2013 Prius, 125K miles, and just recently it started making a sort of "clunk" sound from around the passenger side front tire when we go over bumps - which is constantly, because Baltimore's roads are a hot mess. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the time to pull the wheel off and poke around in there, but is there a part that generally makes this kind of sound when it wears out? My father in law said it sounds like a tie rod. I don't know. Whatever it is I can probably replace it myself, but I'm not sure what to look for.
Your possibilities are tie rod end, ball joint, sway bar link, or top strut bearing. The sway bar link and tie rod end are relatively easy to spot, visually for either, by physical movement for tie rod end. The ball joint and strut bearing not so much, as they are loaded up when you jack the car. If the boot on the ball joint is bad do it . Also try to move the inner tie rod end as ell, they fail less frequently because they are inside the rack boot, but it can happen.
Dootz
Reader
10/31/19 7:13 a.m.
I have this exact same issue on 2015 Sentra, but the dealer couldn't find anything wrong with the suspension.
Maybe the strut is shot and it's hitting the bumpstop?
SVreX
MegaDork
10/31/19 8:57 a.m.
Anything that is loose ir broken in the steering and suspension system could make a clunking.
Most issues would be visible. Take a look.
sway bar end links don't last like they used to. seems like 3-4 years is all i get out of them on the E36 M3ty roads here in MI
02Pilot
SuperDork
10/31/19 10:40 a.m.
AngryCorvair said:
sway bar end links don't last like they used to. seems like 3-4 years is all i get out of them on the E36 M3ty roads here in MI
Seriously. I had to replace Lemforder links I installed only two years ago on my 128i. Both bottom ball joints were rattling around like crazy. I have a feeling FCP Euro is going to be losing money on free lifetime replacements of these....
sergio
Reader
10/31/19 11:40 a.m.
Sway bar bushing could be making the noise. Disconnect sway bar end link and see if the noise stops.
I've been slammed working on my house but yesterday I finally had time to pull the wheel off and look around. I put a wrench on every bolt on the suspension, I grabbed and pulled and kicked everything I could, looking for something loose but found nothing. So I called my dad and asked for his opinion and while talking to him I reached out and grabbed the brake caliper and pulled, to see if anything in the suspension would move... and the brake caliper itself moved. The part bolted to the suspension or whatever that is, that part was on there nice and solidly. But the other half of the brake caliper, the piston or whatever it is (I don't know the terminology) moved far more than it should have. I reached around and grabbed the two bolts that hold the two halves of the calipers together and I could twist the bolts by hand. There's the problem! So I tightened those bolts down nice and hard and now the rattling sound is gone. So I'm glad I caught that in time. All I can figure is when the dealership replaced the front brake pads right before we bought it they didn't tighten those two bolts down enough, and over the past 20K miles they worked themselves loose.
Awesome! Thanks for the update.
