Front end clunking/thumping noise

[dbailey]

OK, when I start my 2000 Coupe and take off I get this clunking/thumping noise like something is lose and hitting metal to metal. After around 5 minutes of driving and everything warming up, it goes away. Only happens when is has been sitting all day and I get in it after work and take off. It's a pretty medium to hard thump and sounds like it is coming from the front. Any ideas? Thanks.

[OpalaAlero]

I get the same thing in my 99 sedan, like its coming from the front right side.

[AmericasChoice]

me too what is it?

[Qcksilver]

I get the same damn noise. Sounds to me like its coming from the right side front strut. Anyone have any idea what it really is or how to get rid of it?

[Redog]

I get kinda like a sqeaking noise in the rear from the struts when it's below 15 or 20 degrees (F) I think that the oil in the struts freezes up and they don't get any lube on the shafts. Esp if the struts are old.

[johny_boy32]

check the strut mounts if its happening all the time...maybe just let your car warm up longer...thats what it was in my car...thank god for warranty.

[Qcksilver]

It's to late for warranty work for me if it is the mounts, but my noise never happened with the stock springs. As soon as I replaced the springs with Eibach lowering springs is actually when mine started up. I still have the stock struts if it makes a difference. Never had a problem with the stock struts, as far as bottoming out and stuff. Just that darn noise every now a then, but like the others I only hear it in the winter. Never in the summer.

[johny_boy32]

it could just be that when you put your new springs in you messed up the allignment on something else...maybe something got offset

[Qcksilver]

I dunno. Maybe, but when I lowered the car I did have a full 4 wheel alignment done. As far as I know it was done correctly. I let go of the steering wheel and it goes as straight as an arrow. I am about to have the front end aligned again due to an accident my wife had in my car on the way out here to the east coast. During the drive she spun out on a patch of black ice and ended up cracking my back bumper on the guard rail next to the oncoming traffic. When she went into the median sideways (grass median not concrete) my alignment suffered also cuz now it wants to go slightly to the right when you let go of the steering wheel. Anyway, there gonna fix this aswell along with the bumper and whatever else they find wrong. Maybe they will find out why that strut is creaking. I certainly hope they do.

[dbailey]

I'll be watching to see if they can fix it. Glad your wife didn't get injured! Now that's not her in the picture you have next to your name is it!

[3.4Alero]

Qcksilver, when you installed the eibachs, did you set the spring onto the mount in the exact same place as the old spring? If you did, that's your problem. You have to align the spring so everything is straight. The sound you hear is the strut mount slowly grinding away.

[Qcksilver]

Ya know I honestly don't know, I had an auto shop put them on for me. I assumed they would know how to put them on. I know for sure they knew more about it than I did. I'm worried about this now that you mentioned the grinding away thing. Should I be woried about this? Does it matter that this only happens when it's cold outside? I dunno if strut mounts only grind away in the winter and not the summer. (I'm not trying to be a smartass, I honestly don't know much about cars) Any help you could offer would be great dude!

[dopey]

if the car has been in an accident it could also be a CV joint or perhaps the wheel bearing couldnt it 3.4???

[Qcksilver]

Hey dbailey, thanks for your concern dude! Thank god my wife wasn't injured, my car took the blunt of the punishment. She was pretty freaked out though, crying and all that (her first accident ever, and in MY car to boot). She was acually more worried about the fact that she crashed my car that I try to keep so clean and in good shape so much, ya know what I mean? She actually wasn't going that fast at all, about 35mph or 40 tops(the weather was not the best). Believe it or not we were on our way to a hotel so we could stay the night before something bad happened. Boy was the joke on us or what, lol. Anyway, it's gonna be fixed hopefully next week. They told me it's about a 5 day fix, the back bumper's gonna be replaced and their gonna take the front end off also just to inspect incase anything needs to be fixed there also because of the way the car came to rest in the median. I can't wait to get it fixed, I don't even like driving it right now with the bumper cracked like that. Oh and by the way, I wish that was my wife in my avitar!! Just kidding, I mean no thats not her. lol

[3.4Alero]

Originally posted by Qcksilver@Jan 27 2004, 12:04 AM
As soon as I replaced the springs with Eibach lowering springs is actually when mine started up. I still have the stock struts if it makes a difference. Never had a problem with the stock struts, as far as bottoming out and stuff. Just that darn noise every now a then, but like the others I only hear it in the winter. Never in the summer.
Sweet, the noise started before the accident.

Honestly, Qcksilver, as I read it again, I bet your struts are just worn out. When its cold out, they don't seem to be getting enough lube, etc. It's probably time to change 'em, and when that happens, have the mechanic look at the strut bearing plate to make sure it's not worn. If it is, replace it, too.

