Mechanical pop when backing up

[CR3 Motorsports]

Well when I took mine off, (you could just pull them from the spindle.

Mine was very loose. My replacement was solid. You will have to take it off when you do the bearings, but check it then while you have the car up.

 

[tweety2300]

Just a question on the strut bearings so I don't have to make a thread. The very top of the strut while looking down at it, should it move when you turn the wheel?

 

[jdwk]

No the very top shouldn't move. The top strut seat where the spring ends and the strut mount which is bolted by the 4 bolts in the engine bay are separated by the strut bearing. This allows the strut and spring to rotate when you turn without twisting the spring. The piston of the strut can rotate so the top nut does not move when you turn the steering wheel.

CR3, ok that is good news, because my control arm ball joint is still very stiff. At least it is on the driver's side. I haven't checked the passenger in a while, but it will be checked when I put in the new bearing I guess.

 

[jdwk]

Got the strut bearings today. I really can't imagine them ever making noise. They are plastic though, and plastic does not hold up in AZ. So mine could very well be broken and binding up.

Guess I'll find out when I take it apart AGAIN. Although may not get to it this weekend. Still have to put my other car back together. Nothing like having two broken cars.

 

[dacquesta1]

it only pops when turning the wheel to the right? could be cv axle.

 

[Jasonjames]

Asimilar situation in a Valiant I owned a long time ago, took someone to drive the car back and forth, while I took my life in my hands sitting in the engine bay,...it was suggested I wear a crash helmut Anyway we nailed the blighter,..the lower control arm was shifting under brakes back and forth around 1/8" where it was welded to the lower-inner bush-housing. The design was faulty, and Chrysler welded in gussets in later models. The lower arm is made up of 2 pieces of steel rivetted together. At the inner-lower bush, the top of the bush was encircled by the 2 pieces but was not a good press fit. So the reversal of driving force caused the 2 pieces to sort of flex, then jump making the noise.
I've only just bought a P5 and dont know the minute detail of the front suspension,..but it will be difficult to see as the suspension is covered by the inner guard,..so looking for a witness-mark may be the only way for you.

Have you checked the slide-pins in the calipers? [assuming its OEM] This may sound stupid,..but are the wheel nuts applying sufficient clamping pressure to the brake-rotors? If not there maybe rust-dust between the rotor and hub. A close examination of the inner control-arm bushes [check all nuts tightness] Check front balljoints have not "unsprung" from their tapers. Caliper mounting bolts. Try disconnecting front roll-bar and test for noise? I know pads have already been mentioned. I have come across pads moving in their supports. but that made more of a loud click noise. Are the wheels 2 or 3 piece? If so are they held together by bolts,..check for looseness. The axle nuts tight? Its not easy trying to find such a noise. Best of luck

 

[jdwk]

Thanks for the help. Didn't get around to it this weekend as expected. Next weekend should be pretty free or maybe if I get home early enough one day this week.

I am still holding out hope that the strut bearing is the problem. Taking off the front sway bar is a pain, but I've done it before to diagnose other clunks and pops.

 

[jdwk]

So after convincing myself it was the strut bearings, I ordered them ($17 each, ouch) and finally braved the ridiculously hot garage to put them in. Nothing every goes smoothly for me but this time it was my fault. I must have overtightened the top strut nut on the passenger side because I broke the rubber insert of the upper strut mount trying to remove it so now the piston spins freely. I have a small 100lb-ft impact and it doesn't budge it. I tried vice gripping the piston itself, but that thing is smooth as glass and apparently pretty hard metal since the vice grips barely left a mark. So that guy isn't coming apart tonight.

The driver's side came off in minutes of not seconds, and that's the side I believe the noise comes from. The upper strut mount has a bunch of yellow sand like substance in it, which is really weird, but the plastic strut bearing is still in good shape and spins relatively freely. So I highly doubt it was my noise after all.

I am tempted to replace both of the upper strut mounts to maybe reduce some road noise even if unrelated to my daily pop. OEM are $50 each, but rock auto has them as low as $25. I wish someone made a lighter version since these things are probably 5lbs a piece unnecessarily. Tomorrow, I'll call some friends and see if anyone has a stronger impact or a brighter idea for removing that nut.

The control arm ball joints seem ok to me. They aren't as stiff as they once were, but there doesn't appear to be any play, but of course, my arms can't match the force of a 2800lb car either. Tough to say. I could take the sway bar off while the car is up in the air and the endlinks are already off. I've done it in the past trying to isolate noises and it does make the car suck to drive, but at least it would rule out one more thing.

I am kind of leaning towards CV. My plan was to replace the axles this winter along with the clutch. My clutch is fine, but I've had a MS flywheel sitting in my closet for over a year now, and figure I might as well put a new one in when I put in the flywheel. I've never done a clutch and it's something I've always wanted to do.

 

[jdwk]

O'reilly had front strut mounts for $28 each so I decided to go ahead and buy them while I had the struts out. Turns out they actually come with new bearings, so I'll call Jason and see if he'll let me return the OEM ones and get my $34 back. Oddly, one mount has pointed black studs and the other had flat grey studs, which is annoying after how much time I've spent on the aesthetics of the engine bay, but no one will ever notice. One of the bearings was grey and one was black as well, but at least those aren't visible.

Maybe if I ever do race the car, I'll consider buying coil overs, but they didn't make sense for a daily driver which is what the car is now.

Haven't taken the car out for a test drive yet. My PCV catch can keeps leaking, so I took the downtime as an opportunity to fill the drain plug with epoxy, so I am letting it set. Will update later this week, but my hopes are not high for any improvement one way or the other.

 

[jdwk]

Update, the strut bearings were not the culprit. It was actually my right front wheel bearing. It eventually started making a whooshing noise when rolling to a stop. Not sure how it made the pop, but eventually I checked it for play and it was very sloppy.

I had actually replaced this bearing about two years ago. So much for over the counter parts, but I also noticed my axle nut wasn't as tight as it should have been so maybe that was part of the problem.

Anyways, I replaced it and now the car is as quiet as its ever been. I also took the opportunity to remove my control arms and lube my Pedder's bushings. That helped for a couple weeks, but now they creak over my curb again.