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        General >> Problems >> Clunking from front over bumps
        
(Message started by: octanejunkie on Nov 23^rd, 2007, 1:11pm)

Title: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by octanejunkie on Nov 23^rd, 2007, 1:11pm

When driving on poorly surfaced roads or other imperfections, my Scorps making clunking noises coming from the front suspension. Any clues to what that could be before i start shelling out loads of wonga? Seems to be worse on the drivers side.

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by scorpio_man on Nov 23^rd, 2007, 1:21pm

hi there

drop links or the bushes on the anti roll bar are the first places to look.

then the wishbones. :(

hth

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by cuzza on Nov 23^rd, 2007, 9:43pm

;) roll bar bushes have a chattery sound ,,,link bar bushes have a clicking/snappy sound at low speed particulally when riding bumps ,,,ball joints have a heavy sort of a clunk as do track rod ends ,,,bushes on wishbones tend to produce strange sterring proplems might even be a broken spring on your strut check around the top ,,,,get her up on stands at front and have a good pull at everything ;)

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by jonnycab on Nov 24^th, 2007, 2:49am

Does the clunk sound like metal on metal ?

If so, I had this a while back. Turned out the anti roll bar bushes were so worn that the roll bar was actually swinging up & hitting the bottom of the engine on uneven surfaces, usually when the wheel went down a hole rather than over a bump :)

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by cuzza on Nov 25^th, 2007, 10:08pm

if you drop the clamps on rollbar, slip rollbar bushes of and inspect closely any deviation in shape ?... replace them there should be no significant polishing on the rollbar itself ........bushes are about £8 from your FMD

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by octanejunkie on Nov 26^th, 2007, 9:09am

Roll bar seems a bit loose and i can yank it left and right. Doesn't seem like its hitting anything though.
Car handles well and doesn't wander. :-/

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by amigafan2003 on Nov 26^th, 2007, 10:16am

Roll bar shouldn't move just with your hands - sounds like the roll bar bushes are shot.

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by cuzza on Nov 26^th, 2007, 7:53pm

i would go with that ,,no movement at roll bar clamps/bushes change em :)

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by grandadman on Nov 26^th, 2007, 9:27pm

Is there pic of anti roll bars anywhere ???

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by grandadman on Nov 26^th, 2007, 9:39pm

I just found this...on eBay quite cheap 8)

Ford Scorpio front anti roll bar bush [ 1 pair ] Item number: 130176755941

off Wikipedia

Because an anti-roll bar connects wheels on the opposite sides of the vehicle together, the bar will transmit the force of one-wheel bumps to the opposite wheel. On rough or broken pavement, anti-roll bars can produce jarring, side-to-side body motions (a "waddling" sensation), which increase in severity with the diameter and stiffness of the sway bars. Excessive roll stiffness, typically achieved by configuring an anti-roll bar too aggressively, will cause the inside wheels to lift off the ground during very hard cornering. This, of course, is only possible if the regular spring rate actually allows the outside wheels to handle the much increased load. This can be used to advantage, in fact many front wheel drive production cars will lift a wheel when cornering hard, in order to overload the other wheel on the axle, so limiting understeer.

hth

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by Gozz on Nov 26^th, 2007, 10:12pm

One of my funeral cars clunked at the front,I disconnected the roll bar links and drove it down the road,noise still there.Checked the strut and spring,but noise lower down.Must be wishbone,fitted new bushes,noise still there.Eventually tracked down to tight dry inner ball joint in nearly new recon rack,boot off greased , noise gone.Found it by removing outside ball joint and waggling track rod.Noise was more evident when traversing bumps than when steering!

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by harry.m1byt on Nov 26^th, 2007, 11:00pm

on 11/26/07 at 21:39:32, grandadman wrote:

I just found this...on eBay quite cheap 8)

Ford Scorpio front anti roll bar bush [ 1 pair ] Item number: 130176755941

Those look identical to the old Granada ones.

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by jonnycab on Nov 28^th, 2007, 1:55am

on 11/26/07 at 09:09:54, octanejunkie wrote:

Roll bar seems a bit loose and i can yank it left and right. Doesn't seem like its hitting anything though.
Car handles well and doesn't wander. :-/

The roll bar shouldn't move side to side as it has stops on it either side of the outside of the bush. If it moves then the bushes definately sound caput.

New bushes from FMD are £6.00 each....so not a fortune ;)

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by octanejunkie on Dec 13^th, 2007, 4:29pm

Thanks all.
The roll bar had plastic stops on the outer ends next to the bushes, they broke up and crumbled away when i started yanking the roll bar! The car had no weight on it when i was checking.
How will i know where to line up the roll bar when i refit with new bushes? Are all bushes, wishbones, link arms etc easily available (cheaply)? :-/

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by harry.m1byt on Dec 13^th, 2007, 4:54pm

on 11/28/07 at 01:55:14, jonnycab wrote:

My memory is a bit vague on this, but I seem to remember my '95 wasn't ever fitted with anything to stop the sideways movement, though the later ones were. I did intend to find something to limit the movement, but have yet to get around tuit.

Title: Re: Clunking from front over bumps
Post by cuzza on Dec 13^th, 2007, 8:57pm

:)stick a bit of masking tape or the like next to old ones or a bit of tipex marker paint etc ?? 8)