Front End "klunk" Sound

[averona1]

When driving over bumps there is a klunking sound or could be described as a distinct "knock" like something is loose up front.

I had my lower ball joints done last year.

Also, when I'm breaking, there is a slight vibration or "shimmy" felt. The guy who did my breaks said my rotors were fine.

Any ideas?

[landar]

Well, the "klunk" is usually the strut rod bushings. They wear out and develop cracks that causes the clunk. The (sic)"breaks" are a different matter. The guy who does your brakes does not know what he is talking about. Your rotors need "truing" (turned on a lathe to get them perfectly straight/flat). And you would want new pads as well.

[BentBrain]

Odds are its the upper ball joint. Usually fail shortly after the lowers and they loosen up real quick. Jack the. We up and see if you can move the top of the wheel at all. Strut rod bushings are likely bad also but the shimmy under brake and clunking sounding loose is usually a ball joint.

I would love to know how landar knows your mechanic didn't turn the rotors and that he is wrong.

[Micah.Berry]

Did the guy who did the brakes turn the rotors, or did he simply install new pads? He should have turned the rotors - but it is possible that he did not. Did you do the front and rear brakes? I had a large shimmy in the steering wheel when braking that was cured with turning the front rotors. Much to my displeasure, I still have a slight shimmy when I brake from freeway speeds because I ONLY had the fronts turned. I left the rears alone. I realize that I'm going to have to get the rears turned pretty soon.

As far as the clunk goes, jack up the car, and shine a light at the front of the strut bars where the cushion is. If you can see tears / rips in the rubber cushion, then you have a good place to start. Take a look at the other rubber components within the front suspension to look for rips in the material. On the upper ball joint, look for any rips and feel for any grease that may be escaping from behind, where you can't see. With the wheel up, grab the wheel at 9'o clock and 3 o'clock positions and see if you can feel any free play. Do the same at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions. Realize that you will be able to turn the steering if both wheels are up in the air. You're looking for looseness/free play that shouldn't be there. These will give you some starting points for reference.

When I reviewed your post, I didn't see what year model your car is. Mine is a 99, and strut rods and lower ball joints cured my clunk issue. If yours is a Gen 2, I am guessing that the strut rods need attention. As I recall, there was a redesign of some of the components when the 95 model was introduced, which weren't necessarily an improvement from a longevity standpoint.

Micah

[PHIL L.]

I had the strut rods and sayway bushings and links done... Clunk is gone. The rotors should give you a feeling in the pedal or a shimmy in the steering wheel while on the brake.

[damonbrown]

If you have not resolved the issue with the brakes or the Strut mount/bushing, you may also want to check the big rubber mounts that have to be pressed into the lower control arm mount where the rear of the control arm mounts to the unibody. I had to replace mine a year or so ago. I currenlty have 205,XXX miles on mine though. Worth taking 5 minutes to look at them as I was having a shimmy problem I was chasing as well.

[yotoy82]

I had the steering rack rubber/bushings/grommets changed on my LS400 today, made a night and day difference over bumps. I highly suggest it, not a big job, cheap parts, totally worth doing on every LS400