I have a clunk that sounds like the front wheel is going to fall off of the car. It happens at about 65mph. 

Accelerating, braking, slight turns left or right have no change. Slow to about 60 all is fine.

 

Is this a CV Strut or bushing? how do I test them? I do not want to just change it all. The shop that did the alignment said everything looked ok.

 

this is a 1999 legacy outback.

 

Thanks

Doug

Edited April 29, 20169 yr by whynot

I would take the car back to the alignment shop for a second opinion. Ask to have ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, and strut mount, checked to see if anything is loose. You may also want to check to see the lug nuts on your own to see if any of the road wheels are loose.

swap tires front-to-back and see if the symptom changes.

I just did the brakes all of the way around the car, and that fixed the warped rotor vibration. I have checked everything I can think of. I think the ball joint is ok, the tie rods are good. I do not know about the strut mount or strut. 

Also the toe was way out when they did the alignment. 

hmmm - inner tie rods may be very worn - I could see them worn enough to possibly clunk, just not repetitively with tire rotation. But, they would directly affect toe.

 

On a 99, many suspension/steering parts could be worn. rear bushing for lower control arm, strut bearings, sway bar mounts/links.

 

maybe take your mechanic for a test ride and demo the problem for him?

Edited April 29, 20169 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

Alignment shop is supposed to check all of the front end parts before doin an alignment. Loose ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings and such will not allow them to properly align the wheels because every time they make an adjustment and then re-check it the adjustment will be wrong again.

 

Does the clunk happen when you hit a bump? Is it a once every now and then clunk? Or is it a repetitive clunk? Does the clunk get faster with higher speed?

Is there a vibration when you get to a certain speed? Typically an out of balance tire will cause a vibration at around 60-65 mph.

I thought that they would check it, and I asked them to, and I have had good luck with this shop before finding bad items when doing an alignment. 

 

I plan on taking the car back on Monday, for a balance and to move that tire to the rear. 

 

The clunk repeats and when it does I get the shake in the steering wheel until I slow down. Bumps do not seem to matter it just seems to start at random times, and always above 60.

 

The car drives well and does not bounce much, but I do not know how to check struts and the strut mounts either.

Out of balance tire will certainly cause that.

 

I would guess the transverse bushing on the back of the control arm is bad. Those are very difficult to tell just by pushing/pulling around. They are filled with silicone fluid and when the fluid leaks out the bushing can move around a lot when the car is driving but is still very hard to move by hand.

 

If the bushing looks greasy it needs to be replaced. Luckily that bushing can normally be replaced without affecting alignment.

Another idea. I once found a worn front strut top hat in a Hyundai. The rubber had broken down and the bolt was free to move sideways about half an inch, Easy to check by visual inspection. That car had been into an alignment shop and they missed it. Clunking was the symptom as the bolt shifted position.

I would definitely try swapping the tires front to back and see if it makes any difference.

I wouldnt bother swapping tires, but I would have the entire front end inspected for wear. Also check the Transmission mount and drive shaft. 

Took it in today, and the tire shop found a separating front tire. So I got it moved to the back, and so far the front seems to be ok. Now to find some tires...

Thanks everyone

Sure, the ONE TIME, the ONE LOUSY TIME i dont suggest moving tires, its the tires.

 

meh - inspection should include the tires so...it's all good.

man such is my life as well. Thanks for all of the help getting this car going. you all are great!

Sure, the ONE TIME, the ONE LOUSY TIME i dont suggest moving tires, its the tires.

 

 

it's ok Nipper - it happens to the best.

ok nipper, This will make you feel better... It is back after moving the tire. Seems not to do it if someone is in the passenger seat. They looked again at the components when they did the tire swap. So Strut, or tophat? how do I test it? 

 

 

Sometimes you have to wait for the noise to get worse.

 

You dont have a broken suspension spring do you? They arent always obvious, rare on Soobys but do happen.

Edited May 4, 20169 yr by nipper

fairtax mentioned the rear bushing for the lower control arm - I also think it needs inspection.

 

also, could someone pace the car, each of you have passeneger/observers on cellphones so the pace car could know when to circle your car when the vibration happens? maybe they could spot some wheel hop or other visible problem.

 

just to be clear, this is a repetitive noise that seems to begin above 60 but varies with speed? do you also feel vibration? seat of the pants, or in the steering wheel? any 'jerkiness'/bucking in the car?

Edited May 4, 20169 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

Yes it repeats sounds like metal on metal. I do feel a vibration just before it starts and while it is knocking. Turning breaking accelerating seem to have no effect on it. Just speed.

is the car manual or auto? if auto, use the FWD fuse and monitor for any change.

 

if manual - do you notice it only happens after the car has warmed-up?

the car is auto. I will take it for a ride with the FWD fuse installed 

does the same thing in FWD mode. Car is a little more all over the road. Though about just replacing the rear bushing, but they are expensive. Do they come off easily? and can I put it back on if I take it off? will it be obvious that it is bad. Does the other bushing fail often? I do not know where to go from here. '

Thanks

Doug

It's time to give it to a real shop, pay them for thier opinion, as it can be quite a few things at this point non good.

^^^ that

 

you need experienced hands to drive the car and push-pull on the suspension, steering and drivetrain parts.

 

you could open a new thread asking for a shop recommendation near your city - someone may know a soob-experienced mechanic.