Front-end clunk backing-up and turning
 

Hi All
I can't determine what I may have missed. I have a clunk noise from the front right side that I notice either backing out of a drive and turning or occasionally when cornering. it's a bit of a popping pop/clunk sound.

I have replaced the bulk suspension over the past year and yet with each new part there is an improvement but the clunk is still there.

New lower control arms with bushing and bearing
new shocks and upper mounts
new sway bar bushes all around
New tie rod ends and drag link
New front wheel bearings
new steering shock
new rear subframe bushes
new multi-links (all) for the rear

I pert' much done everything to it suspension wise, but this noise is really annoying . Any ideas? pitman arms? do they make a sound?

TIA

Unfortunately just because it is a new part it doesn't necessarily mean it is a good part.

I recommend that you start again with fresh eyes and view the vehicle as a skeptical complaining gotta find a fault potential purchaser. I have found that putting the front wheels on slip plates helps a lot when tracing problems like this. (Only be careful - cars are surprisingly agile on slip plates - they can and will slip off)

Hey, stretch, if you drill a hole in the center of the top slip plate, and put a bolt in the bottom one, the head will keep the top plate from getting unstable...

as for the pop noise, it could be axle cans, or sway bar links. check both out on the car.

axle cans?
 

Thanks vstech
I did check out the sway bar links/straps up front and they are fine. With respect to the axle cans what are those?

The noise is noticed when either cornering left (left turn) or backing out also with the wheels pointing towards the left. The sound only comes from the right hand side

Thinking of what could possibly cause this. Is there any other serviceable item that I may have missed?

Well yes I could do that and it would improve stability but at the cost of slip plate effectiveness. The sideways (and all ways!) sliding is actually quite useful. If you jack up a car and set it on the ground you usually find that the ride height is a bit on the high side - roll the car back and forth a bit and it settles. If you jack up a car and set it on slip plates the plates slide and the car gets to the correct height just like that; bounce the car up and down on the slip plates and you get a slight sideways motion of the wheels anyway which you don't really want to restrict. The idea of using slip plates in the context of this thread is to replicate motion of the wheels in a weight on ground situation when the vehicle is stationary.

still creaking
 

After also replacing the idler arm bushings and hoping that would be the cure, I was sadly disappointed that the creaking continues. It still comes from the right (passenger) side footwell/firewall area.

This is driving me crazy, every suspension piece up front has been replaced within the last six months. New tires included, yet I still get the creaking noise from the right side while driving. I cannot replicate the noise underneath with a pry bar nor by bobbing the car, and unfortunately have been unable to convince numerous friends to accept being strapped to the hood while we go thru a series of live tests :D

Could the control arm pivot bolts be too tight? Last time I looked with the wheels in the air I could see the Control Arm bushing slightly tweaked radially holding the wheel, but that seemed normal as the neutral position is with the vehicle weight on the bushing at normal ride height. (the LCA was tightened with the wheels on the ground/car weight on, per FSM

Any other ideas?

Look carefully at the body structure. I've had loose pinch welds, cracks in the structure, and other body tub issues that will result in weird noises. Probably not but worth a REALLY careful check at this point.

Another option is to put a small video camera down there and take a drive (Go-Pro - that kind of thing). See what you can see and maybe even hear. Again, worth a shot.

Or you could strap an expendable friend to the hood and .........

Dan

will continue to pursue the friend idea :P

With respect to tightening the idler arm bushing bolt, does the wheel need to be under load for final torquing? I'm curious because when I torqued mine it was on jack stands and not under load. The tie rod and idler arm assembly were loose enough to move them out of the way as a unit and reinstall without a binding issue so I didn't pay it no attention. Is torquing under load critical for this bushing?

TIA

2013 mercedes c300 4matic
 

Hi i was wondering if you got the problem resolved because i got 2013 mercedes c300 4matic and i have the same issue, i inspected everything don't see nothing. and can't verify problem when the vehicle is on the lift.

vasyl,
Most here don't know your 2013. I doubt much translates. Like most cars today, yours probably has rack & pinion steering and a strut suspension, all totally different.

I am curious if this got resolved, since the thread popped up again. Sure sounds like a guide rod mount. Have the same problem in mine, and one side is definitely bad, which I discovered while replacing all the other parts. One more thing to get around to one of these days.

-Rog

vasyl95- If you have an android phone, inspection cameras for them are rather inexpensive (under $50 online). Run the wire in to your phone with the camera taped in place and see what you see. Just a thought. Good luck!