[Qcksilver]

Thanks for the advice 3.4, I'll have them check that out when it's being inspected next week. If I'm lucky maybe I can get my insurance to cover it along with the back bumber. Probably not but it won't hurt to try.

[dbailey]

I heard that you can also get spacers that go on the back side of the wheel that also will stop any clunking noise due to the wheel not fitting tight against the rotors. Anyone ever heard of these.

[ghostplay]

The spacers that go inbetween the wheel and the rotors are for the offset of the wheel, generally, if the wheel (usually aftermarket) is too deep, the spacer brings it out more off the rotor so the tires don't grind the wells....but as for reducing clunking, that's not what they're designed for. And if they weren't on there in the first place then you wouldn't have been able to drive away 10 feet before you noticed some serious buckling in the suspension. I worked in the wheel and tire industry for two years and only once have i seen a situation where someone installed some custom wheels without spacers and a different offset other than the vehicles standard and it looked like the car was dropped from the second floor of a building.

as for the clunking noise, most GM mid-range priced vehicles ($20K-$30K) will have that problem sooner or later, my father has a '95 sunfire sedan (original owner) and it had that problem since day one, but it was never a major problem, it was just annoying. As for my '02 GX i just picked up 8 days ago, and i noticed the clunking too the day i drove it off the lot, but i'm not concerning myself with it right now because i have a 90-day bumper-to-bumper dealer warranty, so if anything does happen (which i doubt) i just hope it happens in the next 3 months.

[ghostplay]

oh and btw, it is the struts, even though they're mounted with THICK Rubber through the pins, the rubber is stiff enough to carry vibrations through the body of the car, when the shock reacts, that is, when it extends, that's the sound you're hearing, as if you were extending a retractable rod. if you really want to get rid of the noise you could always go full out on your suspension, shock, struts, coils and stabilizers. And guaranteed you won't hear that noise, the oem version of gm suspension is only guaraneed as long as the warranty is right, because that's how long they expect them to last.

[currada]

I had a similar noise on my 03 Alero that started in the winter and they tracked it to the heat sheild for the catalytic convertor. Worked for a while, but its coming back, although not as frequently or loud...

[PaulVS]

It could be really simple....

Some tires are more prone to getting 'flat spots' after the car has been sitting for a day or so (especially in cold weather) and it takes a few minutes of driving to 'round them out'.

If the problem goes away after you've been driving awhile.... I'd bet it's just the tires.

I would try parking for a couple hours only in a warm place if you can and see if it still does it.

[Maverick]

I get the same noise ... or I think it's the same. I was thinking it sounded like a loose ball joint and the wheel would wobble back and forth, but when I'm driving on the highway the car doesn't pull any direction. I doesn't happen all of the time, it sort of happens most of the time when I turning, then it goes away again...

Right front side for me too, though.

[2kalerorocket]

I am leaning toward the worn out stut conclusion, mine has started having this condition this winter and it is about time for me to replace the struts on the car. once I have been driving a while and the suspension has time to warm up it goes away.

Paul that is a valid point if the car sat for weeks to months, I had mine sitting just over night and I got the same condition when it sat for a week.

[Qcksilver]

Well I got my car back from the body shop and my rear bumper is replaced and good to go. I talked to the suspension guy about the creaking noise in the right front strut. He said that the eibach springs I put in are no problem on the other 3 struts but the right front spring for some reason just isn't turning with the strut when the wheel turns, and it only happens when you turn right usually. Thats true it only usually happens on right turns but I don't know about the strut and spring turning together. Anyway, he said it's not causing any damage and one good way to get rid of it is to buy some Spray Graphite at a automotive parts store and spray the top of the strut and the bottom every now and then. I could use WD-40 but the Spray Graphite will eventually stay in there and the length between sprays will increase in time as where the WD-40 will just alway be the same; spray, spray, spray. Any car guys out there able to confirm this for me. I'm not to car smart when it comes to the mechanical stuff so I guess I just have to take their word for it. I'm gonna go to Pep Boys and look for some of this Spray Graphite stuff and see if it works. I'll let you know how it goes. :thumbsup:

[dbailey]

:) I replaced my rotors and pads on the front and the clunking sound has gone. At least for now.

[Rubered00]

i get the same damn noise....my car is a 2000....is 4 years about an average life span for struts if that is what needs to be replaces?

[dbailey]

;) Hmmm. The struts on my 2000 Coupe are still original. Replacing the rotors and pads seemed to do the trick for me.