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Noises Up Front

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rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
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All right,

So, I need to beef up the rear differential mounts in my car. That was the rear clunk I was hearing. U-Joints and slip yokes are OK. Fortunately the mounts have not broken loose yet but I really would like to weld some steel pieces in there before it's too late. The weird thing is everything looked solid when I was checking it out on the lift.

Anyways, on to the next weird problem. My front suspension was fully rebuilt. I've put about 50 miles on the car. My mechanic and I have checked the tightness on a lift - everything is tight and solid, still as good as new. I also had new tires and a wheel alignment done.

There is a very weird noise up front. When you're driving - starting off from a stand still, it's kind of like a clunk/creak - several distinct ones. When you try replicating it standing still by pushing up and down on the car on either side on the front fender, It's almost like a creaking. I can't remember whether I had this issue before rebuilding the front suspension and having the wheel alignment done. I'm not sure I did!

My mechanic suggested perhaps it's some sort of a frame issue, but I'm not sure I'm buying that. My frame is solid.

What else should I be checking? The rear clunk issue is known and I will solve it. But what's up with this front creaking? Any ideas?

Thank you all!! :smile:
 
What kind of bushings did you use for the rebuild? Were they lubricated?
 
Hi There rlich,

What you may want to check is the "Body Mounting Parts" to the Chassis. There may be some worn buffers up front. I`ve put in a whole new "Body Mounting Kit" on my TR3 but of course; It was off the frame when that was done.

Regards, Russ
 
toysrrus said:
Hi There rlich,

What you may want to check is the "Body Mounting Parts" to the Chassis. There may be some worn buffers up front. I`ve put in a whole new "Body Mounting Kit" on my TR3 but of course; It was off the frame when that was done.

Regards, Russ
Click to expand...

Right. Will check. I assume I can't change this too easily with the body on the frame? Or can I swap out a few?

TR3driver said:
What kind of bushings did you use for the rebuild? Were they lubricated?
Click to expand...

They are standard rubber bushings. I don't think the bushings were lubricated, however. Should I lubricate them?
 
hondo402000 said:
what type of wheels, are they wire wheels with splines?
Click to expand...

Yes, they are. Dunlop chrome wire wheels, 72 spoke, 5.5 inches.

I have checked and investigated this already. The splines are straight and the hubs are nicely greased.

This is a problem that you can replicate by rocking the front end up and down at the right fender, while standing still.

Thank you for your suggestion :smile:
 
check your lever shocks and make sure the bolts are tight to the frame, that can cause a clunk too, if thats not it at least you know they are tight

Hondo
 
I will check that.

Also, I think I've found part of the problem. It's not fully solved yet, but one culprit is the bolts on the rear part of the wheel well that bolt to the frame. Those were loose on both sides, I have tightened them up. I now have no creaks on the left side of the car (driver side).

Still chasing the creaks on the right side. I have been doing some investigative work. I would jack the frame up, slowly, right behind the lower A-Arm, and feel different parts of the car/frame. I think that one part that needs to be looked at is the A-Arm bushings. They were not greased upon installation, it may be necessary to pull them out and grease them up.

This is not a typical bending metal sound (if that makes sense), it's more of a rubbing noise almost, which is why I'm betting/hoping it's something curable and my frame isn't [censored] up (because it is solid. there were some reinforcements done up front but I just can't see them making this sort of noise.) I could be wrong but I'm going to chase this black cat until I've checked everything in the front of the car.
 
FOUND IT!

There were a few parts up front, on both sides, that were not greased. I installed grease zerks and greased them...alls squeaks are now GONE!

Next...Diff mount reinforcing & speedi-sleeve installation!
 
Hi Rich,

Glad you figured out the diff problem. It is pretty common. On your front end, what you found is what I was going to suggest looking for. On mine, I found stress cracks in the frame where the control arms bolt into it, so you might look out for that. The control arms are not hard to remove. You can decompress the coil spring with a hydraulic jack, and put them back the same way. If you had them apart already, did you remove the mount that attaches to the frame? If so, you probably would have noticed any cracks. If you didn't take it apart that far, it would be worth the effort to check it out, if only for peace of mind.

Dan B
 
DanB said:
Hi Rich,

Glad you figured out the diff problem. It is pretty common. On your front end, what you found is what I was going to suggest looking for. On mine, I found stress cracks in the frame where the control arms bolt into it, so you might look out for that. The control arms are not hard to remove. You can decompress the coil spring with a hydraulic jack, and put them back the same way. If you had them apart already, did you remove the mount that attaches to the frame? If so, you probably would have noticed any cracks. If you didn't take it apart that far, it would be worth the effort to check it out, if only for peace of mind.

Dan B
Click to expand...

Dan,

Thank you for your advice - those mounts that are welded to the frame have been replaced on my car. It was part of my entire front suspension rebuild. The entire front suspension is brand new aside from the trunnions and springs which were fine.

I will remember your way of compressing those coil spring.

Thank You!

Roy
 
Also -

The differential is now out of the TR4A. I am going to walk across the street in a moment and check it out! Let's pray for the best. I don't "think" the diff mounting pins have ripped from the frame, but "we will see."

My reinforcement plates have been fabricated and the new bushings will be here today. Looking forward to getting this last big problem sorted out (until the next one, of course :p)

Thanks everyone!
 
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