Rumble in suspension- 2001 Civic

[MarkM66]

I've got a rumble in what I believe to be the front suspension on my '01 Civic. It's like a rumble sound, that I can only hear on bumpy roads, like a gravel road, sharp bumps, not highway type bumps.

Awhile back I replaced the front control arm front compliance bushings. They were very worn, but this did not fix the problem. The rear bushings seemed like new still, so I left them.

I then assumed it was the front struts, they're the original units with 245k miles on them, so I replaced them with a complete quick strut assembly. But I still hear the rumbling. Ride doesn't seem any better either,

.

I've tried to find any play in the ball joints, and tie rods, but they all seem okay to me.

I'm at a loss, any suggestions?

 

[MarkM66]

I just went over things again.

How much up and down movement is allowed in a drive axle?

Car on stands, no weight on wheels.

 

[brelandt]

The one thing I noticed at my shop is that when we order new struts for a customer it never comes with the "extras" you think it would. So all of the "old" things like stop bumps and hardware are reused.
So a worn out rubber bushing reinstalled on the new strut may also be a point of the suspension making noise. Also the swaybar end links make a lot of noise as well when worn.

 

[MarkM66]

I'm starting to think it's the cv joints. The boots are not torn, but when I grab them near the transmission, and shack up and down, there is a audible clunking sound.

Is that abnormal?

 

[IndyIan]

By CV joint, do you mean movement between the shaft and the cup? Thats bad I think. The splined shaft that goes into the transmission can have a little movement, something like 1/16" or less? I think last time I gave those a wiggle on my car, they did move a bit more than I thought they would, but they do just slip in. I can't remember if mine clunked or not.
I guess you could look at the motor mounts too, and maybe just a loose part(steering rack?) that resonates with those high frequency bumps.