LetsGetThisDone

iTrader: (1)

Was it not the ps line?

kyoo

iTrader: (29)

it definitely decreased after this last time of fixing that hose & clamp, but I think he pushed the subframe a little more forward, and that may have given a little more clearance in the line.. idk. check the last pic i posted, shows what looks like an alignment clamp/fork that's not holding anything

wjamyers

Ok, I did it, i didn't bother trying to paraphrase, I copied and pasted and removed what I thought was extraneous:

1. 9) Replaced Struts
2. 10) New coilovers
3. 11) it was just the front sway bars the bolts were loose. (at the end of page 25) check sway bar nuts, inluding where the unit attaches to the front lower arms.
4. 12) The Whiteline Roll Center kit ball joints are bad.... had them in less than 1 year... they are done for... that was the culprit...
5. 13) ran over side walk, busted my ball joint, heard loud clunk everytime I drove over uneven pavement and sharp bumps. fixed with whiteline RCA. (Robispec said usually caused by a bad ball joint)
6. 14) turned out to be the two main bolts holding in the cross member. One had a washer, one didn't. Removed the washers...it's never made a noise since
7. 15) check lower front arm bushings -rear, that goes into the body under the door/front fender area(very hard to do), these do wear and make clunking noises
8. 16) check top main bolt on strut, remove and replace, make sure there is a greased washer of appropriate size under it when re-installing
9. 17) loose bolts on the lower arm bar
10. 18) tightening the two lower cross bars? did the trick
11. 19) Took apart my strut There's a shaft that runs to the bottom of the strut body that looks like it snapped. guessing that's what's making the noise. - hrc69
12. 20) i fixed my clunks and popping.. the two bolts that connect to the strut and behind the brake rotor were moving around
13. 21) I've replaced the front tie rods and wheel bearings in my Evo due to alignment and clunking issues. All is good now.
14. 22) Mine was the bearings in the strut top (under the dust cap). It wouldn't spin freely when weighted. When the wheel was turned and unloaded would make a pop noise + 2
15. 23) dealership, said the replace the front factory top upper strut mount when hard to replicate, this is the first part they replace
16. 24) As it turns out, one of the bushings on the front sway bar was worn out.
17. 25) Check all suspension bolts for correct torque/tightness
18. 26) It was the top hats, springs weren't settled - it was the top hats for me - Same here
19. 27) replaced front stabilizer bushings!!!!!!!!!!!, now i don't have any noises
20. 28) turned out to be the sway bar moving sideways (towards the drivers side only) when the wheel was pointing right and hitting the subframe. New bushes fixed the problem. NOTE: I noticed Whiteline suspension sway bars have an oversized sleeve to prevent this happening. The bushes are the "D" shaped ones that go around the sway bar and bolt to the chassis. I have since been advised to add the "lateral locks" as apparently evos are known to have the sway bar move enough to hit the sub frame (CBRD said something like this happened on my car when tuning!!!!!!). You can check this by taking off the left front wheel and pushing the sway bar. If it hits and makes a noise, add the lateral locks. + The noise is the swaybar hitting the subframe on the transmission side(not to confuse lhd and rhd cars) of the car. To check, pull the wheel off, grab the swaybar and push it towards the other side of the car and see if it hits the subframe. There is only about 10mm clearance. I used sway bar lateral locks and it fixed the noise permanently. The reason all previous fixes are temporary is that when you jack the car up, the sway bar re-centres, giving you a few weeks of noiseless driving. The sway bar inches sideways until it again makes contact with the subframe.
21. 29) replace the top nut with a new one every and any time you service your suspension. Q: Can you just replace that nut with the strut still on the car A: yes
22. 30) the steering rack noise isnt common, they make noise from the in-board attachments, alot of cars are coming in with bad factory or worn aftermarket shocks when you replace these also replace the strut bearings! - CBRD
23. 31) Turn out that my engine mount was loose. I tighten it and it was going. it was the driver side mount bolts that was loose
24. 32) I changed the passenger top hat. After I changed it out and took it for a spin, NO CLUNKING!
25. 33) Post #704, page 47 of 51: Pic of subframe bolt with torque spec - in couple of cases tightening it helped people to get rid of the clunk the car makes when you stop and pull away sometimes
26. 34) The rear engine mount was bad. Diagnosed it with a pry bar between trans case and front member. Engine moved a lot and made the scraping noise. If it moved enough will clunk.
27. 35) lower end link was loose
28. 36) New strut bearings/top hats from RCHill for $108 fixed my clunking problem.
29. 37) I have heard this on my friends evo 8 and recently with my ix. Both times it ended up being the 17mm nut that secures the strut piston to the top hat. On my friends car it was loose, once we tightened it the noise went away
30. 38) the top strut mount came loose when I went over a pot hole and it kept making a clunking noise. Tightened it back up and it was gone but I had to replace my front drivers side coilover b/c it was blown during the incident
31. 39) I had to reseat the springs. And reposition the top hat. Problem solved
32. 40) the sway bar endlink bracket was loose, when I tighten the two bolts attached to the control arm, the bolts were seized. I drilled out the old bolts replaced with new ones.
33. 41) Replaced Front strut mounts in my 2011 MR 2 days ago and it appears the noise (which had gotten horrible over last year) is gone
34. 42) Just had the noise myself in the RH front area. Checked the top nut on the strut, it was finger tight. Re torqued it, all good now
35. 43) Resolved: Power Steering Lines & Clamp loose, one of the power steering clamps was bent and totally loose - we straightened it back and tightened it down, noise gone! find where the back of your FSB is, and you'll see the silver PS line right next to it. you can see it from under the car without moving anything, and you can even move the PS line and the pass side bracket with a pry bar from under there - what do you know. One of the brackets bolt holding it down was loose. On the other the bolt was completely missing. replaced bolt, put that on, and tighten the other bolt. noise has disappeared - Checked out my lines and found a nearly identical situation as yours.

