Crunching sound....left front

Topic: Crunching sound....left front (Read 1689 times) previous topic - next topic

Crunching sound....left front

October 14, 2012, 03:45:31 PM

Ok....maybe it's not an actual crunch but it's tough to describe so let's just go with that.

Riding down the road and taking curves it does not make a sound. But when braking there is a distinct "crunch, crunch, crunch" sound when the suspension compesses. Let off when the suspension decompresses and it does it again. Hit the brakes again and it does it. This started a few weeks ago with a single click coming from the same area. Put it on the lift and was unable to locate the problem. Now it has progressed to the crunch noise.

I can make it perform this problem on command so the only mystery is "what the heck is it?" Sway bar bushing? I'm not sure. Going to throw it on the lift this week and see if I can locate the issue.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #1 – October 14, 2012, 04:16:45 PM

Broken spring?
Bad balljoint?
Strut bushing
caliper pin
sticking piston in caliper?

Just some things to look at/for..

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #2 – October 14, 2012, 09:22:31 PM

im thinkin brake pad busted at the rivits and its kinda moving around...hangin on by a thread.

ive heard that once before, turned out to be a pad of the organic variety.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #3 – October 17, 2012, 01:39:58 AM

mine did that after i swapped the struts, but it doesnt really do it anymore

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #4 – October 17, 2012, 08:40:40 PM

If the strut plates have never been changed i would suggest doing so. Rip the thing apart and see what is bad. Those front ends are not that complicated. But the strut plates rot out and you cant tell by looking at them. If allowed to continue the strut towers will fatigue crack. I would take a peak at the top of the strut towers for stress cracks. They have a nasty habit of doing that. Also the front springs have a nasty habit of cracking and snap. Just me

:hick:

:burnout:

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #5 – October 17, 2012, 10:58:10 PM

Better go with Tom on that one, I found rotted out mounts on mine last year when I bought it, and a broken spring on the right front.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #6 – October 17, 2012, 11:47:59 PM

What happens when you use the emergency brake to cause the nose to dive? If it makes the sound then, your front brakes can be eliminated as the source. Can you make the car make the noise when sitting still by bouncing the front end? I agree with Tom and Foe and if I were you, I'd tear down the front end and carefully inspect every component and mount. Anything that appears to be worn or is damaged in some way, should be replaced. This might include ball joints, tie rod ends, bushings, springs, struts, sway bar end links, etc. Good luck!

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #7 – October 18, 2012, 10:12:38 AM

Quote from: Crazy88;400696

What happens when you use the emergency brake to cause the nose to dive?

thats kinda hard to do, tried it before,, but its worth a shot.

i had a almost poping / crunching noise on the 20th when i first got it. only happened when i hit the brake as well.
That problem is gone now as i found the short 2 or so foot long metal bar mounted across the bottom of the KFrame needed to be "more tight" than the tight it already was.

this was more of a "pop" type noise those,, several pops at some times.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #8 – October 18, 2012, 10:25:51 AM

Get a can of wd40 and spray one part at a time suspension / body connection related.
start from the bottom items and work your way up.
this will take a while to isolate but you end up making any loose / faulty part temporarily go quiet for troubleshooting purposes.
I would not suggest tearing down things without doing a spray test first, its a lot of time that you could end up wasting.

lets see,,making a list from bottom to top adding wd40 to one connection point at a time.:

the wheel well plastic skirt in areas where its connected to the fender / under your door ect
CA bushings- do front then do rear as separate tests on each lower control arm
Lower spring rubber
outter tie rod end
ball joint
sway bar mount bushing
sway bar end bushing
strut mount (two large bolts that slip on spindal)
strut silver tube that goes into the strut housing (if you can get to it)
top of strut housing on strut tower
up under the strut tower if you can spray up in there
see if you have that bar i described along bottom of K frame kind under the oil pan (single bolt on either end)

if noise does not go quiet, remove wheel and grease up both caliper pins.
Remove caliper and inspect pads while your at it.

if noise still persists.... let us know.
just giving ideas that are quick and get you somewhere pertty fast in troubleshooting.

remember, soak the parts you spray.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #9 – October 21, 2012, 07:23:37 AM

Thanks for the info fellas. Last winter everything up front was rebuilt or replaced with new or very good used parts. The springs are virtually new '98 Cobra pieces so I can pretty much rule them out. The struts/brakes are all TC pieces that were in very good condition used parts...but that does not mean that a failure has not occurred. I have thrown the car around pretty hard all summer long looking for failure or weak points so this was not unexpected.

Been dragging my feet on this for a while now. Was gone on a hunting trip, then played catch up on other stuff when I got back. Now doing some side jobs for other folks. Hope to tear into it this week and get it sorted out before winter hits.....which can be anyday around this area.

Crunching sound....left front

Reply #10 – January 29, 2013, 02:14:03 PM

Any update? Ever find the problem?