Im getting a noise from the front right wheel. I think its the ball joint or tie-rod.

I already did the wheel bearing a few months ago, plus im not getting a humming noise so i dont think its that.


How can I tell which one it is ?

They both look fine?

What else can it be?

 

What does the noise sound like. I had this thumping sound coming from the front right wheel well and it turned out to be several motor mounts.

 

its more or a knock sound... and sometimes it not bad, if im taking a turn it can be louder sometims.

 

Sounds like motor mounts. Mine was actually knocking, not thumping.

Here is a good way to check if it is the mounts.

Get a friend and have them sit in the drivers seat. You will be standing at the engine bay and looking at the motor. Have the person in the car apply the brakes and, not letting off of the brakes, apply the gas. If the motor shifts in the bay it's the mounts. You'll know what you are looking for when you see it.

Good Luck!

 

Good post. Im in the process of figuring out this issue as well(front right passenger).
Does it feel alittle bit like wheel hop? or something loose? Mine kinda feels like that.
as if the shock is not rebounding properly. I find it very annoying.

I changed out a few things already ... new sway bar end links, new strut bearing ,
new strut mount, new front struts (2).... no luck.. still knocking.

next week, new OEM LCA and tie rods... over kill?

Maybe I should do motor mounts... any idea how much motor mounts are
... automatics.... i heard they are expensive

thanks for the post.

BTW, how many mounts did you replace?

-Anthony

 

I dont think its the mount. I just changed the rear mount 2-3 months ago, and the front one was good . So i know both mounnt on that subframe/crossmember thing are good.

I also know its not the strut bearing cause then the car makes noise wether theres bumps or not...

But other that im not sure. Im thinking of just replacing the outter tie rods since they are pritty cheap.

But can it be the inner ones?

 

Alright, I'm talking about motor mounts not subframe mounts. From what I can recall, when I did mine there were four mounts for the engine. That being said, I too had this knock at the front right wheel. I too thought that it was a tie rod so I purchased one and installed it. It didn't solve the problem. I then took it to the dealer and they told me that it was a bad strut. At the same time they also informed me that my motor mounts were bad. I asked if the motor mounts could be the culprit in the right wheel knocking and hopping issue and they said absolutely not.

So I left the dealer with my car, purchased another Illumina strut and installed it. It didn't solve the problem!

I took the car back to the dealer and told them to put new motor mounts in the car. The dealer replaced three mounts and it SOLVED THE PROBLEM!

I paid them for their service and requested that the repay me for the unnecessary strut purchase and installation costs. I received a check in the mail 1 week later for the entire amount of the strut purchase and installation.

Don't go through what I did. Test your motor mounts the way I described in my earlier post.

 

Please join the party - this issue comes up once a week with no definitive answers.

I stopped throwing money after struts, mounts, strut bearing, end links, tires.

I have decided to live with it brain washing my mind into believing this to be a feature of this car....

 

man its realy hard to read when you write in blue bro



I just changed the rear mount, and in the process noticed the front was still good.

Im gona check the side mounts .

Do they sell poly one for the 5.5 yet? i never really botherd to look...

 

I always thought cehcking for mounts generally do not result in binary results (good or bad).

In other words, there is always going to be some play and engine will move forward when given enough gas (even for a new car). It is the amount of movement where the problem comes from - so somehow one needs the ability to distinguish how much movement is borderline vs accepted vs really bad......

 

Dude, just highlight the text in blue and it will show in white color on your screen.....the guy wants you to do some work for getting his advice....

 

lol, yea get to work! Actually, I just changed it back to black. What forum skin are you using. Old school, old style here and blue is easy to read.

You can tell the difference between normal engine movement and bad motor mounts by the way that the engine moves. When the mounts are bad the engine will actually shift between two seperate positions. There is a very niticable shift, not just a general movement.

Maxspeed, go and do the test and come back and post with your results.

 

It moves a bit but everything seems fine to me ??

 

Cha Ching.....

 

You gotta lay into into it a bit, but if you already have and everything seems fine then move on to some of the suspension parts. Good luck.

Keep us posted!

 

Im gona do a good insepection of everything on saterday, but if not i guess im just gona have to do what q45owner said and live with it and pretend like it normal...

 

Just take it to the dealer and have them diagnose the problem. It'll cost you $135.00. No headaches and they just might find out what is wrong.

 

Yeah, funny thing about the noise...The dealer said... "ehh.." its how the car is... its an older car and just live live with it. .....
I took my car there TWICE, and they said its normal. go figure.

==============

I really hate throwing money out the window, just trying to fix this annoying knocking... Im all stock. I just want a nice ride. everything else is fine.

==============

Ed, how much did you pay estimated to get the mounts done? I just wanna know if its gonna dent my wallet.... Ill be calling DaveB.... good prices. Is it a dealer fix only? Or you think its pretty easy for a regular mechanic to do.

Thx.

 

Well the dealer wanted an arm and a leg for the parts. I decided to get them from Dave B and had my local dealer install them. I think that the install price was around $189.00 total. Total parts and labor came to $600 or $700.

