my car has been doing the same thing for a while. after several trips to mitsu i finally got some good advice from a very kind soul that works in R&D for MMNA. he advised me to have them change out the upper strut mount bearing.

noise seems to be gone now. sometimes the front passenger suspension stil sounds loose, but no more popping.

apperently the popping was caused by the spring binding and reseating itself like ex-honda said.

 

Thanks... this happens both in forward and reverse, reversing out of the driveway or pulling away (forward) from a parking space. Trying to figure out if it only happens when "cold" .. I think so. Maybe the suspension just needs to settle in after sitting? I was hoping it was nothing to do with the front diff.

Should I have both driver and passenger side strut mount bearings looked at?

I just had an alignment done and had the front camber maxed out but this is on a stock suspension... I don't know if or why that would start up any "issues"

thanks for all the help....

 

One more thing... Is it bad to just let it go? What will happen? I can live with the noise and I'd rather do that, than let the dealer mess with it....

 

Ive been getting the same clunk sound ever since my new clutch was installed.. I had the issue when my springs were first installed but it went away and now its back

 

the famous front end clunk i had this problem with my car and it was brand new when it had it took it a zillion times to the dealer and they never ever fixed it!
i check everything i even put some rubber on the end of the springs so that they wouldnt make contact with each other i also centered the swaybar and no luck!
so i thought maybe the springs are damaged cause i drove my car for the first 100miles with the spacers they bring from the factory,so i went on my own i bought the springs the front damper left side and the parts where the springs seat and the cushions when i took apart everything we noticed that the springs where hitting on the top where they seat didnt look that big of a deal but we changed everything and the problem went away!

 

My EVO IX with 1100 miles is doing it. Turning left and going very slow over speed bumps, it is when it "lifts up", sounds similar to loose struts. I'm gonna go check it out in a few minutes.


I think I have it figured out. If I turn all the way left and hit a bump I hear a "thump". Before that I tightened the nut on top of the strut and heard a similar "thump", which is the spring moving. I believe the spring is binding up.

As an experiment, try turning all the way to the left and go slowly over a speed bump, it should "thump", if not then turn all the way to the right and then it should "thump", but only once when turned right (or left). This is the spring setting itself. Now if you turn all the way left, the spring should move and when you hit a bump, the spring should "thump" as it resets itself again in the strut. If you keep it turned left, it should not make a "thump", but turning all the way back to the right, you should now hear a "thump" as the spring moves again...

But thats just a theory...

 

i seem to be getting some sort of clicking noise when i drive in slow speeds, and it sounds like it may be coming from the left front brake. It's a consistent sound, and when i come to a stop, occasionally there is a loud thump or clunk. During the summer, my car has never made this noise, and all of a sudden now in the cold, it started up. Could it maybe be a piston in the caliper that isn't coming up all the way? or maybe is my front sway bar causing this problem??

 

I have the answer!
On the struts are small rubber "dams" on the bottom of the strut. This rubber dam is supposed to keep debri from getting into the base of the strut. But it does not work, rather it traps small rocks and these small rocks grind around in the spring, causing the "clunk" sound.
The Mitsu Dealer told me and he cleaned out the bottom of the strut and cut off the rubber dam. Now it is quiet.
He told me that Outlanders all have the same problem, because people like to take them off road. Also he knows a lady with one that drives on a gravel road to get to her house, and her shocks sound horrible because of all the rocks that get trapped in there and he keeps cleaning them out, but the rocks always get back in

 

My evo8 has the same clunking noise too. The front end makes the clunking noise when I take off, slow down, stop, go over speed bumps, drive up/down my driveway, etc. I can hear the clunking noise pretty much whenever there is a change of speed or when the car chasis is torqued (like going up the ramp/bump sideway). I had a reputable shop to look at it, and they could not find anything. It is getting so irritating, embrassing, frustrating now.... Btw, I have a 03gsr and Buddyclub coilovers.

 

can anyone take a picture of what you are talking about with this perch and where these rocks are getting trapped.

 

Here is what my mechanic did, and I have no problems since.

 

i have to try it

 

I have the same clunking sounds in my car at 32100 miles. I will try to clean out the struts.

 

I forgot to mention the reason for the sound is the pebbles getting stuck in the spring

 

Is there a way we can cut the dam so we dont' have to be cleaning it out every few weeks?