[Scourge]

Hi All,

I need some help figuring out what parts I should be throwing at my car. I'm not sure how much of this might be relevant so let's rewind to the beginning:

Car - 07 ZX4 SES

Around the 20k mark I started getting an very intermittent gentle clunk in the front end that seemed to be related to fore/aft load shift or suspension movement on one side only - the dealer diagnosed the front sway bar end links and replaced them. Clunk not noticeable after.

Starting somewhere around the 30k mark, I had a similar noise again, but much less frequent (once every couple weeks) and only seemed to happen when turning right into a driveway ramp. After a good few months of it, Dixie ford blamed the sway bar end links and replaced them for the second time. The noise came back after a month or two but was so infrequent, I didn't worry about it.

Next, just after the 60k mark, I started getting a distinct clunk over bumps that was easily traced to the end links, this time I replaced them with the "Nascar by Moog" lifetime warranty units from partsource. Problem solved.

Jump to the 80k mark (Last summer), and I started getting the same clunk as before. Engaged lifetime warranty and replaced the links. Problem solved.

Within a month or two of replacing the last set of end links I started to get a new rare clunk with some combination of weight shifting and suspension movement that I could not replicate when I tried. Shortly after, the car started to make a strange soft groan/grind sound when turning the wheels far to the right at slow parking lot speeds. This sound seemed to be affected by the weather. It was loudest/only present during or after a rainfall (for a couple days) but it did not seem to matter if I had driven the car in the rain (It was parked indoors). These symptoms were infrequent enough that it took a couple months to figure out what conditions caused them to happen.

By November the sounds had increased in frequency and had gotten louder, so when I had my car at the mechanic, I asked him to check out the whole front end. I explained all the sounds to him but he could not replicate it at the time. It was suggested that it might be a ball joint (that had been my suspicion). When inspecting the car, the only thing he found was that the end links had a little more play than they should, the ball joints had no play and the boots were intact.

Within a few weeks, I made use of the warranty again and swapped out the end links for good measure. While I was working on the car, I did the usual wheel movement checks (side to side, up down, in out) and found no play on either side of the car. When I had the front end in the air, I had turned the wheels back and forth several times when changing the end links. I did this from the brake caliper/hub assembly. I noted an odd liquid squishing sound while turning left to right that I had never noticed before but didn't think anything of it. After it was all done and I pulled the car out of the garage, I had a small puddle of power steering fluid on the floor. I couldn't find any leaks on the car (it has just been oil sprayed, so visibility was an issue) and my power steering fluid has not dropped to this day. After this, the sound did go away for several weeks but returned.

Fast forward to the present. I now almost always have the groaning sound that has gotten VERY loud (I don't drive the car much these days) and somewhat "chunky" sounding, by that I mean it's not a smooth groan any more. Some days, I can drive the car and it doesn't make a peep, but most times it does - I haven't been able to narrow down the conditions causing it. The slight load shift related clunk is also back, seems to happen most often when changing direction from rolling back to moving forwards - but doesn't happen every time.

The car has about 96k on it now, aside from the end links, I haven't had to touch the front end since new so I'm sure a few things are due for a refresh. I'd rather not go nuts replacing parts at this time. Potential offenders in my mind: Ball Joint, End link (again), tie rod (inner or outer), strut bearing, or even the whole steering rack.

Has anyone else ever some across any of these issues? Any opinions?

TIA,
George

[Lucster1000]

I had a similar clunking noise and it was the sway bar end links and replaced them a few weeks ago. Now it doesn't clunk. I will have to watch it while I drive it more. Under my car it's clean with no leaks so I couldn't say what the fluid you had leaking was. I want to say it could be with the power steering somewhere but I'm not a mechanic.

[adamzx5]

Upper strut mount.

[Mystake]

(03-20-2013, 12:53 PM)adamzx5 Wrote: Upper strut mount.

Try this? I had a clunk in my front end, irregular, from turning the wheel. So, I'd park the car and I'd turn the wheel and hear a clunk some days but not the others - I was never able to reproduce it on cue. Something something strut bearing/mount issues. Ended up swapping in a complete svt suspension to solve it.

Sorry I'm not much more help.

[Scourge]

The verdict is in, it was the end links, AGAIN. These NASCAR branded ones really are crap, even with the lifetime warranty, save yourself the hassle and order in the true MOOG parts. While the car was up, I tracked down the power steering "leak". When turning the wheel without the pump running, the fluid returns to the reservoir but has the resistance of the stationary pump preventing it from returning quickly into the line. This pressure caused an overflow from the cap.

-George