I think that a regular mechanic could do it. Heck, you can probably do it in your garage. I however, had this ongoing issue with my dealer and I needed them to do the install to prove to them that it was the cause of my front right wheel knocking and hopping and not the strut that they had diagnosed to be the problem. Needed them to pay for their mistake of misdiagnosis.

 

My front-right creaks like an old door over bumps when the wheel is turned at low speeds. I went in and i think they applied some grease because it went away for. . .almost 2 years? now it's back. . .does it sound anything like that? Also, I'm wondering if anyone has a more permanent solution? I heard alot of people say it's the bump stops cracked, but i am in doubt that was my case.

 

Ok ppl. I seen this question many times, there is a thread http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....=1#post5574998
It will explain the issue, I have found the culprit, to save you time searching the thread just Replace the struts, I had the noise for months, It drove me insane, After all the things i tried <ball joint, swaybar links, control arm bushings, strut mounts, bearings>, It all went away when i put New struts on.

Pretty shocking aint ?

 

I have had this a couple of times. They should put a new rubber cap on the stop and grease up the contact patch area of the lower control arm, where the stop makes contact. Simple solution for a simple problem. Another reason that they have to get people to come back to the dealership.

 

i have this problem and i am taking it to the deal this monday.. will update..

 

update: I just installed two new LCAs. still the same noise..

===============================================

Well got the word from my mech... (thanks Ed).... its the motor mounts.
kinda sucks... but oh well, Ill be calling DaveB tomorrow. my Mech told me
its 2 outta the 4 mounts... I might as well replace all of them (hopefully
the price is right)

After this ho-hum of trying to fix the problem, Im keeping this max till 200k.
hopefully it'll last that long. i got 87k on the clock. So, ill keep all posted on any updates. Geez, the SFC will just have to wait.

 

A loose mount does not make noises at turns! Check your axle! You could have worn mounts and a faulty axle. Have it checked while you're at it!

 

.............................

 

There are several issues going on in this thread. Who are you talking to? Reply w/quote in the future.

 

You are very welcome. Four mounts is going to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $700 to $800 dollars, uninstalled. Dave B had the best price for me.

 

yup, daveB has good prices. I just got 2 motor mounts for now. If it still make a clunk, itll order the other.... trying to have my wallet recover first.

btw, my previous LCAs are for sale in anyone is interested. good for ES bushings. check For sale section.

 

Seems like I'm having similar problems. For one, I know that the motor mount(s) are worn (but not enough to replace them now), and the other issue is the strut mount which has a bad bearing in it -- it causes the spring to bind and pop.

The popping noise and the noise of the shifting engine (due to motor mounts) sometimes happen at the same time and it is hard for me to distinguish the noise and feel of each.

(see thread http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?p=5848751)

 

Id say either the upper shock mounts (rubber) or motor mounts. same symptoms and check the others too it make a big difference in your drivetrain

 

that seems to happen to a lot of maximas my 4th and 5.5 both make that thumping sound.

 

MOTOR MOUNTS +1...

I just got the motor mounts checked and replaced.... sweet sound of nothing. no more noise.

I replaced 2 mounts. One near the radiator and other near left strut.... sounded like shock was loose or something knocking the floor panel or wheel well. VERY annoying.... but now good as new. absolutely no noise. takes bump, manhole covers, potholes well again.

I would check the mounts.... I saw my old ones and the rubber was cracked and mount did not hold the engine from knocking. I got my mounts from DaveB. Good guy and great prices.

 

MOTOR MOUNTS +1...

I just got the motor mounts checked and replaced.... sweet sound of nothing. no more noise.

I replaced 2 mounts. One near the radiator and other near passenger side strut.... sounded like shock was loose or something knocking the floor panel or wheel well. VERY annoying.... but now good as new. absolutely no noise. takes bump, manhole covers, potholes well again. smmooooooth.

I would check the mounts.... I saw my old ones and the rubber was cracked and mount did not hold the engine from knocking. I got my mounts from DaveB. Good guy and great prices.

Its nice to drive again.

 

Sounds good...now, how much did it set you back?

 

the mounts vary in costs...

I got only got TWO replaced....
The most expensive one was i think $168+ shipping
another was $119 + shipping

(The other ones were like $65 and $100+ I think)

Plus labor from my local mech. $90.

So about ~ $380 installed..... i know its alot but IM VERY HAPPY NOW.


Good luck.
Anthony

 

Im 98% its not any of the mounts.....

also friend of mine at town fair tire said it was something to do with my when he put it on the lift and then we took the car for a ride (I have tokico blues and tein H )

Im thinkin something with the bearing?? i dunno to be honest?

 

You mentioned earlier that the noise can sound worse on turns than on straightaways. It seems like you've got a bad strut bearing or improperly installed strut like I had. Motor mounts would sound worse in response to quick jabs of the gas pedal, and not on turns, per se.

The way to tell if the struts or strut bearings are the source is to put your car on a lift and have someone turn the steering wheel lock to lock. In my case, the struts were not turning properly and were causing the springs to bind and pop.

 

Im gona check that out and I hope its something that simple , If not I might just put my stock struts and springs back on my car within the next week or 2, the ride on tokicos sucks , my rears squeek and the front right wheel is just the last straw

 

check ur sway bar link, if its a sound like a bad cv joint. i had that problem on my 01 max