This has been going on for several months now but lately its gotten much worse. This usually occurred at highway speeds but does it pretty much all the time. I'm hearing a strange knock coming from the right front tire usually when going over mild bumps and I'm suspecting its a ball joint; I'm just not sure though. I want know everybody elses opinion before I get to work on it. I was able to reproduce the sound with the car on ramps by bouncing it at the front tire about 3 inches in travel. There is no abnormal vibration or shimmying going on in the steering or any kind of change in performance, but I'm worried about the safety here, not to mention its freakin annoying.

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~Luke a.k.a. pianiy = drunk (in Ukrainian)
'91 Firebird :: 305/TBI(L03)/700R4/T-tops ::
Mods: Catco high flow cat - B&M Shift kit - TA tail light conversion - K&N - MacEwen white faced guages
Stereo: Pioneer DEH-P8200R - Pioneer 6x9's - Kenwood 8" Tube
'87 Firebird :: LB8/700R4/220K :: R.I.P. ::
Firebird parts - Got an '80 Firebird for sale too
Moderator of tranny board over at TransAmGTA.com

 

Luke,

Take a close look at the lower control arm bushings. The rubber can deteriorate over time and allow metal-to-metal contact at the pivots.

Your lower ball joint theory is also worth investigating, as is the idler arm, strut cartridge, and upper strut mount. You should also verify that the brake caliper is firmly mounted and that the wheel bearings are properly lubed and adjusted.

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Later,
Vader
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"Fear is how I fall, Confusing what is real..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

My 91 did the same thing when I bought it. A new set of swaybar bushings cured it.

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91 Camaro RS 5.0L Black Convertible 700R4
** Added so far **
*GM Wonderbar
*Alston SFC
*Turbo City Inj Spacer
*Dual Snorker Air Filter
Please Visit www.bnhtoys.com and www.bharris.org

 

Thanks Vader, I'm going to try looking at those things as soon as I can get the car on a jack.

I replaced my swaybar bushings with poly last summer to try and see if that fixed the knock but it hasn't and I doubt they've gone bad already.