front suspension thumping noise please help
 

First all would like to thanks those who assisted in my last post...MY sparkplugs were wet on the 3rd and 4th ..
I have this annoying noise (thump/bump noise) when i go over a pothole/or any kind or bump,and i hear a thumping sound. I was told it might be the sway bay end links, i checked and was told if it has play then it needs to be replaced. I did that and i still here a thumping noise.. It annoying especially the fact that i cant figure out where this noise is coming from. I changed the upper ball joint as well and still.. Anyone know where this noise can be coming from?? Theses are some suggestions i have heard:

1) control arm (when i removed the nut from the upper ball joint, the arms swings down., my brother says that the control arm when removing the nut from upper ball joint must stay level and not swing down)

2) bushing where sway bar connects to chassis

I have a 1998 honda accord lx

Can you make the noise by pushing the fender up & down while the car is parked? If so, you can look around & try to pinpoint the location of the sound.

From the LOWER control arm, there's a rod going forward towards the front of the car. That's mounted in rubber bushings at the front end; those can rot & get loose.

when i push down on the fender i do not hear anything, only when i am driving and approach a bump.

Not sure what specificly in terms of the rod you are describing, what would this rod be called and what specific name would that bushing be called??

They're called the radius rods, # 6 & 8 in this picture.
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...8401_b2710.png
The reason I mention them is those bushings (#10 & 11) are way forward & easy to overlook if you're inspecting all the suspension fasteners.

Any of the other things already mentioned can be loose:
- sway-bar end links (#4 & 5)
- sway-bar bushings (#2)
- inboard pivot bushing for lower control arm (#12)
- bushing for the shock fork (#16)
- maybe even the shock fork itself (#17 & 18) is loose where it's bolted onto the shock?

If the car is on the ground, you can try & reach in, grab ANYTHING & try to shake it. NOTHING should be loose.

You can drive the car up on ramps & try the same thing from underneath, but be very careful the car is stable & won't come down onto you. Don't do this with the car raised on a jack.

You may want to check the lower ball joints which is done by getting the tension off the spring which is by jacking the vehicle up just enough to get the tire off the ground and prying upward with a long bar or pipe and looking for movement at the joint. There are two jacking points depending on suspension. One is the standard front jacking point and the other is placing the floor jack under the end of the lower control arm. I believe with the spring pressure being on the lower control arm you want to place the jack at the standard point you would use to change a front tire.

thanks a lot, i will have to do what you say and lift it on a ramp and try to play around and see if something is loose. There are so many bushings in the suspension, i do not want to guess... I know that the upper ball joint was loose and i replaced, the end links to the sway bar were loose on both side, i replaced both, so obviously something still is either loose or worn...

I will look into what you described and check back tomorrow, so the control arm would be out the question?? Like i said, i was told that the upper control arm should not swing down when removing the upper ball joint, and mines swings down.

The arm has to rotate but I believe the rubber part of the bushing should return the arm when there is no weight on it. At some point the steel core of the bushing and rubber will separate and the arm will no longer return at rest. This is common with the lower control arm and even then I have not had one make noise but separated and worn out are not the same. There is a lot of bushing to make noise in your suspensions but I found it is usually one closes to the wheel when the noise happens on a bump. Your shock/strut will have rubber mounting at the top. I have had a few sub frame bushing make noise also.

im ordered the subframe sway bar bushings, i have a feeling these are major source of the problem because when i lifted my car i was moving it back and forth and it was moving at the endlinks, but i just replaced the endlinks not even a week ago. So im guessing its giving way due to being loose at the subframe so i will change that. Also changed the balljoint that is connected to the arm that turns when the gear turns, not sure what its called but its a screw on metal rod with a joint at then end, it was moving.


PS can i have already changed quite a few things, can these new parts damage due to not finding the entire source of the problem?? i dont want to drive without installing the bushings(subframe), dont want to damage the parts i bought although i have 1 yr warranty...

I know when u buy a link/bushing they are stift cant move it, once installed im guessing they rotate because of the movement of the vehicle/parts correct... thanks for the input guys, this noise is really irritating me to the point im just going to sell the car

The balljoint on the end of the steering gear is usually called a tie-rod-end. If it was loose, then it's good you replaced it.

As long as you take it easy & keep looking for anything else that's loose (don't take 18 months searching) you should be OK. You'll want a suspension alignment when you're done.

Don't rule out REAR suspension bushings & balljoints. When you're driving, sounds travel around in really funny ways.

well i came across in chagning the sway bar bushings, and when i replaced them i didnt see much wear but i installed the new ones and indeed this helped my problem.. NO more rattling/thumping noise..I would like to thank all you guys who helped me out i really appreciate it but now i have another problem lol...

I will address it in a new thread but once again thanks to the mod, and everyone who had suggestions