The Dreaded Clunk - Cant find it!

[JetPilot]

So, I have the dreaded front end clunk. Used to get it every now and then with the SRT suspension. I have now installed the Megan Racing Coilovers and the clunk is worse then ever. Typically hear it (actually can feel it in the floorboard too) when turning and exercising the suspension at the same time. It's both sides!
Radius bushings where shot, noticed this when doing the suspension change and have installed Pedders replacement bushing, installed the Pedders bump steer while I was at it. Also have Hotchkis Sway bars and brand new brake pads, pads are tight in the clips and bonded to the caliper. Passenger side tie rod end replaced in december, no play in the front end. All, and I mean ALL bolts are tight, even over tightened to see if I could get rid of the clunk. Alas...nothing seems to have worked?
What am I missing????? :sad:

[elcobra44]

Check this..

http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=159427

[JetPilot]

Thanks, I searched the forums for hours and checked everything that has been mentioned here! Every bolt attaching the front end has been checked and even over tightened just to try and cure the clunk. No luck...
It has to be something stupid I am missing...??

[elcobra44]

You'll probably want to check the bushings in your tension struts.. If they're bad, you'll usually be able to see the damage.

Sway bar links and the sway bar bushings can also be a problem spot, I guess..

[NC-SXT]

Mine ended up being the tension strut, have you checked that?

[MadCharger]

Dumb question - but are you sure it isn't the exhaust hitting the cross brace beneath the floorboards?

[JetPilot]

Ok... the "Radius Bushing", as Pedders calls it, is the bushing that blows out on the tension strut. I replaced this bushing today with a Pedders. Clunk still there... Definitly not an exhaust issue, looked at that today as well.
I am completely baffled... The noise is a sold clunk that can be felt in the floorboard as well as heard. I usually hear it when taking a turn a bit fast or turning while entering my driveway. Metal on metal type clunk and comes from both sides but only from the outside wheel when in a turn. Basically a camber direction load.

[MadCharger]

Do you have headers?

[JetPilot]

No, engine is completely stock other than zoomers and jet chip...

[gameover]

Since you said metal on metal noise, try checking the upper A arm inner bushing.. Jack it up and grab the A arm and push and pull on it and see if you can duplicate the noise. If it make noise, pop up the hood and tighten the nuts on the side of the shock towers. Mine somehow got loose and is now all buttoned up.

[diboblo]

I have the same noise in my RT Magnum. It drove me nuts until I lifted the car and started tugging and pushing on things... It turned out to be my Borla exhaust hitting the cross brace...

Here's a thread to a new cross brace (http://www.lxforums.com/board/showthread.php?t=157770) that is being offered. It sits lower and is designed to clear aftermarket exhausts...

Even if you don't have an aftermarket exhuaust, double check this area. It's easy to overlook and will drive you nuts if you miss it. Just grab your exhaust above the brace and tug on it. You may be able to make it rattle...

Just food for thought.

Bob

Bob

[RedHot R/T]

I was having that "klunk" or "thunk, thunk" problem too. I took it into the shop and they replaced the outer tie rods. No more klunkin' and thunkin'.

[JetPilot]

Still baffled....
Had the car apart again today. Took off the sway bar bushings, installed zerk fittings, greased the hell out of the bushing reinstalled, then pumped more in thru the zerk. Pulled the shock off the lower bolt and checked that bushing, looks fine. Checked the upper control arm, no play from what I can tell. Checked every bolt yet again, all over snug. No play found in the tie rod ends. Ordered a set of sway bar links just to see if it would help.... I consider myself fairly intelligent and quite handy with a wrench (build UAV's for a living) and this one has me quite frustrated.

[Carfinish]

for giggles...did you check the bolts on the cradle??... no play on the INNER tie rods ?

also have you removed the PCM from it's location for any reason.... I did that once and somehow the little bracket got bent enough that the PCM was bumping the fender well.

How about the strut tower brace bolts??

[steinism]

I've had the same issue ever since i bought the car. can't find anything loose at all. i'm subscribing to this thread. would love to see what you find when you find it.

[MadCharger]

I've had the same issue ever since i bought the car. can't find anything loose at all. i'm subscribing to this thread. would love to see what you find when you find it.

Interesting - He does have a JET chip, so definitely removed the PCM.....

