front driver side clunk sound.

[apapada]

I'm hearing what I thought to be a random clunk sound from the front driver side of my 92 NSX. It turns out I am capable of reproducing the sound when I go up my drive way (at an angle) and my rear driver side tire is the last one to make it over the little curb.

I found in the FAQs and in the Search something very close to my diagnosis, with the difference however that my suspension in stock nor do I feel any feedback in the steering wheel.

I plan on taking that wheel off tomorrow, but maybe someone could help out by pointing out what to look for and where.

Here is a sketch displaying what I'm talking about...

 

[apapada]

I forgot to mention that the sound does come from the front driver side wheel well. I verified it with someone else standing out of the car...

 

[drew]

Well, that sure sounds like a fun problem. Must have driven you nuts to go so far as to build such a nice diagram.

The noise is probably caused by a really slight movement that probably can't be seen. The best way to find stuff like this is to place a finger/hand on the suspected item and walk with it until the noise happens. You can quickly trace down the source of the noise, just use common sense and go slow.

A few pointers:
Get some silicone lube and grease up the bushings (like the sway bar) and bolt links.

Torque down the top shock nuts and bottom bolts. (I'm guessing this is your problem...the top of the shock is moving around under stress). If you can: lube up the shock pad between the shock and body.

You might have a bad ball joint, but leave that for last...it seems rare for a ball joint to go out on the NSX (the Honda guys are obviously good).

Drew

 

[apapada]

Mysterious "clunk" is now more and more present, sometimes when conditions are right it even rattles for a brief instant. Whatever this is, it's getting more and more loose (I've only done 100 miles or so since I first noticed it). The clunk cannot be "felt" through brakes, steering wheel or whatever. It can only be heard...
So this evening I did the following:
I first raised the car on ramps so that I could crawl underneeth while wheels still loaded. I checked everything I could reach from underneath and from above. The only thing I found that could rattle was the driver side water cooling line. Eventhough the noise sounded different from inside the car, I added some foam at the right place (where it does an "S" before it goes towards the back in the "tunnel") which now prevents it from rattling when hit. I dropped the car, and went for a ride. But the "clunk" was still there, so it was not that cooling pipe and it was not really a surprise.
Then I took off both front wheels, had the car on jack and crawled back under with the wheels removed and checked again every suspension, brake, body component I could fine. I checked every single bolts for proper torque and could not find a single one that was loose. I checked every bushing where the suspension member connect, they are all fine, none is missing nor torn. I even removed the driver side wheel well cover and checked the fan and the light assembly. Everything is tight. What am I missing ?
I'm sometimes thinking to keep on driving the car until whatever it is breaks or falls. But what if whatever it is causes me or someone else have an accident ?! please help... :frown:

 

[apapada]

Well, that sure sounds like a fun problem. Must have driven you nuts to go so far as to build such a nice diagram.

Thank you Drew for your post. It has driven me nuts indeed...

The noise is probably caused by a really slight movement that probably can't be seen. The best way to find stuff like this is to place a finger/hand on the suspected item and walk with it until the noise happens. You can quickly trace down the source of the noise, just use common sense and go slow.

I tried this on the strut bolts and strut itself (the top middle part) while my wife was driving up the driveway. While the noise did come up, I did not feel any vibrations at all coming from there. The noise appeared to come from further front and lower (like a loose brake pad).

A few pointers:
Get some silicone lube and grease up the bushings (like the sway bar) and bolt links.

Will try that tomorrow...

Torque down the top shock nuts and bottom bolts. (I'm guessing this is your problem...the top of the shock is moving around under stress). If you can: lube up the shock pad between the shock and body.

I did try to torque them down but they were already torqued to specs.

You might have a bad ball joint, but leave that for last...it seems rare for a ball joint to go out on the NSX (the Honda guys are obviously good).
Drew

It may be a bad ball joint afterall although I've had a bad ball joint on a GM vehicle before and my experience was different than in this case...
Among the things I tried this evening: I tried to turn the wheels and then the discs when the front was raised and did not feel anything wrong. I moved the brakes from left to right and back several times, the rack-and-pinion is fine. I did notice the brake line are hitting the brake cooling shields when at full lock (but that could not be it because the clunk noise can be heard when going straight down the road). I checked the brake pads for clearance. My discs are smooth, no grooves at the edges, both inner and outer pads are barely worn and make perfect contact with the discs surfaces. It's not the calipers either, securely bolted and no movement whatsoever with relation to the suspension. Unfortunately, I could not reproduce the clunk noise while the front end was raised.

 

[apapada]

Latest update (for future reference and people who care... :biggrin: )

!!! I GOT IT FIXED !!!

I used silicone lube and greased up any and all bushings and bolt links I could find. I double and triple checked if anything was loose. I looked at the ball joint which appeared ok. I put the wheels back on, and as I was getting down my driveway (like on the schematic above but backwards), the cluck was there again to haunt me.

