One other thing us guys have to look out for is stress cracking.. Not that this is what you have. Just suggesting that maybe while you are under there maybe look real close to where the arms bolt up an around that area out. Some of us have experienced cracking.. not fun.
If this is the case, we very well may sell the car. It's a great little ride and we've put a lot of sweat and money in it. But stress cracks in the frame along with a leaking cowl may be more than I'm willing to deal with anymore. What EXACTLY am I looking for and where???
Like I said. Probobly not what is going on with your car. It's just something to look for while your under there looking around. Look for any rust hair lines. I have seen them around the upper controll mounting location and shock tower.. I personaly wouldn't consider it a big deal IF I were to be taking the towers out.. which you obviously havn't said you were considering.
Just finished the push-me-pull-you test in the driveway... Bouncing the car up and down = nothing really on either side Moving front to back (neutral > roll > brake) = maybe some clicky but with the brake caliper action sort of hard to tell Rocking side to side = clicking noise, not particularly loud but clearly connected to the motion and/or force applied Moving front to back in Drive/Reverse = forgot to check before my son drove off to bible study Driving off down the street = heard nothing The most obvious sound was definitely pushing into the front fender wells, sort of rocking the car side to side. Your hypothesis eagerly awaited...
You sure its nothing that loose that is moving around? like a rattling hood hinge or something? Do you feel the clunking in the car or just hear it?
It's a fair question - I suppose we should just start running through and checking tightness on everything. But it does sound-sorta-feel like its coming from underneath the car.
You said you looked at the sway bar end links, are they tight? could have tightend them down when the car was in the air and now that its settled on the ground the angle is different and might need to be checked if they are still tight.
Only focus on the movements that reproduce your original sound. "Clicking" could be normal. These are not Formula race cars. To check the calipers/brakes, get the noise going and then apply the brakes at the same time. If the sound changes, you know that it is related to brakes, hubs and/or rotors. To rule out suspected noise sources, take a can of WD-40 and hit friction/moving areas while someone is making the noise (sway bar links, strut mounts, etc). As soon as the noise goes away, you have found your source. How much preload on the spindle nut did you use when you installed your hubs?
sounds like the out board brake pads are not tight on the caliper. they have tabs that fold around the caliper to keep it located. if they are not tight the pad will move in the caliper when you press the brakes. this will cause a click. it also usually rattle over bumps. i will usually use some channel lock pliers to bend the tabs to where the pad will tightly fit the calipers.
Also you need to look and see if the little spring clips (anti rattle clips) are installed on the correct side of the inside pad. They go on the bottom side of the pad. If you look at them they will be on the end that that faces rotation of the rotor. They push the pad against the top of the caliper mount so they do not "click" when the brakes are applied. You can also spray a little High Tack on the back side of the outside pad and bend the tabs so it doesn't move also. The noise that you are describing sounds exactly like brake pad movement. Good luck.
Great ideas on the WD40. I didn't do the front suspension work so I'm not sure how much pre-load was applied when the hubs were reassembled. I can do that - but will this also be fixed by the brake kit mentioned (and linked to) earlier in the thread? Thanks so much for chiming in - I agreed, just seems like something related to the brakes the more we dig into it. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to pull it all apart and inspect it...
If you have power steering check the frame bracket that mounts the ram to the frame. Also check your motor mounts.