I still think you should take another look at the exhaust. The Zoomers can hit either the cross brace - which you can't tell by looking, you need to grab it and move it, or it can hit the spare tire well in the back.

[Carfinish]

Interesting - He does have a JET chip, so definitely removed the PCM.....

I still think you should take another look at the exhaust. The Zoomers can hit either the cross brace - which you can't tell by looking, you need to grab it and move it, or it can hit the spare tire well in the back.

good observation on the Jet chip....PCM could possibly be it if everything checks out....when it happened to me I knew that was the only that had changed and figured it had to be it, but I have other clunks as well :roll:

[magic32]

they are replacing my struts for the second time already. they seem to bottom out. the best way to test this theory is to hit a manhole cover in the road going about 40. make sure the manhole cover is about 3 or more inches below the road surface. if you hear the clunk/thud/hollow bottoming out sound then it is a strut/shock issue. just had the tension struts, sway bar and bushings done, and also lower control arms. also had the chassis ears on the car for about 4 hours. hope they are right

[JetPilot]

Ok... so I took the car today to get my new tires mounted, balanced and aligned.
While on the lift the techs checked the entire front end, put pry bars all around trying to duplicate the clunk... Of course, they couldn't. They are sure (as am I) it is something in the front suspension but where unable to figure out what it was. No way it is struts bottoming out, they are brand new coilovers. Since it typically seems to do it when the sway bar is loaded, I ordered some sway bar links to see if replacing them eliminates the clunk. I assure you, this is not PCM or Exhaust. Will report back if these helped any...

[frankieo]

Changed my swaybar bushings and that worked.....thank god because I couldnt take that clunking no more!!!!!!!

[Rockman]

I also replaced the sway bar bushings and that horrible clunking was gone.

-Risto-

[OLJustice]

JetPilot, check your upper control arm bolts. It's doubtful that all of your inspections have checked that since the bolt is actually accessed from behind the wheel well. On the drivers side it would actually be next to the wiper fluid reservoir. The bolts are on the OUTSIDE of the wheel well. Its the bolt that holds the Upper Control Arm (UCA - "U" shaped arm that connects to the "A-arm" knuckle) against the frame of the car.

[rander]

x3. did you greese these up really good? you may need to get the poly grease instead of just lithium based grease. this will eventually be sucked up by the poly bushings.



I also replaced the sway bar bushings and that horrible clunking was gone.

-Risto-

[JetPilot]

JetPilot, check your upper control arm bolts. It's doubtful that all of your inspections have checked that since the bolt is actually accessed from behind the wheel well. On the drivers side it would actually be next to the wiper fluid reservoir. The bolts are on the OUTSIDE of the wheel well. Its the bolt that holds the Upper Control Arm (UCA - "U" shaped arm that connects to the "A-arm" knuckle) against the frame of the car.

Yes, checked these! Sway links are expected today but have ordered the SPC upper control arm to correct the front end camber so I will probably wait till I get them in before I pull the front end apart again. I'll report back if they helped any shortly...
Sway bushings where greased heavily and reinstalled, then packed with even more through the Zerk fittings I installed.

[OLJustice]

FYI ungreased hotchkis cause more of a deep rubbing, grinding, deep squeaking (but not high pitched enough to be technically called a squeak) noise. Not a clunk.

[TTMR]

I've got the clunk from shot lower control arm bushings, but I would think the techs would find that. I found it when I leaned against the tire while it was on jack stands.

[JetPilot]

Ahhhh, the wonderful sound of silence!!!:thumbs_u:

So, I would love to say I know EXACTLY what the clunk was but I cant, I can only guesstimate what it was, here's why...

