QuestionQUESTION: Hi Charles
The computer message says too many follow ups ask a new question so I'm hoping this maintains the thread of what has gone before.
(1) All four steering rack mounting bushes were replaced two weeks ago.
(2) The inner tie rods seem fine. I have a friend who runs a wheel align business and this is his opinion as well as mine. (We did the fitting of the new bushes at his shop)
(3)The sway bar bushes (d shaped) are old but there are no tell tale shiny spots or excessive movement or evidence of deterioration in that area Maybe I should replace them regardless because (a) they are old and (b)it will eliminate another possible cause
What do you think?
ANSWER: Sounds like you are examining all the common suspects, however on "inner" tie rods I can tell you that most shark inner tie rods don't last long, IMO 50k is the time-to-keep-an-eye-on-it milestone. The inner tie rods must be inspected with the suspension unloaded; this my experience after owning three sharks: 78,84,89; I'm not saying this is the source of the clunk however you never know.
So to better say what the clunk is, rather than throw parts at the car,
you need to pinpoint the source more closely than just the front of the car.
To pin it down in a particular grid you need a set of ears closer to the source. So, with this once-a-clunk noise, can you make it appear when the car is at a crawling speed? or What is the slowest speed you can travel to make it appear, crawling, walking, running?
I friend had a like noise in his truck. The dealer could not figure it out. Luckily we were able to walk aside the vehicle to pin the source down to which side, top or bottom or front or rear of the cross member. It happened to the the 'bearing' support on top of the shock in his case.
What is the slowest speed you make the clunk appear?
Does it happen only when the suspension is on the ground or can you make it happen on a lift?
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QUESTION: The clunk happens at between 15 and 25 mph when I am making a turn that goes down hill. If I make a turn on a flat road no noise is evident. I cannot make it happen at walking speed. It only happens when the car is in motion and only at low speed as far as I can tell ( at highway speed there is no sound discernable) and of course the bends are not as sharp. I took the car to the workshop today and we checked the inner tie rods as closely as possible up on the lift.There is no discernable free play and no noise from the rack We adjusted the wheel bearings at the time as there was some minor play evident but driving home the problem persists We are baffled
AnswerRoss,
It sounds like you have addressed many of the common suspects. At this point I can no longer help you.
I would suggest taking the new definition of the problem:
"A single clunk noise in the front end, when traveling 15-25 mph downhill while making a turn". And list all the new parts and items checked in a logical order and you might want to see if there are any loose components before finalize your list, and dream up a list of items to check one last time (motor mounts, or any component mounted in the front.... sounds like a large list?, it could be at this point).
Then I would post your same question on a dedicated shark board,
such as found at pelicanparts.com or rennlist.org and see if any other fellow shark owners can help you pin it down further.
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(original thread)
QUESTION: There is a distinct clunk coming from the front end of my 1985 928 when turning at low speed. I have replaced the upper control arm bushes and the steering rack support bushes. There is no visual sign of deterioration in the lower arm bushes and ball joints look/feel ok The power steering rack seems ok too The springs and shock absorbers were replaced approximate 20000 miles back Any suggestions?
ANSWER: Does the "clunk" happen when turning in both directions?
Does it also happen when backing up and making a turn in both directions?
When did the "clunk" appear with respect to mileage, after the shocks were replaced?
How many miles are on the odometer?
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QUESTION: The clunk happens in both directions. It started on the right hand side (the vehicle is right hand drive) and is more noticeable from that side. It does not happen in reverse The shocks were replaced soon after I bought the car in 2002 I drive it often but usually not long distances hence only 20000 miles in nearly 6 years The noise became apparent from the rhs about 3000 miles ago and from the lhs about 1000 miles ago The odometer shows 182404 km so say 113000 miles Thanks for your help
Answer: 113k on a shark is not a lot of miles, however it is a lot of miles on any car and after 23 years you got to wonder what could it not be.
I have not asked, is this "clunk" a repetitive continuous clunk or a once-a-clunk ?
