I own a oz '03. / 32k mi.
soemone could help me with this question.
It happens when you go over a bump or into a dip. the noise is coming from the front ( both sides).I think is on the strut.
no noise at lower speeds. there is no "extra" bouncing.
before I take the car to the mechanic I would like to have some help with the part
numbers or costs.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

omar.

 

what kind of noise is it? is it a thump? or a squeek?

 

Any suspension mods to speak of???

 

HI,It sonds like a thump. metal hitting metal kind of
yuo can hear it only if the windows are down,
and if pass over a series of bumps or dips ,only happens at the first bump

thank you.
omar

 

I was having the same problem. A metal clank from the front was originally from my springs not sitting flush, but it escalated and my struts blew on stock springs. I also experience a squeaking noise from the rear. The rear is either the struts being blown, or the control arms are squeaking (Control Arms squeaking is a common occurrence on the lancer). But I am having my new set of NEX Coilovers installed right now, so my suspension problems will be gone. I recommend getting the NEX SS Coilover set-up from prostreetonline.com. It is really cheap and it is a quality product. I was quoted at $400 to replace my front struts/springs with factory hardware, and the NEX set-up is $650 for all four and it is height adjustable . Only thing is the ride is a little rough unless you go for more money and get the NEX GT Coilovers which allow for dampening control.

 

if you have an aftermarket exhaust they have a tendency to 'bounce' into the rear sway bar on the OZ's

 

He said it was coming from the front..

 

my bad; i missed that. too much saltwater

 

I posted about a problem like this about a year back. People call it different things but what was actually written up on the invoice was 'Tie Arm'(steering arm, etc). Just a small metal part with rubber supports on the tie rods- my right one was broken off. The rest of it had to be heated up then hit with crobar until it fell off. It's not wrong to say that they squeek on the lancer but that information is what had me ignoring the problem for so long.

It's part highlighted in yellow- but on the Lancer the bolt is on the top, I forget if the rubber piece is above or below. Not saying it's that for sure but it's something to look into. From what I've seen with springs going bad and squeeking the rear ones will start doing it about the same time as the front ones- so if you can't identify the problem right away keep an ear open for the same sound comming from the back of the car.

 

I replaced both control arms on the rear $120/piece+labor and the part that is shown above I replace that too. I think its called stabilizer link or something...but that was only 10 bucks so hope its that.

 

The tie rod might be the problem. My wife has an 05 OZ and we both experienced the same sounds you are talking about when going over a series of bumps, could also feel it a little in the steering wheel. We took it to the dealer, because it was still under warranty, and they discovered that the tie bar,rod was loose. So it can happen. After that I checked mine on my 03 OZ and one was a little loose.

Comatose, your right about the after market exhaust on the OZ. My Magnaflow hits the sway bar sometimes and I hate it. Between that and the bushings squeeking from progress lowering springs my car sounds like I'm in a 72' Impala or something. Then I get the "I told you so" from my wife about modifying my car. Oh well, no pain, no gain