The reason I did this is because I have been plagued by this (second time, first time was a loose endlink, since swapped for Whiteline) for the last couple of years since I hit a couple of different potholes so hard it knocked my windshield wipers on! Moore Automotive has been unable to figure it out despite throwing top hats and tie rods at it. Chad Block said that the FSB shifted while it was on the Dyno recently so, that's my first thing to check. If I can't find something I'll take it to Mach V and My last resort will be driving to GTWorx/RCE and have them try to figure it out (I'm running their springs with Bilstein HDs and other things to their specs).

One thing different about my clunk from nearly all the other descriptions I've read here is that near the limit, the car feels vague and/or squirrely and, frankly, frightening, I think that whatever my problem is, it is actually affecting the geometry (I'm thinking my Whiteline KCA395 Front Roll centre/bump steer - correction kit may need replacing, could be busted, the fact that my Whiteline RSB bushings required replacement after only two years makes me extra suspicious of Whiteline, especially after Chad Block said he doesn't recommend them).

I used to have supreme confidence in the car (especially with Michelin PSS!) but that is a thing of the past now, I hang on tightly with both hands in terror expecting the unexpected.

I hope this summary helps others.

kyoo

iTrader: (29)

wow ^ another power steering line being loose & causing clunks. it's surprising how loud it is for what it is

Jonno99

I was adjusting my camber on the weekend and while under there I gave the OEM shock spring a yank, it clunked once, I tried again and couldn't get it again. I felt around the top for any sign of movement, nothing. I couldn't see any worn parts anyway. I have a right hand drive car and its still in the left side. I just put up with it as part of owning an evo and one day might upgrade to coil overs

wjamyers

I swear that my problem is affecting the way the car steers.... it's darty and uncertain and going over bumps forces me to adjust the steering much more than I think I should.

Does anyone know what the complete list of parts are that could affect geometry when flexed? I've had two shops look at this car and find nothing wrong.

kyoo

iTrader: (29)

what's your alignment at? the behavior sounds bushing related but IDK how that would create a clunking. Thought you posted above that the steering lines fixed it?

wjamyers

no i was just compiling the complete list, but included in it just happens to be "replacing a busted Whiteline RCA Kit" which is essentially, like you said.... bushings.

since I don't believe the sway bar shifting left and right would affect my geometry i'm starting to think maybe the potholes wrecked my RCA Kit internally (they look fine and don't clunk or move around when you push and pull on them).

I use stock alignment specs.