AlliCT

Stupid question....sorry, not a car wonk...but help anyway?

96 GLE. 86,000 miles. Standard GLE package. Local and highway miles, I don't race it. (it's a "mom" car)When making a sharp turn, particularly a hard right, there's a thonking noise that's localized to the front right side. It's not a single noise, but rather a thonk-thonk-thonk kinda thing. As soon as the whell is straightened, it stops.

I've also noticed that my suspension seems a bit rough, which I'm surprised about since I replaced it all just over a year ago.

Any gurus out there?

Thanks!

Allison

mayhem_J30

welcome allison.
worst case scenario is a bad cv joint.

Lime

If the noise only occurs on turns, check the (front) strut bearings; small piece, but you have to take apart the front suspension to replace them.

Also, some people have had strange problems with their calipers hitting their wheels, but I've never realy run across it in person.

You can take off the wheel and check the accordion-like CV-boot behind the wheel for cracks and leakage.

tbannon

check the struts

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

funny you asked that.. we just did the suspension on my cousin's car last weekend.. where in Connecticut are you? i have Air Tools at my house if you need any help with anything

i have done supsension on 4 cars now.. so i know a little something something..

JPMax

iTrader: (10)

Most likely the front strut or CV joint has gone bad.
Best way to check is to take the wheel off and visually inspect it.

If the strut is bad, you'll notice oil all over it.
If the CV boot has cracked, you'll see a dark green/grey grease splattered all over.

gepetto

niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice sprint

MacGyver265

When you hear a thonk-thonk-thonk sound as you're turning while giving the car some throttle, its usually indicative of a bad CV joint across all makes and models of Front Wheel Drive cars.

I don't know about struts making this noise, but I can imagine that it would be irregular if it were them.

Blaxxxima

iTrader: (1)

He can't be THAT desperate...



Allison: actually, most of the members on this board are really nice and will happily help you out. While Sprint has a (well-deserved) reputation as an a$$crack, I'm sure he's actually being genuine here, and would help you out, provided a beer was used as payment.

Think of it this way - he'll likely show you the problem, help you fix it, and cost significantly less than the dealer/mechanic.

And then, after breakfast, he'll drive home... lol



Mike

BlueBOB

iTrader: (1)

Great guys, way to make a women in need feel welcome .

Yes Allison, don't mind these crazy gents and we are all generally very helpful people that love to work on cars period.

Mine is making the same noise, and I've not spent the time to investigate, so I'm glad you asked. I knew it was something in the suspension, but not exactly what.

Entropy

iTrader: (1)

I would almost bet money it is the CV.

If you are on the interstate and you take a long curve, does the sound increase depending on how fast you are going?

Meaning: in an easy curve, the sound is more hollow - and in a tighter curve the sound is more agressive... and is the sound speed sensitive? If you are going faster around a curve, does the sound pick up reptitions as well?

It that is the case and it only happens while turning in one direction then, like I said, I would bet money it is a bad CV.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

I don't drink..

second of all.. you don't really want to give someone beer when they are working on your car

ßaller

iTrader: (6)

I don't drink either. If you are hearing thonking sounds turning right, your left cv is probably worn and it can also be wheel bearings too on that side. Make sure when your car is on a lift have them check all your wheel for any "play." This could mean worn wheel hub too if this problem had been going on for a while.



- ßaller

AlliCT

Thanks for all the info.....

Would a CV have been replaced during a suspension replacement job?
If so, how long should a good job last? For chrissakes, I only had it
done 14 months ago!

Thanks,

Alli

95Max

When you say suspension replacement, you mean struts? If the car makes the noise while turning only the person who did the struts may not have the upper mount in the "out" position.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

i agree with 95 Max..

when suspension makes that sound its usually the spring trying to reseat it self.. this is due to the OUT portion on the top of the strut mount not being lined up with the boltup area of the strut.. i know.. because my car still does this.. and i am just waiting to buy coilovers before i fix it..

you should get this looked at ASAP as it will soon wear down your strut bearings and sooner or later you might have a blown strut.. the only down side to this is that you will have to get an alignment done again.. so you can ither take it back to the place that had it done.. or i can look at it for you.. unfortunately i will not be able to do the alignment.. that you will have to do on your own..

when CV Joints are blown.. you will get a clicking sound when you turn.. and you can look under the lower wheel well area that is connected to the wheel and body to see if you see alot of greese everywhere.. if you do.. then that usually means the cv joints are busted.. or you can look at the boot is busted..

more than likely if you had suspension done recently .. then they just f'd it up and thats whats causing the problem

Albertt

The suspension usually only includes the control arms, struts and springs. When those are replaced, the CV joints are not included. A new CV joint should last you at least 80K miles. My original joints have been in for 137K miles now.

party_boy

if it was torn via road debris or installed improperly. My guess from the symptoms is either the suspension wanst seated properly or you have an axle/cv joint problem.

turbolaw99

iTrader: (3)

How much can someone expect to pay for parts and labor? Thanks.

KWheelzSB

iTrader: (1)

A must read for those needing to replace CV-joints:

www.raxles.com

(Several .org members have used these guys for CV-joints because they offer an OEM (factory Nissan) quality part and will save you TONS of $$$$$ vs. buying Nissan OEM CV-joints). Whatever you do, don't buy rebuilt or "reground" CV-joints. They can wear out in as little as 30,000 mi!


Allison, this site will give you a pretty good idea of what the CV-joint (Constant-Velocity joint) is & what we're all blabbering on about.


I'm inclined to say your problem's not related to the suspension work (strut bearing or incorrect orientation of the strut tower hat [with the "OUT" engraving maligned] as were both mentioned earlier-

-mainly because if the suspension work was done improperly 14 months ago, you would likely have noticed driveability problems much sooner than now. This doesn't preclude the possibility of a failed strut or shock, though, which is a part of the suspension.


Try the following simple tests & report back to us:

1) Blown strut or shock:

Like others mentioned, check for leakage on the outside of the strut cartridge (that vertical tubular thingy, behind the tire, inside the spring) in the wheelwell - it should be dry and not oily. (easier with the wheel removed) Do you remember hitting any particularly nasty potholes or obstacles? This can sometimes cause premature failure of struts/shocks & cause your ride quality to diminish dramatically.

2) Failed Strut Bearing:

With the vehicle's e-brake applied/gear lever in park on a level surface, turn the steering wheel from center to fully locked LEFT. Then, repeat the same procedure, turning to fully locked RIGHT. Do you hear the noise you reported in your original post? A failed strut bearing will make a "krunk, krunk, krunk" type noise as the steering wheel is turned toward full lock while the car is at rest.

3) Failed CV joint:

Find a big, open, relatively deserted parking lot wth plenty of room & no obstacles - an industrial park during a holiday works well. Now, turn the steering wheel to FULL LOCK in the direction you remember hearing the noise you described (assuming it was only making noise in one direction: Left or Right)

Holding the wheel at full lock, gradually accellerate until you hear the noise. If it's a CV-joint, it will be either a clicking or knocking noise, ranging in severity from a noise you can hear & slightly feel, to one that is loud and sends strong shocks through both the steering wheel and the drivetrain. In either case, this noise will increase/decrease in frequency as the speed of your tires increases/decreases. If this is what you find, you've definitely got a CV joint that's in need of replacement.



Good luck, & welcome to maxima.org!

KWheelzSB

iTrader: (1)

See link:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=169431

I can't vouch for the seller, just providing the lead 4u.


-K-

XxJ822xX