I decided to drive to pick up some parts for my wife's car and the clunk would manifest itself every so often. Tired (desperate?) of hearing it, on why my way back I turned the radio on, lowered the windows and decided to go through some twisty back roads near my house. At a couple of occasions, I hit the brakes hard (on purpose) to give my ABS sytem's its monthly work out. As I drove in my subdivision, I turned the radio off and raised the windows. 15 seconds or so later I suddenly realized the "clunk" was gone ! I'm like "this cannot be happening". I exit my subdivision and go down the road I usually could hear the clunk. Nothing. Pure heavenly silence.

Bottom line, two things happened. #1 Whatever it was, got loose enough to have fallen off the car (I wonder how much weight I just saved :wink: ) or #2 it had to do with the brake pads (which I checked!). In any case, it seems the NSX MUST be driven hard to keep running right !

 

[NSXDreamer2]

yes, this is very normal for cars with thick aftermarket sway bar with urethane bushing, however not quite with OEM. See the sway bar does have the slight movement as the bushing got dry, it will make noise... The reason that it takes to drive to make the noise away is that as the sway bar moved, the bar brought some grease inside the bushing, thus the noise is gone. I had read someone suggesting having a big bolt or screw and thread it inside the bushing, before you lube them, so those said grease would 'stay' in the thread, I had never tried it, since all I need to do is clawed under the car and lube both side of the sway bar bushings... It's easier and the grease are cheap enough that I don't really mind to apply more when the noise come back in couple years...

so, Your claim "the NSX MUST be driven hard to keep running right ! " is not quite exactly right.... but I will used that excuse explaning to my wife/ officer when I speed :biggrin:

 

[apapada]

yes, this is very normal for cars with thick aftermarket sway bar with urethane bushing, however not quite with OEM.

mine is not OEM but does not use urethane bushings. I do not think the noise was coming from the swaybar.

 

[apapada]

A few pointers:
Get some silicone lube and grease up the bushings (like the sway bar) and bolt links.

turns out it WAS the left side sway bar bushings. I used a stethoscope and pinpointed where the noise came from. Put some grease and the noise is gone (for now :biggrin: )

 

[apapada]

about 6 weeks ago the clunking sound started again. This time, to be certain the sounds comes indeed from the front sway bar, I went ahead and removed it. Intant fix, the clunking sound is gone.
Eventhough I cannot sense any big difference around town when driving without the front swaybar, it seems the car does not turn as flat as before, but it's barely noticeable.

2 questions:

#1: Now what do I do to be able to drive with a front sway bar and without it driving me nuts ? (replace bushings? add a lubing nipple?)
#2: Is there an easy way to install the swaybar on and out? Took me a good hour to figure it out and fight with it to be able to remove it...

thanks gang,

 

[Shumdit]

I have a similar noise in mine and wondered if it might be the same thing. Mine sounds like it is in the steering column. If you are around I would like to get you to listen to mine and see if it's the same!

 

[VBNSX]

Just an odd ball question... Is your car lowered? and what bar are you using... you said not oem..

I'm sure you can drive w/ an aftermarket bar w/out the sound.. people do it all the time.

When I removed mine I just removed most of the bolts to the batter tray and made a gap for me to pull the bar out. I don't know how you did yours but that seemed to work for me...


x

 

[apapada]

I have a similar noise in mine and wondered if it might be the same thing. Mine sounds like it is in the steering column. If you are around I would like to get you to listen to mine and see if it's the same!

Mine sounded like there was something metalic loose that would rattle or hit against some other metalic part. We can try to meet one of these evenings. How's wednesday ? pm me for details

 

[apapada]

Just an odd ball question... Is your car lowered? and what bar are you using... you said not oem..

I'm sure you can drive w/ an aftermarket bar w/out the sound.. people do it all the time.

When I removed mine I just removed most of the bolts to the batter tray and made a gap for me to pull the bar out. I don't know how you did yours but that seemed to work for me...
x

Car is not lowered. Swaybars are the DALI adjustable type. When I greased it the couple first times seemed to work for a couple of months, then the noise came back.

To remove it, I did the same (removed most of the battery tray bolts). I still had to fight and twist it to clear the lower A-arm suspension arm...

 

[VBNSX]

what is the condition of the bushing? Is it cracked?

I bet urethane would clear this up. Only b/c whenever most people switch bars, (comptech in my case) the urethane bushings come with them. And i've never had any squeaking issues to speak of.

Try the urethane and see what happens..

Keep us informed.. HTH

x

 

[apapada]

what is the condition of the bushing? Is it cracked?

I bet urethane would clear this up. Only b/c whenever most people switch bars, (comptech in my case) the urethane bushings come with them. And i've never had any squeaking issues to speak of.

Try the urethane and see what happens..

Keep us informed.. HTH

x

Both bushings are fine. On my adjustable DALI type sway-bar I thought the bushings were made out of urethane, hence the cracking/squeaking sound when they get dry...