Noise from front when braking...

[DooMer_MP3]

One day I didn't have my radio on and noticed that when I brake and come to a stop, there is a light clunking/popping/creaking noise coming from somewhere in the engine bay or front suspension. It seems to happen under moderate braking. If I *really* brake lightly, or roll to a stop without brakes it won't happen. My first thought was maybe the front swaybar bushings need to be greased (I've never had ANY work done on the front), but I'm not sure. Front pads/rotors were replaced 10,000 miles ago.

Anyone else have a similar problem? Any ideas? How hard is it to replace the front swaybar bushings? I heard removing the front swaybar is a b****, but is replacing the bushings hard as well?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Revs]

If it happens when braking, but not when braking tells me to look at your brakes, perhaps a rotor is warped. One thing to try is to jack the front end up, take the wheels off, start the engine and get the wheels going in 1st gear, get out of the car and listen for any noises in the brakes/axles, etc, also look at the rotors to see if they are warped., just don't touch anything while everything is moving.

 

[bestmazda01]

i had that, i thought it was a worn pad, but it went away after a few weeks... odd.

 

[apexlater]

My vote is for the sway bar bushings. I get that too, but only with the r-compounds on while autocrossing. The bushings are probably shot and need to be replaced (cheap), and it's not that hard.

Get the car up on jack stands and take the wheels off to get to the mounts, and also get them from below. It is kind of a pain the first time, but not that bad. When putting the bracket back on (after you replace/grease the bushings) you will probably have to "persuade" the bar forward or back so you can place to bolt back in. I had to use my foot to push the swaybar enough so that the bracket holes would line up.

Good luck.