Subaru Impreza GC8 & RS Forum & Community banner

Strange knocking sound coming from front front right suspension?

5K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  cleanwater 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, I hit a pretty deep pothole on the highway a couple weeks ago, noticed my suspension looked a little lower than normal, but foolishly thought nothing of it. Yesterday I noticed this knocking sound coming from the drivers side suspension assembly, it seems to follow the speed of the wheels, i also cant hear it under slight acceleration or while braking. Any advice on what it might be?
 
#2 ·
It sounds like the strut mount or ball joint or something like that. It could also be as simple as the brake line banging against the bottom of the strut if the mount broke off. You need to take off the wheel and inspect/woggle thingd to see what‘s wrong.
 
#5 ·
A wheel bearing would be more of a grinding-choochoo noise and the axle would be more of a clicking noise, especially when on a full lock turn at low speeds. When the gears of the axle are completely shot it’ll slip and cause mini spikes in the RPM range while the rest of the AWD system tries to compensate. Wheel bearing noise would usually get quieter or go away when turning the wheel the affected direction, therefore taking load off of the bearing and reducing noise.
 
#7 ·
I haven’t ever experienced that sound coming from a wheel bearing. Wheel bearing noises are almost always constant and get louder as the car picks up speed. This noise is intermittent and occurs every few rotations. I wouldnt rule out that it could possibly be the axle but most likely not the wheel bearing.
 
#8 ·
It almost sounds like something is 'winding up' and then releasing tension and causing the noise.
Are the lug nuts torqued correctly? Did one or more get loose? I had something similar due to loose lug nuts, made weird noises and felt like a flat tire.
Jack up the car and put a jackstand under it so it is secure and doesn't move around. Grab the tire at 3 and 9 and again at 12 and 6, and move back and forth. Listen for noise and feel for excessive play - you shouldn't have either. This could point to a wheel bearing.
Pull the wheel off and carefully inspect for damage and cracks especially around the rim and spokes. While it is off look for any fresh metal - gouges or scratches - on the caliper assembly and the knuckle and even up on the strut/spring that could indicate something rubbing or bent out of place. You may have a wobble in the rim that is rubbing oddly due to speed/load/wheel direction.
Check out your knuckle and all points where anything mounts to it for damage including tie rods, ball joints and strut mounts (possible broken strut?). Use a pry bar and try to get things to move, check for excessive play and listen for any weird noises like pops, bangs or creaks. Grab the axle shaft and move it all around/in and out checking for play or noise.
Just for fun check your sway bar end links and bushing mounts. These can make a clunk but more when accelerating and braking but worth checking out.
Let us know if you find anything.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top