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I have replaced just about every component in the front suspension of my 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe: Both front struts complete with new springs, ball joints on both sides, inner and outer tie rods on both sides, lower control arm on passenger side, wheel hubs on both sides, and sway bar links on both sides. All was well for a while then I developed a very distinct clunking from the passenger when I dove slow over a bumpy surface. I spent several days with the car on jacks and on ramps trying to find the source of the noise. The new sway bar links seemed to be tight from trying to move them by hand.
I finally gave in and took it to my local auto repair and at first they couldn't find it, but then after they had it up on the lift and the guy shook the sway bar with all his might, he could duplicate the sound on the passenger side, but not on the driver's side. At first he told me that I needed a new sway bar ling, but I insisted that I had just changed them on both sides. After some more investigating he found that the nut (unlock) on one end of the passenger side link wasn't completely tight! I suspect what happened was I had used a wrench that was too think to hold the back side of the joint while I wrenched on the nut and probably tightened the nut up against the wrench and not the flat. I need to invest in some thin wrenches for such things I guess.
Anyway, he tightened the nut properly and the noise has vanished! Lesson learned.
I finally gave in and took it to my local auto repair and at first they couldn't find it, but then after they had it up on the lift and the guy shook the sway bar with all his might, he could duplicate the sound on the passenger side, but not on the driver's side. At first he told me that I needed a new sway bar ling, but I insisted that I had just changed them on both sides. After some more investigating he found that the nut (unlock) on one end of the passenger side link wasn't completely tight! I suspect what happened was I had used a wrench that was too think to hold the back side of the joint while I wrenched on the nut and probably tightened the nut up against the wrench and not the flat. I need to invest in some thin wrenches for such things I guess.
Anyway, he tightened the nut properly and the noise has vanished! Lesson learned.
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