I had a few things I needed to do to the front end since adding the Megan Racing coilovers. Number one on the list was find that damn clunk of course but, also had a camber issue that needed resolving so I did not wear the insides of my new Falken tires. I had a pretty solid feeling the clunk was coming from something in the sway bar mechanics since the clunk would only happen when the sway bar was loaded so, I ordered up a set of replacement Moog sway links from rock auto along with replacement sway bushings from hotchkis (figured for 15.00 I might as well replace them while i'm in there again). Also ordered the SPC upper control arm to correct my camber issue with the lowered front end. I waited for all to arrive so I can make this my last time having to pull the front end apart....
I was surprised to see the Moog sway links are not only beafier but include a zerk fitting so you can grease the ball links, NICE! I was also impressed with the quality of the SPC uppers, nicely made and simple to adjust and install.
So, about an hour on each side I had the upper control arm installed, sway links and bushings replaced and camber roughly set (back for an alignment tomorrow).....
Out for a test drive, not a peep from the front end! Front end clunk COMPLETELY gone.
Right side link joints felt quite loose and sloppy, left side was a bit loose but no quite as bad. Right and left side upper control arm ball joint felt fine, as did the bushings. I am completely convinced the clunk was the sway links but cant say this was "DEFINITLEY IT" since I did replace other parts. I see no logic in the noise stemming from the upper CA and the sway bushings where in good shape so...
If you have the clunk and all hardware is tight, I suggest replacing the sway links.
Here are the part numbers:
K80822 Moog Sway Bar Link RH
K80823 Moog Sway Bar Link LH
I believe I paid roughly 33.00 ea

[Carfinish]

wow 33 bucks for an endlink....guess I have not seen the prices on these....congrats on resolving that...I may have to replace mine when I do my brakes soon...

[fltinstructor]

I had the same clunking sound coming from my front end. One of the older guys that works on foreign cars in the other Challenger Forum mentioned this. He said that those sway bar end links have a plastic bushing inside them with the ball joint. If when they are installed you are not holding the stud with a socket or wrench before tightening they will fail and you will here the clunking. The object is to not let the stem turn while torquing it down.

I had turned mine considerably when installing my Hotchkis sway bars. I even would say I turned it the opposite way with a socket while using a wrench to turn the nut the other way to hasten the tightening. My car only had 3800 miles and was clunking. I changed the end links two days ago making sure this time they were held still on the stem while turning only the nut to tighten them. SILENCE for two days now. The factory links also have a life expectancy of 25,000 to 30,000 miles. So if any of you have NOT changed your sway bars this could be the culprit if your car is above that mileage.

[RMassa187]

I think that I have a similar problem, but mine is not metal to metal its a clunking, chuggling sound. It happens over all bumps and seems worse when its cold out. It sounds more like dead struts. I think I first noticed this when I installed used SRT8 springs and struts in my C from a forum member. Since then I have replaced the struts (brand new SRT8), sway bar links, knuckles (Charger SRT8), and P/S rack (Charger SRT8). The tension arms were done when I first got the car @ 30K. Noise was there shortly after. I have upper control arms on the way from PAP. All the ball joints felt tight in the upper and lower control arms. Anything i'm missing?

[OLJustice]

I think that I have a similar problem, but mine is not metal to metal its a clunking, chuggling sound. It happens over all bumps and seems worse when its cold out. It sounds more like dead struts. I think I first noticed this when I installed used SRT8 springs and struts in my C from a forum member. Since then I have replaced the struts (brand new SRT8), sway bar links, knuckles (Charger SRT8), and P/S rack (Charger SRT8). The tension arms were done when I first got the car @ 30K. Noise was there shortly after. I have upper control arms on the way from PAP. All the ball joints felt tight in the upper and lower control arms. Anything i'm missing?

If it's truly a "chuggling" sound as you describe then that would be indicative of some sort of fluid, in which case the only possibility would be the struts since those are the only parts on the front suspension which are hydraulic.

[RMassa187]

BTW also replaced the strut mounts at the same time as the struts. All new Mopar stuff. As I go uver bumps its a clunk clunk clunk clunk. It sound even from both sides. Also, its a lot worse in the cold. Totally sounds like dead struts, but like I said I put two new ones in with new mounts and sway bar links.

[RMassa187]

Just got my upper control arms from PAP in the mail. Also order new sway bar bushings from moparpartz. Going to try to get them in today and see if it cures it. Also, not the brakes because replaced them with Brembos and still there. Also, not my Zoomers because they make a louder metallic noise when they hit the crossmember and its over big bumps. Want to order that dropped crossmenber today!

[Rez]

Just ordered the rear end links today. The boots which cover the ball joints are torn after only 30k miles. I'm guessing that the joints are filled with dirt and crud causing a loud squeaking under movement. About $30 each shipped. Hoping that this will fix my problem.

[RMassa187]

Been 65 degrees in Boston for 3 days and the clunking is worse than ever. What is the check procedure for the tension arms? Could it be the wrong springs for the struts?