife's 2004 Forester. It only showed up when accelerating. We took it into the mechanic, turned out a suspension bolt was loose. It must have been hard to find, they managed to check my brake pads as well.

$40 to tighten a bolt


I'd expect totally itemized bill to be more like;

time spent finding loose bolt- $40.00

tighten bolt- N/C

total- $40.00

If that seems too high, next time crawl your arse under there and find it yourself!

bob


I agree. 40.00 sounds like a bargain to me. Think of it this way - a 'less than honest' mechanic could have tighten the bolt and then told you it was a bad ___________(fill in the blank) and charged you a few hundred dollars!

 

[coopns]

Had a look with a friend, bushings it is. Does it matter where I buy them - dealer or Autozone, RockAuto?

Saw these two at RockAuto...

2002 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SPORT 3.3L Stabilizer Bar Bushing
SPICER Part # 5501449 More Info {Professional Grade Sway Bar Repair Kit}
Front Suspension; To Frame; 26mm Or 26.5mm Sway Bar Diameter
$7.24 $0.00 $7.24

MOOG Part # K7406 {Sway Bar Bushing Kit}
Frt Susp; To Frame; 2WD; w/26 or 26.5mm Bar

$8.44 $0.00 $8.44

Thanks for all the help.