Suspension and Chassis Questions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?

front wheel clicking when i turn.-solved

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Old 11-01-2018, 12:52 PM
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Car: 1991 base firebird
Engine: tbi 305
Transmission: 700r4
front wheel clicking when i turn.-solved

the car clicks when I turn sharply in either direction. I changed the struts, springs, and ball joints recently and its still doing it. I thought it might be a ball joint. when I puled the wheel off to do the suspension I found the aftermarket wheel/tire were rubbing badly in the front, rear, and top. so bad in fact that the plastic inner wheel cover is worn through on the top.the new suspension has stopped the top rubbing but it IS still rubbing front and back when its turned. my first thought was wheel bearing but I ruled that out because it only does it when I turn. there is no noise when I drive straight. could be tierod ends. they are in bad shape. the steering is next on the lest to be rebuilt. ive never heard of a tierod clicking like this though. im thinking its the tire/wheel rubbing. the tire is clearly the wrong size if it rubs on all sides and the wheel could also be an issue. they were n it when I got the car. who knows if they have the correct back spacing. I think the next step is to put a spare on the car and see if it still clicks. anyone else have ideas?

Last edited by Evilokc; 04-26-2019 at 05:31 AM.
Old 11-23-2018, 04:19 AM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

Have you checked the lower A-Arm rubber bushing? How about sway bar rubber?
Old 11-23-2018, 11:54 AM
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Car: 1991 base firebird
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

No i havent. Would bad bushings click like a cv joint?
Old 11-23-2018, 01:04 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

Probably a piece of fender plastic being caught by the tire. Suggest lifting the car in the air, turn the wheel all the way, and then go under and spin the tire by hand. Hopefully you can track it down with your ears and eyes.
Old 11-23-2018, 10:22 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

Did you change strut mounts?

i put brand new kyb strut mounts on my car and they click when turning. Get someone to turn the wheel while you listen. You may need to keep the tires on the ground to duplicate the noise, especially if it’s a wheel bearing.

Last edited by Billgluckman; 11-23-2018 at 10:26 PM.
Old 11-24-2018, 03:50 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

I would say strut mounts.
Old 11-25-2018, 06:43 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

If it clicks as the wheel rolls, it's the wheel bearings.
Old 12-09-2018, 11:58 AM
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Car: 1991 base firebird
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Transmission: 700r4
Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

well im still fighting this crap. ball joints, springs, struts, caster plates/strut mounts, and tie rods are new. now that ive changed the tie rods the click is worse. it clicks all the time now not just when I turn. if you have ever heard a bad cv joint that's the sound but its all the time and is speed sensitive. that makes me think it isn't the bushings although they are crap and I have some on the way. its got to be a moving part. ive always heard that bearings sound like metal grinding. this is clearly a popping. loud popping. im running out of things to change here.
Old 12-09-2018, 02:40 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

I think someone mentioned:

If it clicks as the wheel rolls, it's the wheel bearings.
Old 12-09-2018, 06:59 PM
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

Originally Posted by sofakingdom
If it clicks as the wheel rolls, it's the wheel bearings.

Yep , and when the wheel bearings have been neglected long enough to be audibly clicking , it won't be too long till the spindle is damaged when the bearing finally seizes/jams ....
Old 12-27-2018, 11:31 AM
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Car: 1991 base firebird
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Re: front wheel clicking when i turn.

fixed- it was the driver side wheel bearings. I pulled them off and it was a mess in there. the grease had turned to something that looked more like rubber. it took a while to get that all cleaned out. when I finally got a look the outer bearing was plastic. didn't know that was a thing at all. the inner was worn but not in terrible shape. the outer was trash. changing the bearings isn't a difficult job and that portion of my work went pretty quick. on the test drive It wasn't clicking. ive been fooled before by these test drives where it doesn't click for a few minutes than starts again worse than ever. I took it on a full blown driving in tight circles, 5 u-turns, lock to lock swerving test drive and not a click.im so glad that's over. remember when you have an issue that's kicking your butt not to give up "persistence overcomes resistance" now on to the other 50 things that are broken.
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