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clunk from the front suspension????

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BobHorvath

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Out for a drive in our 65 BJ8 this weekend and my wife and I both heard a clunk in our right front suspension. Roads are rough as winter ends here in Tahoe, but we never heard it again. We got out and looked under to find nothing out of order. I took both front wheels off yesterday and completrely inspeted all welds and bolts. The right front shock bolts were slightly loose but with out enough clearence to cause any clunking. Ideas anyone?
 
Not a Healey guy, but the first things I'd check, are: Play in the wheel bearings, and wire wheel splines.
Good luck Bob
 
Hi Bob, look closely at the clearance between the anti rollbar and the front bumper support irons. Just a thought---Keoke
 
I had an unknown clunk that turned out to be the idler arm bushing. Replaced it and now no clunk and better steering.

Charlie
 
Perchance you were not applying the brakes were you! I occassionally get a clunk either due to a sticking piston or the pads shifting in the calliper unit.
 
Are you sure the "clunk" came from the front? Sometimes a rear shock coming loose (very common) sounds like it may be in front of the car. Also check everything is tight, such as battery hold downs, jacks etc in the trunk.
Let us know what you find.
 
bobhovart, lets see loose broken or missing head light spring, warn suspn. bushes,warn king pin,loose lower spring pan,loose sway bar,loose steering link,loose heater motor,loose bumper or bracket,loose wheel bearing,loose knock off, im sure this list could be added to but these should keep you busy for a bit. i agree with loose stuff in the trunk as well. and the break clunk. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/savewave.gif
 
nevets said:
when you got home was there any fur stuck to the bumper?
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00000000000000000000000000000------Keoke-- /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/lol.gif
 
I had a clunk I thought was coming from a caliper piston or brake pad sticking sometimes when I applied the brakes. I was sure it was coming from the RF wheel area. Turns out it was a worn trunnion on the brake pedal.

I had a rattle that was coming from under the dash. It turned out to be the hood retainer latch bumping the top of an aftermarket radiator overflow bottle.

I had a rattling passanger door. Turned out to be the top frame bumping against the rear cockpit surround.

I had what I thought was a loose tranny tunnel or retainer clip on the Smitty conversion. Rattled/vibrated horribly at just the right rpms. Turned out to be a loose bolt on the right front inner fender allowing a washer to dance wildly.

Moral - Rattlings in Healeys travel and reverberate along the car and can be very elusive. So check for looseness and signs of rubbing on every thing fron to back up and down. Try to correlate the sound to some action, speeding up, slowing down, braking clutching, turning in one direction etc.

Could it be worn splines on hub or rim? Loose shocks. Keep looking Bob, you'll find it. Oh, once you do you will notice another creak or rattle and the hunt will start again. This hobby will keep you entertained.
 
Bob -

Did you check to see if one of the two bushes that connect the lower link of the Kingpin to the lower A arms was missing or loose?

These bushes are held in by a "fulcrum pin" which if they come loose can make it quite easy for the bush to come off. If so, the lower link will rattle around the end of the A-Arm, you will get clunking, esp under hard braking or bouncy roads.

This can be a dangerous situation to be in so check this closely.

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/computer.gif
 
These forums are great! I have so much to look for I may not have time left to report in. Boy am I learning more than I want to know. I originally ask about this noise relative to danger, and I am glad to have lots of items to check. THANKS TO ALL, I WILL EVENTUALLY REPORT BACK WHAT I HAVE FOUND.
 
BobHorvath said:
Out for a drive in our 65 BJ8 this weekend and my wife and I both heard a clunk in our right front suspension.--- The right front shock bolts were slightly loose but with out enough clearence to cause any clunking. Ideas anyone?
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The front shock bolts don't have to be "very" loose to cause a clunk. They should be torqued to 35 lb/ft. Even then, if the shock holes are worn, the shocks may move. Same with the rear shock mounts. It's just a known weakness in the design.
D
 
FOUND THE CLUNK. I was getting ready for my trip to South Shore Tahoe yesterday and decided to check out the shocks as I was getting a tire bounce at certain speeds. Jacked up the rear with the E brake on. Decided to rotate the tire to check run out and the tire moved with a clunk while the E brake was on. Checked the other rear tire and it had the same clunk but with less backlash. The drums were obviously stationary and the hub extension had backlash play while fastened securely to the hub. The nuts were very tight. I backed them off checked the hub extension mating surface for wear, didn't seem bad and the nuts seemed ok. I put it all back together for my trip today and after lubing the mating surface the backlash went away. We will see after today’s ride if the backlash comes back I plan to replace the nuts $3.00 each but what about these hub extensions? Do they go bad and oval out the tapered mating surface?
 
Bob! if I understand you post I would not go around the block in that car it appears, from your post, that you have severely worn spline hubs or the wheel hubs are wornor both. In either case continued operation of the car is considered to be "Unsafe". To check the splines on the hubs they should be perfectly vertical and flat on the top. If they are bent or sharp on the top they are defective. If the wheel are old they probably will require replacing with the new hubs.--Fwiw--Keoke
 
BobHorvath said:
The drums were obviously stationary and the hub extension had backlash play while fastened securely to the hub. The nuts were very tight.
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Hi Bob,
From what you describe, it sounds like you may have the wrong nuts to fasten the spline to the brake drum. The nuts (locking) have a bevel that mates into the splined hub to keep it from rotating (the backlash you are referring to). Here is a simple diagram so I don’t have to type a 1000 words. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/crazy.gif
 
Thanks for your inputs guys. The splines are fine they are still mating and not showing any signs of wear. The nuts are as drawn however they sink a fair distance into the extensions and therefore may not be exactly as designed. I drove 80 mi around Lake Tahoe and talked to a number of people at the AH show today. Once I re-seated the hub nuts the wheels had no backlash what so ever and they are still tight after the ride. Thanks for the warning and I will replace the nuts this week. I am going to mate the new nuts to the extensions before I go any further to see if the extension beveled holes are ovaled out. I will keep you all posted. Thanks again Bob
 
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