Guys, I want to get this looked at before going to the track on March 5th!

Problem is, that I've always had this weird vibrating, knocking sound when I turned the wheel from time to time. This happened rarely. Now, the problem is so much worse, and the car does it alot more, sometimes in a straight line now!

Basically, its coming from the front suspension I believe. I can feel the vibration through the gas pedal in my foot.
What are some parts that are notiorious for going, and where is the location of them? Any suggestions? I'm more of a motor guy, and know little about suspension, so be specific!

_Clark

 

I would get the car up on jackstands, and check all your joints at the pitman arm, centerlink, tierods etc. Check the balljoints, and wheel bearings also.

There also has been posters describing a knocking sound, while the wheels are turned. There are bolts that hold the front crossmember to the body, that have been found to loosen up. Check those too.

Found a thread for you.

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...ssmember+bolts

 

Cool, thanks for the link. So, I am just looking for broken or missing hardware that holds all of these components together more or less? I get the crossmember thing, but as far as tie rods and pitman arms go, is it just the hardware that might be bad?

 

Gotta check it out. Narrow it down. Dont want to drive an unsafe thirdgen.

 

Destroyed strut bearings?

Never seen one absolutely annihilated, but it could happen.

Would cause clunking on turning first(also tend to squeal like when entering a parking spot) as it wears and progress to a full time clunk/vibration since the strut is no longer securely mounted.

Either way, like Brutalform said get it in the air and check it out.

Lots of things can cause it and if the noise/clunk is there full time a good visual inspection should find it

later
Jeremy

 

Thanks for the support guys, I'll definately get her up on stands and find out what the hell is going on before the 5th. I can't back out again (last time, one of my tires blew out, and my window wouldnt roll down, which is required by the track to be fully functional)

 

BTW, what track is opening on the 5th? I got to wait till the 26th, for Numidia, in Pa. Hopefully no snow will foil my plans....

 

Atco, in New Jersey. Probably a ways from where you are.

UPDATE: Well, I just got back from college, and I got the front in the air. Inspected the tie rods visually..they are there, lol...looking kind of old but in one piece. I tried jiggling the wheel left and right and I am getting about 1/16 to 1/8 inch of play on each tire. Is that enough to show signs of a bad tie rod? The movement is only left to right, not up and down and back and forth, so I think the bearings are okay.

Any Ideas? I really want to get this car to the track and pound out a 14.2 =)

 

Bump, cmon guys, this should be easy for some of you vets out there. This seems like a common problem.

 

Anyone, 1/16 to 1/8 inch play in a tire in the left to right direction...bad tie rods?

 

Knocking sound is useually the struts, not the tie rods. Any slop in the tie rods though, should be replaced. Lower control arms will knock when the bushings are shot too.
I just went through my front end and had to replace the outer tie rods, the steering box, the center link, and re-adjust the wheel bearings just so it would hold an allignment.
You really need to know what your doing when checking front ends for worn parts. We could tell you how but can't show you!
so it would be a learning process that might take a while. If your in a hurry you might want to take it to an allingment shop and get them to check it out for ya. It might just cost you 20 bucks for the hook up to the align. mach. but as soon as they find something wrong that it won't hold an align. they'll tell you whats wrong.
I had a bodatious shake in my car with the bad steering box and got lucky at the U-pull yard and found an 85 cam. with a quick ratio that I needed for my formula for 15 bucks!