Popping Noise

[brsexton]

OKAY...I am so sick of my Alero I could PUKE. I really hate this car now. Its falling apart and its only 2 years old. Well just 2 weeks after I get the AC Compressor replaced, I am now hearing a popping noise somewhere in the suspension (I think). It pops like 1 time as I am coming to a stop. Its also pops sometimes when I back out of a parking space or drive through a parking lot and I turn my wheel. I have no idea what it could be. I really think I got a POS and I am stuck in it. Its not worth what I owe. This car has been in the shop more then it should have. Do you guys have a clue of what I could do.? I know I will have to waste more time and take it to the shop to have them say they can't hear it.

[Grouch]

cv joint?

[brsexton]

I don't really think this it is the CV Joint. It seems like it is 100% from the suspension. Back when the car had like 10k, it made a slight popping noise only when I was parking and the dealer replaced the stabilizer brackets from a TSB. I wonder if those are bad again? But the TSB says that it will make the noise when turing the wheel. Could the weight of the car shifting to front during braking affect the stabilizer? The reason ask is becasue it pops one time as I come to a stop, and also pops like it did before when I turn the wheel. I also found that the strut mounts could cause that. ???

[CaperAlero]

A while back I had more of a single knock sound underneath the front end when I made a stop. They replaced the strut mounts, but it was still there. It turned out to be some loose bolt, not suspension though. However, its quite possible your strut mounts are popping, mine have rattled in the past and they lubed them....by the way I had the stabilizer bracket fix as well and has not come back after 40k

[Dethwalkin]

I have this strange noise too. It olny comes once and awhile though. I hear it 20% of the times I park. I never seem to hear it when I turn in to the right, it's always left. Is yours doing it all the time? It sounds alot like something sliding around in the trunk. I hate taking the car in and hearing them say they can't hear anything.

[mike2002]

i think there was a TSB about the brake calipers, anyone remember it?

[brsexton]

Originally posted by Dethwalkin@Jan 14 2005, 10:25 AM
I have this strange noise too. It olny comes once and awhile though. I hear it 20% of the times I park. I never seem to hear it when I turn in to the right, it's always left. Is yours doing it all the time? It sounds alot like something sliding around in the trunk. I hate taking the car in and hearing them say they can't hear anything.
Mine comes and goes. It will do one day, but not the next. I hate issues like that too. The dealer can NEVER seem to fix these type of problems. Its such a pain for me to take my car to the dealer with my work hours.

[brsexton]

Well I may have over reacted just a bit with this noise. I sprayed some lube on the stabilizer bar bushings and the noise is gone. The way the noise sounded, I thought my front end was falling apart. Its just that I have had several problems with this car, and I just knew this was something major. I am thankful I don't have to make a trip to the dealer. So any of you guys that have popping from the front, it may be a VERY simple fix.

[smokinAMD]

Ball joint.

[dbailey]

My front end has a clunking/thumping noise that I only hear when I start it and drive it and the temp outside is like 20 degrees. It sounds like something is loose and clunking as the wheels turn. When it warms up hte sound goes away. It's in the suspension for sure but I'm not sure where. Any ideas? :wacko:

[brsexton]

As you can read I had the same issue. It was a VERY simple fix. Spray some lube on the stabilizer bar bushings. I don't know how to explain to you where they are though. I was able to spray mine with the front wheels turned. If you look in the space where the axel goes in the trans, you will see the stabilizer bar. Then you will see these little rubber bushings back in there. I just covered them in WD-40 and the noise went away. Maybe someone will chime in and give a better idea where they are....

[CaperAlero]

Thanks, this is the second winter i've had that noise. I used white lithium grease, noise gone, hope it stays that way for while...