what a mess...keep us posted

 

I had this same problem. It sounded horrid! However, I found a fist sized rock logged underneath close to the wheel itself. It would grind whenever I went over bumps. How it got there i have no clue. It took it out and it had scrapping marks all over it. But the sound was gone.

 

I got to work yesterday on my sway bar end links (as well as new rotors, wheel spacers, and pads). I got the right one replaced and probably cut myself about 5 times doing it . Once I took the original one off, I compared the play in the ball joint and the old one definitely moved around way too easily compared to the new one. I started doing the left one, but I couldnt get one of the nuts off because it was rounded, so after trying for about 20 minutes I just gave up (still had a LOT more work to do on the other parts). But anyways...after replacing just the right side...my clunk is GONE. No longer does my car sound like it's going to fall apart when going over bumps at low speeds! All I can say is, if you are getting this clunk and are sure that it has nothing to do with your struts, REPLACE YOUR FRONT SWAY BAR END LINKS. It's really a pretty easy job and isn't very expensive (parts from Dave B were around $75 shipped). I am very satisfied, and hopefully it doesn't come back anytime soon!

 

i changed the struts, strut mounts, control arms, links everything about three months ago but i didnt change the strut boots. it was the old boots that were making the noise and becasue of that the right strut mount went bad about a month ago. so last week while i was changing the right strut mount i changed the boots on both sides, no more noise over bumps or anything. the car drives so smooth now, thanks to the boots. i used the kyb ones b/c they have the bump stops build in and i think they are better than the oem.
i hope this helps

 

When the shocks were installed were the tophat nuts tightened down all the way? I had a clunking noise coming from the front end that got worse and worse until i noticed that the tophat nuts were not tightened down all the way.

 

I didn't ever know the boots can totally change a ride...

 

They can't...the boots themselves only protect the struts/shocks from wearing out faster by not letting dirt get in. The only thing about them that can change the ride quality is the bumpstops on top of them.

 

Yeap, mine is making this noise, i pushed on the car to get the car to make the noise, had someone keep pushing the car up and down, then i went under the car and pinpointed the noise, bam sway bar end link. I can tug on it with my finger and what do you know there is the noise. Sublime, do you know what part #'s i need to fix?

 

i also have that problem too when i turn completely and if there is a slight decline then the my car makes a scrapping sound like NAILS ON A CHALK BOARD. PLUS i have those clunks when i got over speed bumps.


Plus my car pulls very hard to left.

 

What you need to do is give Dave B. a call...he is the go-to guy for OEM parts on this website. He is very nice and very helpful, and offers good prices. Give him a call at 888-254-6060. He works for South Point Nissan, which is located in Austin, TX. You need to get to the parts department, and ask for Dave Burnette. I have gotten parts from him twice, and anyone who has gotten parts from him will recommend him too. Just tell him you heard about him on maxima.org, and tell him what you need. Good luck!

 

So, sounds like the "noise" could be related to the end links. I really really hope that this is the case.
My end links were replaced about 15-20k miles ago .... i used Moog brand. I never suspected them because they should be still "new".
I guess.... next step for me would be to order OEM end links and replace them. The clunk on my car is getting worse. Now i hear it even when i go over smaller bumps/dips on the road.

 

Yea I forgot to say that Moog is the other option vs. OEM. I can't believe you still have a clunk on yours...have you taken it anywhere to get looked at?

 

Nope. I really have no one around that i trust, when it comes to repair shops.

plus, even with the clunk - car still drives fine and feels solid. Does not pull to right/left and if i drive on the freeway, i forget about the clunk. I hear it only during city driving.
I was hoping that it will get really bad and i will be able to finally spot where clunk is coming from...on my own. So far, it's still not clear.

 

Yea man I would try some OEM endlinks...

 

can also be front axles. they like to clunk if they are going bad. and for the dude that had like 3500 problems in 60,000 miles well you must have broken a mirror down the line cuz my 2000 maxima has never given 1 problem. sucks for oyu

 

Might not be the same but my car also made a clunking metal to metal sound also. I could feel it from the inside as well. It turned out that a bracket holding the exhaust in place had rusted off and the exhaust would move up and down which would hit a metal bar going across the bottom of the car every time I would go over a bump. Might be wrong but just lay down and check the bottom of the car, the bar is towards the middle, try to see if the exhaust will jiggle, JUST MAKE SURE THE EXHAUST ISN'T HOT, before doing this. I just used a hose clamp to clamp the exhaust to the broken bracket and no more clunk. Hope this help.

 

I have this issue as well, I have had the whole front end redone struts etc.... Went to 2 other shops and both said it is the motor mounts getting weak on the passenger side. Mine does it over certain types of bumps/dips in the road......Ughhh.

 

I have had very similar noises in the front right passenger.
Metal on metal...only in compression, in the beginning on cetain bumps... now becoming more frequent.
I looked around and didnt see any destroyed bushings, or anything out of ordinary.
Scheduled for service wed and suggested to check the Sway Bar End links.

 

Jack it up and inspect it! Suspension, exhaust, axles, etc.....

 

Check the tire rods, had a similar sound and it was them.

 

What are tire rods?

 

i hope the sway bar links are the problem for you guys. I changed mine, but that wasn't the problem. the mechanic ran into a lot of problems when he was changing them. they were frozen so he had to cut them, anyway it took him a while. good thing i didn't try to replace them myself.

