Worn bushings in front suspension

... snip snip...

I would start by jacking the car up and try to wiggle each tire back and forth to see if there is any play there. If so, yo may want to inspect your wheel bearings. If not, get under the car and start to see if thre is any play in the front end parts... ie tierod etc.... If yo uhear a clicking noise while you are turning, you will need to replace the part that is housed inside the rubber boot near the wheel (for some reason I cant seem to remember the name). It may also be something as simple as your shock absorbers too....

good luck

Fwed

snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@my-deja.com:

Ulf, Jack the car up and put it on jackstands. After it is on stands, use a floor jack under the A-arm of each wheel to raise the wheel to near ride- level. This will unload the mechanical components from the force of the spring. Grasp the wheel at the top and bottom and try to move it in and out. Any play here suggests a bad ball joint. or A-arm bushings. Next grab the wheel at the front and back and try to move in and out. Any play here suggests a problem in the steering mechanism, Not sure if it has rack-and-pinion steering or a normal steering box. A tie-rod end would be my first suspicion if there is play in this direction. In any event, the 'bang' you hear suggests a serious problem that should be looked into immediately for safety reasons. Having a ball-joint fail (wheel falls off) at 60 mph is not a fun thing.

I'd suspect shocks/struts. That is too low miles for bushing wear. Have it aligned.Tell them what you hear. A good tech will refuse to align and tell you why. Expect a small rack fee. If it is bushings, look into polyeurethane replacements. They will last.

Thanks everyone.

There's no play when holding the tire top and bottom, however when holding it front and back I hear a bang. I think it's the rack and pinion steering that's making the noise...

I drained the power steering fluid and refilled with new fluid. The bang is not as loud now, but I can still easily hear it. I might buy more fluid tomorrow and drain it again to flush the system. Hopefully that'll quiet it down even more, otherwise I guess I'm SOL...

Ulf

| |There's no play when holding the tire top and bottom, however when |holding it front and back I hear a bang. I think it's the rack and |pinion steering that's making the noise... | |*two hours later* | |I drained the power steering fluid and refilled with new fluid. The bang |is not as loud now, but I can still easily hear it. I might buy more |fluid tomorrow and drain it again to flush the system. Hopefully that'll |quiet it down even more, otherwise I guess I'm SOL...

Jack it up again, high enough to get some 6-ton tall jackstands under it. Better yet. go somewherewhere they can put it on a lift.

Then watch the steering linkage while someone moves the wheel throguh it's full travel. Either it's in the outer tire rod ends, which are very visible, or it's the inner tie rod/socket in the rack. The latter is hidden by a bellows boot on each side of the rack. From what you've described, sounds like you need to replace the rack.

Rex in Fort Worth

You're probably right. I'll remove the rack when I don't need the car for a few days and see what's wrong with it. Thanks everyone for your help.

Ulf