Crunchy Suspension Noise -- Help! :-o

[FredParoutaud]

Hi Folks,

Just got back from Thanksgiving -- hope you had a nice one too!

Have a new problem with our 1996 es300. When braking, just before coming to a complete stop, I hear a deep "crunch" coming from what I believe is the left front of the car.

I checked the brakes and they are fine, lots of pad, no grooves. (Obviously this wouldn't be the problem anyway, but its something to look at.)

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the wheel bearings or 1/2 shaft, since that's all I can think of that would be in that area.

Does this ring a bell??

The vast majority of the time there is no sound/problem. We drove the last 500 miles with no problem. It's only when making a fairly hard stop, and only right about at the stop sign. If you brake more gradually there is no sound, no problem.

Thanks,

Fred

[mxl4729]

Hi Folks,

Just got back from Thanksgiving -- hope you had a nice one too! 

Have a new problem with our 1996 es300.  When braking, just before coming to a complete stop, I hear a deep "crunch" coming from what I believe is the left front of the car. 

I checked the brakes and they are fine, lots of pad, no grooves.  (Obviously this wouldn't be the problem anyway, but its something to look at.)

I'm wondering if it has something to do with the wheel bearings or 1/2 shaft, since that's all I can think of that would be in that area.

Does this ring a bell??

The vast majority of the time there is no sound/problem.  We drove the last 500 miles with no problem.  It's only when making a fairly hard stop, and only right about at the stop sign.  If you brake more gradually there is no sound, no problem.

Thanks,

Fred

←

sure it is not your brakes? because you say it only happens durring hard braking

[FredParoutaud]

sure it is not your brakes? because you say it only happens durring hard braking

←

Yeah, well, good point. I'm not sure of anything. Can the brakes do something like that? I've never heard that before. It's a low "crunch" sound, that sounds like maybe a support pulling away from the frame or something awful like that. But...it only makes it at the tippy-end of a hard brake...like when the body settles back into position, or just before that.

There's a threshold where it happens. If you brake relatively gently and normally, no problem, no sound. If you brake harder, it happens. And it's not ABS or anything like that, not nearly that hard.

Fred

[SKperformance]

does it only happen when braking or over large bumps as well?

[FredParoutaud]

does it only happen when braking or over large bumps as well?

←

Only on braking. I haven't noticed anything over large bumps, and we did a bunch of speed bumps this weekend, some at a higher speed than I anticipated and I apologized to the passengers. :chairshot:

Again, braking is smooth as silk, and quiet all the way to the stop sign. It's only when the car actually stops at the sign (you know, when the body finally starts to physically stop moving and settle back) that the sound happens.

Thanks,

Fred