 

I've done it. Jacked up the car, went under it and everything LOOKS fine. Nothing loose, nothing broken, nothing leaking.

It's hard to "inspect" and diagnose such problem when you are under the car and nothing is moving. The noise comes only over bumps/dips on the road. It can't be duplicated when the car is on ramps/jacks.

 

Since you guys are saying it's on the right side of the car, it could very possibly be your motor mounts. If I were you, I would replace them after replacing end links and sway bar bushings.

 

I hear the clunk on both sides.... i think.... but sometimes it almost sounds like it comes mostly from the driver's side. I can't really pin point it.

 

wow, so far I can see there's no help. I have same problem, make short, car feels solid and stable, just replaced 1 month ago shocks, lower springs, put all new strut mounts and accessories. Before replacement had noise on right front side, after still same. Chnged my sway bar links, help for a day maybe, but when leaving shop still couldn't be 100% sure that problem is solved... It wasn't, now I'll go for motor mounts and tie rods. I'll keep changing parts until fixed
P.S all nuts very tight

 

jack it up and inspect the suspension components for play and security of hardware!!!

 

my mechanic looked at everything and drove it around also.
He couldnt find anything out of order. I suggested Sway Bar End Links. He said mine were fine.
I just installed the LTB Stage II and I must say it has...silenced alot of the weak un-composed noises I was hearing.

 

I was hoping you would've been able to find something seeing how my problem resembles yours the most.

 

Correct me if I am wrong but you need both ends up and two people for the sway bar endlinks correct ? If i remember correctly it takes two to kinda jiggle the bar up in order to get to the bushing. Also Should Polyeurethane ones be used instead of OEM ?

 

also for folks with unresolved noise, take a look at the upper strut mount from under the hood, if you notice the rubber inside is deteriorated, get that part replaced.

 

No that's not necessary! You just need a large screwdriver or pry bar to inspect your suspension for play/wear! You can do this all day by yourself .

 

I have the exact same noise going over bumps and other little things in the road. I get a clunk right under the passengers side of the vehicle. This even happens when I start the car too, just like its mentioned in the TSB that Nissan had issued for this car. I replaced everything in the front end of this vehicle, and its super tight, but still makes this noise. I have now concluded that its the rear motor mount in this vehicle. I'll be replacing it within the next few weeks.

 

i just remember when on a highway i lost control over my max and hit these orange safety cones, after that i could hear this noise . whenever i was closing door could hear it! annoying, but resolved. that was my hood, lock was little rusty so i put some grease and was ready to go, that was like year ago, so far nothing can hear.

p.s in my precious post i sad that my nuts are tight, no the right front one wasn't. took my big wrench and fixed the problem, now i have to take care of rear one i think, grrr. when putting new struts make sure guys that nut holding tha plate i TIGHT!

 

I would be sad too if I took care of my nuts with big wrench . Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

Just to chime in with all of my failures with similar symptoms.

1. You mentioned you replaced the end links on the sway bars. What brand did you replace them with? I used MOOG a few years back and when i took them out of the box i was impressed on the strengthened design, not that it is a high stress part, but it was significantly more robust. Only issue is that by using the larger joints on the link, the joint housing pivots against the control arm causing the ball joint to fail. This causes clunking like you describe, but mine was accompanied by a grinding/squeaking when i would turn the wheel while stationary. Something to consider.

2. Wheel bearings. It happens, unfortunately, because they are kind of a pain to replace. Dont let the dealer replace the hub unless it is under warranty or they can show you the magnaflux results showing cracks in it. My dealer tried to sell me this, for $150, I asked for the magnaflux results, as required in the FSM, and they said nevermind. But do make sure to replace the axle nut with a NEW nut, otherwise you will have about 500 miles before another failure...trust me

3. Strut mount. I had a mount fail where the rubber separated from the metal. Obnoxious sound, similar to what you describe.

these are the 3 things i have run into thus far. Check it out.

 

Yeah I hear ya.. this...may not be an exact solution but would you ever consider trying a LTB stage 2 to beef up that noisy area?

It definately has become more quieter since. And I will be sure to ride with no loud music for a few days to give a further update.

 

Experiencing the same clunking noise in the passenger front. It started at speed bumps as previously described by others, but it has evolved into a series of 3 rapid clunks during cold starts. I thought it was suspension issues but now with the stationary noise I'm leaning towards motor mounts/exhaust systems. I haven't been able to find the TSB referenced above but am aware of a Nissan recall ID#35915. This recall pertains to transverse link pin problems. Date of manufacture ends 1/20/02. So this does not pertain to my 2003. Any information on the TSB would be appreciated.

 

I've been following this topic closely because this knocking sound is driving me nuts.

What I found googling..(sorry about the CAPS, but this is a copy/paste)

MAY 30, 2002 | Recall ID# 35685
Recall Reason SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
Recall Date MAY 30, 2002
Model Affected MAXIMA
Potential Units Affected 90500

Recall Summary
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PIN AT THE END OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION TRANSVERSE LINK (LOWER CONTROL ARM) COULD BREAK WHERE IT IS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME.

Consequence
THIS CAN CAUSE A KNOCKING SOUND AND ABNORMAL STEERING. THIS COULD RESULT IN DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE TRANSVERSE LINKS ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES WITH NEW ONES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 29, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.

Notes
NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.

 

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2002/...lls/index.html

Do recalls not apply to 2nd owners... etc?