Hi all, I have a 2000 Monte Carlo that has a loud clunking noise from the front suspension. It is very significant, you can feel it throughout the whole car. Its a bugger to find also, so I will give you everything I know about it.
This noise is only evident when turning right or left. I have read about the steering column binding and I do not think that is it. Here is why and tell me if I am wrong.
You cannot duplicate the noise unless the vehicle is actually moving. Putting it on a lift and turning the wheel will not cause the noise. This is also what makes it so tough to find.
Also, It is not the turning of the wheel that causes the noise, it is the forces applied to the car by actually going around the corner that causes it. If you are outside the car and walking next to it, the noise is definitely coming from the front suspension area.
If you turn the car hardone directionand get a loud popping, you can then make as manyturns as you want in that direction and it will not make the noise again until you turn the other direction.. The noise is caused by turning the opposite direction from your last turn.
I thought the subframe was shifting but I have gone through and tightened every subframe and suspension bolt I can find and nothing is loose. I replaced the front struts to no avail.
I have also baffled two very competent local mechanics with this crazy noise. One guy had 3 of his men on it for about 3 hours and couldnt figure it out.
This whole thing started when the car had a front wheel bearing put in it and an alignment done. The mechanic who did those things retraced all of this steps and we checked everything that was removedhowever.
I think a trolllives under my car with a big hammer and he hates me.
Any suggestions?
Thanks all
Roy

 

to me i would think ball joints or tie rods, but you said that the noise can't be recreated when not moving, and if it was one of those 2 you could make it do that just from pushing the front end of the car up and down. and since you had mechanics look @ it for 3 hours i think they would have noticed if a ball joint or tie rod was gone which baffles me too...

i know some guys on here were talking about some sort of steering shaft making those noises a while back, i can't think of what it was called exactly but someone will know what its called because we've talked about it before on here

 

Your intermidiate steering shaft has to be lubed. Easy fix. I'm not sure where I found the link for the instructions to do it, but you can find it somewhere on the internet. Mine was doing it too. I thought it was the tie rod, but I found out when I took it to the dealer it was the shaft. It is very common on the 00-02 or so monte's and impalas. The kit with the lube and stuff is about $13 from the dealer. You can pay about $100 or so to have it done at a dealer or do it yourself in less than an hour. Search for the instruction though, I know they're out there. Good luck!

 

OH MY GOSH!!!! I had such a long reply to this post and then I got logged out and everything disappeared!!!![:@][:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]

Anyway...

I was saying...Welcome to the forum. Sorry that your first post was under such circumstances, but that's what we're here for.Did you actually haveyour Intermediate Steering Shaft inspected and eliminatedas a source of trouble? What you explainedis pretty close to what I experienced with my ISS. I also heard it when I went unevenly over speedbumps. I wouldn't completely discount it as an issue. I got it done as a warranty repair.

The other thing I have experienced which sounds exactly like that was with my Silverado.I had a cracked front right lower control arm. The break was so clean, it was hard to detect especially because of the built up dirt on it, but my mechanic has a sixth sense about this stuff. It was pretty cheap to fix too.

I think I covered everything that I'd typed before I got logged out. Hope thishelps!!

 

Found the link! Clicky!!!!!!!

 

also one more thing to have checked out if the ISS don't do the trick
there was a impala guy i know that had something like this and they don't have the ISS issues,
he took it in for check ups they couldn't figure it out,

all of a sudden i get a call from him asking for a ride his car would not move any more.
it was the tranny . the FWD shafts were stripping out the tranny and the gears they go in to some how.
so it was making nosies when the car would shift one way it would not make the noise because it would shove the shaft tin and seat it again till he would turn the opposite way.

Worth a check. Hope it is not this and that the ISS is the issue for you. but when mine acted up it would only make noise when i would hit a bump and then you could feel it in the wheel it was like some one hit the wheel with a hammer. it would jump each time i hit a strong enough bump.

But if that is the case they have a kit out and you can do a search there is a how to on how to do the work seems pretty straight forward on how to get it done.
Good luck!
Please keep us posted so we know what you find

 

Thanks for all the replies. I really dont think it is the steering shaft. Its in the wrong place, and not related to the actual action of turning the wheel. I found this on another site, and since my gut tells me it is the subframe shifting around I am going to try it. I will let you know the results.
http://mymonte.com/home/content/view/235/40/
Thanks
Roy

 

you can tell if the fram is shifting easy enough.
1. tire wear would be strange due to it being out of allimnet.
Also take a plum bob off the corner of the front and the rear corners. then from the front left to the rear right and see if the messurements on the othe rside come out the same. IF they do your in line.
then go drive it to get it to shift and try agian. see what happens with it.
if it is shifting this shoudl give you a idea and how much.

another thing talking to a frend on this he said check the front bushings on the A arms and make sure they are still there or if they have all the parts. this would casue the car to shift also in corners. and make a hellof a noise.
basically the front tire would be shifit front to back on the car. so it returen it would feel as if the whole front end is moving on you.

 

might try have someone other than the person that did the bearing and alignment recheck the bearing/alignment. what all adjustments were made to the alignment? if he touched camber i'm wondering if a strut wasnt tight at the nuckle.

for as much effort as you and others have put into it i'd just go ahead and lube the shaft to be certain.

also the shaft noise can sometimes be heard without turning. accelerating, braking, hiting a bump can cause the noise.

 

I would be looking at the CV axles as most likely cause.. and if the cradle was loose you'd be all over the place while driving. if it was groaning i would think hub bearing.. but usually a ticking , clicking, light clunking noise is a bad cv joint.