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Front End "clunking" On A 98 Es300


Sunbeam

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My 98 ES has 120K miles and had all the struts etc replaced at around 50K.

Going over bumps I hear what I can only describe at as "clunks" coming from the front or left front. I brought the car to our local mechanic and then Toyota. The local mechanic found nothing wrong and Toyota only said a single bushing needed to be replaced (which was done). But the sound continued.

Any thoughts? BTW is the test for bad sturts the same as the old test for shocks? (push down hard and see if it returns without excessive bouncing).

Thanks all!

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The clunk is probably the upper strut mount, which I gather is the same or similar to the one on my RX300. I just replaced my left one for a second time. The Rubber shrinks and comes loose from the outer shell of the mount. Looks fine, but is bad. Please note I could not duplicate the noise by moving the car up and down while sitting. On the RX there is supposedly an improved version. I put in an aftermarket one,that has a lifetime warranty, except I do the labor. Good luck

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Yes, as lenore said, it's likely a strut mount issue. My 97 does the exact same thing. I have not been able to replicate the noise by pushing down on the car... can only hear it when going over slight cracks in the road. The colder the temperature, the louder the noise (in my experience).

There is a fair amount written on these forums about the strut mount problem. Try doing a search for "strut mount" or "clunk noise" as I know I've written in at least two of those posts regarding the strut mount problem.

There may be a technical service bulletin (TSB) about the problem too. Good luck!

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