Knocking noise

Tim · #1 12-24-2002, 09:54 AM

Hello everyone and merry Xmas! Today I went christmas shopping and was crossing an intersection from a Uturn and the road is grooved heavily so your car shakes around. I noticed when I drove through the intersection my car was making a really loud knocking noise in the front of my car. The car was bouncing back and forth like most cars but none of the other cars Ive driven in made that knocking noise. I normally never heard that when hitting normal bumps in the road, its just that one intersection. Is there something loose on my bottom end?

mohrds · #2 12-24-2002, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by TE1221
Hello everyone and merry Xmas! Today I went christmas shopping and was crossing an intersection from a Uturn and the road is grooved heavily so your car shakes around. I noticed when I drove through the intersection my car was making a really loud knocking noise in the front of my car. The car was bouncing back and forth like most cars but none of the other cars Ive driven in made that knocking noise. I normally never heard that when hitting normal bumps in the road, its just that one intersection. Is there something loose on my bottom end?

Most likely you have no shims in your brakes. A lot of people and some shops throw them out with the old pads and most aftermarket pads don't include shims.

The shims are thin metal with a rubbery coating. The coating cusions the pads from making noise over bumps.

Take that intersection again with your foot lightly on the brakes. If the sound goes away, you need shims. If it doesn't, there is something else wrong.

Merry Christmas

Doug

Earthworm · #3 12-24-2002, 05:02 PM

It could also be the strut mount(s). Someone mentioned that the center nut was loose 3 whole turns on their car and after tightening it was quiet once again.

sfsvx · #4 12-26-2002, 04:44 PM

Sometimes the exhaust system hangars deteriorate and allow the exhaust to move quite a bit, bumping into stuff.

#5 12-26-2002, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Earthworm
It could also be the strut mount(s). Someone mentioned that the center nut was loose 3 whole turns on their car and after tightening it was quiet once again.

That was me!

As Earthworm said, the nut was loose three whole turns (pop the d-shaped plastic cover, then pop the rubber grommet in the center, tighten the nut under that)

See if it goes away. If not, I suggest you inspect your bushings or strut mounts.

-Ross