Clunking/popping noise
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 71
Likes: 1
Clunking/popping noise
Hi,
recently I have been having a popping/clunking noise coming from the front drivers side in my 98. It happens either when I’m taking a turn at very slow speeds (less than 5mph) or when I’m going in/pulling out of a parking space. You can hear the noise when standing outside the car, but it is much louder inside the cabin. I went to the vette shop yesterday and they showed me that my sway bar endlinks were dry rotted and the tie rod ends were bad as well. So, all were replaced. Took it for a drive and now although my suspension feels much tighter, the noise is slightly louder than it was before. When I brought it back, they were able to replicate the noise, but couldn’t level down to where exactly it was coming from. Said they’d need a few hours to look at it, but I figured it was worth the shot to see if anyone else had a similar issue so I can maybe level down to what the culprit might be.
Thanks in advance,
mike
recently I have been having a popping/clunking noise coming from the front drivers side in my 98. It happens either when I’m taking a turn at very slow speeds (less than 5mph) or when I’m going in/pulling out of a parking space. You can hear the noise when standing outside the car, but it is much louder inside the cabin. I went to the vette shop yesterday and they showed me that my sway bar endlinks were dry rotted and the tie rod ends were bad as well. So, all were replaced. Took it for a drive and now although my suspension feels much tighter, the noise is slightly louder than it was before. When I brought it back, they were able to replicate the noise, but couldn’t level down to where exactly it was coming from. Said they’d need a few hours to look at it, but I figured it was worth the shot to see if anyone else had a similar issue so I can maybe level down to what the culprit might be.
Thanks in advance,
mike
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 71
Likes: 1
Oh and a side note, my “service abs/traction” lights came on the dic last night as well. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this happen since owning the car, not sure if this is related to my clunking problem but after I parked and came back out to start her up, the light and dic message were no longer there
Moderator
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 22,753
Likes: 943
CV joints.
Jack up the car or put it on a lift and look to see the the boots are torn and the grease slung everywhere, also grab the half shaft and see if it can be moved at all (no rotated but moving up and down), if there's any movement at all the joint is bad, likely an outer joint
Jack up the car or put it on a lift and look to see the the boots are torn and the grease slung everywhere, also grab the half shaft and see if it can be moved at all (no rotated but moving up and down), if there's any movement at all the joint is bad, likely an outer joint
Last edited by Millenium Z06; Sep 30, 2017 at 10:55 AM.
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 71
Likes: 1
CV joints.
Jack up the car or put it on a lift and look to see the the boots are torn and the grease slung everywhere, also grab the half shaft and see if it can be moved at all (no rotated but moving up and down), if there's any movement at all the joint is bad, likely an outer joint
Jack up the car or put it on a lift and look to see the the boots are torn and the grease slung everywhere, also grab the half shaft and see if it can be moved at all (no rotated but moving up and down), if there's any movement at all the joint is bad, likely an outer joint
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,013
Likes: 726
I have the same problem. 1999 c5. I've checked every possible part in the front driver side and cannot find anything wrong. Been like this since 2005. I just live with it. Sucks. The exact same noises. Every component has been changed and noise is still there.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 71
Likes: 1
Well, yes. It did. However, I got an alignment done this morning (didn’t get it done at the shop because I have a 3 yr warranty on alignment elsewhere) and the noise is no longer there. I have tried to replicate it and still haven’t heard the noise at all. I’ll post an update if it happens again but so far so good!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 24,160
Likes: 78
Well, yes. It did. However, I got an alignment done this morning (didn’t get it done at the shop because I have a 3 yr warranty on alignment elsewhere) and the noise is no longer there. I have tried to replicate it and still haven’t heard the noise at all. I’ll post an update if it happens again but so far so good!
Drifting
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,547
Likes: 210
From: Huntersville, NC
I might suspect the sway bar bushings where the sway bar connects to the cross member. They can get dry and the sway bar can rust. They are held to the cross member and look sorta like a conduit clamp. The rubber bushings have a diagonal slit so they can be removed. pull the retainers, swing out the sway bar, scotch brite any crud or corrosion on the sway bar and clean the rubber bushings. Put a little silicone grease on them and put it back together. Be careful threading the steel bolts into the aluminum cross member.