Knocking Sound N/S/F - Worn Bushes? - LCR

[JamJay]

Hi all, this sounds like a worn bush to me but i'll pick your brains anyway.

When driving over uneven road, I get this knocking sound from the N/S/F suspension as the car rumbles over it. The sound is as rapid as the car goes over the knobbles in the road. I am ruling out the shock absorber as the knocking doesn't appear to be related to when the shock compresses (i.e. over speed humps or with weight).

I have had my front ARB bushes done and I don't think that it's these again, when they went they made a loud clicking/knocking noise when the shock compressed, as I guess they would seeing as they're connected.

I have heard that the wishbone bushes wear quite easily and the car is now 6yrs old, does it sound like this may be my problem?

Driveability of the car is unaffected as far as I can tell and there are no steering related knocks. If anything, when I add more weight to the car, the knocking stops or gets lesser

 

[wayne lcr]

i had this problem jamjay amd i thought it was the weather that killed the bushes so got under it and sprayed all the bushes and every thing to do with the suspension with wd40 and it stoped for now so you can try that for now

 

[JamJay]

Hi Wayne, thanks for the reply. I think you're right about the weather, I posted a few weeks back about a loud creaking sound from the same location but as the snow thawed and I washed under the car as best I could, it stopped. However, maybe it did some lasting damage to the rubber. I am going to have a go at fitting a dog-bone mount this weekend so I'll have a chance to look, were any of your bushes looking worn?

 

[wayne lcr]

thats a bonus if you can get it up on a ramp as well.cos then you can get a prize bar and go round and check for worn bushes and see if theres any play any were also try you engine mounts and that

 

[Willie]

Hi Wayne, thanks for the reply. I think you're right about the weather, I posted a few weeks back about a loud creaking sound from the same location but as the snow thawed and I washed under the car as best I could, it stopped. However, maybe it did some lasting damage to the rubber. I am going to have a go at fitting a dog-bone mount this weekend so I'll have a chance to look, were any of your bushes looking worn?

Either front ARB bush or more likely ball joints.
I changed everything before the ball joints to chase a similar problem and it turned out to be the ball joints.

 

[JamJay]

Is there a way to check or see if they are gone Willie?

 

[Willie]

Yup, any garage with an MOT tester would be able to tell you.
With a crow bar and the car jacked up you should be able to note excess movement between the bottom of this and the wish bone arm/hub carrier.
For the ARB bushes the same, excess movement with a crow bar between the bar and the mountings

 

[JamJay]

That's handy as MOT is on the weekend although looks like I may get some advisories . I know the tester however so at least they'll be honest.

 

[JamJay]

Well I have just looked on VAGCAT and the sound doesn't appear to be coming from the ball joint area, more the rear bush on the wishbone.

http://www.vagcat.com/epc/cat/se/LE/2003/268/52/4756430/#3