[JABM]

So I finally got around to bolting in my MP steering rack clamp and brace a couple of days ago, and I noticed some clunking sounds today when I hit rough patches of pavement. I thought that it might be associated with my wheels since I put the summer ones on at the same time I put on the clamp and brace, but I checked them and retorqued them, and everything there was A-OK.
Any ideas what the clunking noise is?

 

[Marks900SE]

The control arm bushings will do that when they are on their way out.

 

[JABM]

They wouldn't start doing that the second I installed the MP clamp and brace though....

 

[boxman]

i found this with my mp clamp and brace, do you have lowered springs fitted? what happens is the steering control arm hits the brace bar so i fitted a piece of rubber hose around the brace and that stopped it

 

[JABM]

hmmmm, that makes sense, but I am riding on stock springs, so my car shouldn't be sitting low enough for this to happen, or at least I don't think I should.

 

[nbndtrain]

Steering rack clamp and brace, any model, moves torque from steering rack to the control arm bushings. If your bushings were ready to go, the clamp and brace may have finished them off.

 

[stromer]

Hmmmm, I may have found the source of my odd noise...

This is on a car with clamp and brace and Eibach springs. I hope its not the control arm bushings, but it could be I soppose. I'm going to check about the rubber thing mentioned by boxman.

Basically my sound occurs when I turn the wheel under load or not, and over most bumps. At low speeds over bumps it makes the noise more freely. It seems to do it only when I'm turning slightly though. And its worse when I turn the wheel to the right?

Is there any better way to diagnose control arm bushings? Or should I just try dampening the brace and seeing if that fixes it?

Now I'm off to check taliaferro and eEuro for those bushings....

 

[hunt.dogshome]

Hello Boxman. Having the brace hitting your track control arm sounds like it needs sorting-out soon :suprised; The arm moves in-and-out and up-and-down with the wheel and the brace is fixed to the car. Something is going to give sooner or later. Probably when you least want it.

I looked at the MP brace and how high my control arm was (lowered springs) and can also confirm that it don't-fit. Didn't buy it and made a curved arm myself which has clearance.

The Abbott one goes in underneath and doesn't collide.


Got visions of a 3-wheel Saab stuck in the Armco


Edit: Hello Jabm, open the bonnet (hood?!) and bounce the front of the car, you should see if your brace is hitting your arm. The clearance changes depending on which way your wheels are pointing so try it at full-lock both ways.

 

[stromer]

I'm really hoping this is whats wrong with the car. Taking off the brace would be cheaper than getting new subframe bushings. I'd probably want to do those later, but not just yet. I'll go check the brace clearance right away.

 

[henry]

I suffered a similar problem after fitting an mp performance clamp. It turned out to be movement in the rubber lining of the clamp. I used more adhesive and reattached the lining and it has not recurred.

 

[stromer]

Well I'm going to try a few of the different thinngs mentioned in this thread and see if they alleviate my noises. Hopefully this will happen on Wednesday if I have time after installing my cross-flow. I'll surely post if I find much out, just for more first hand experience at least.

 

[boxman]

Hello Boxman. Having the brace hitting your track control arm sounds like it needs sorting-out soon :suprised; The arm moves in-and-out and up-and-down with the wheel and the brace is fixed to the car. Something is going to give sooner or later. Probably when you least want it.

the contact is not harsh enough to cause a prob like this it only kisses on bad bumps in the road and not hard enough to remove the paint from the track control arm so i'm not worried

I looked at the MP brace and how high my control arm was (lowered springs) and can also confirm that it don't-fit. Didn't buy it and made a curved arm myself which has clearance.

The Abbott one goes in underneath and doesn't collide.

i now have a simular clamp & brace to the abbott one but i have modded the mp brace and added it to my new clamp so i have now got a brace on the top and on the bottom of the brace and it made quite a differance :lol:

Got visions of a 3-wheel Saab stuck in the Armco


.

thanks for your consern i'll see what happens when i get my koni adjustables fitted to the front, if it still kisses i may look at modding the top brace cus the banging does get on my nurves