03 Camry XLE - Chattering, Creaking, Clunking, Tire Wear, Vibration - PLEASE HELP!

[SIrMack]

I have a 2003 Toyota Camry XLE that has had the following issues.

1) When going over speed bumps you can hear a very loud creaking in the front and rear and occasionally a clunk in the rear.

2) When driving on rough or bumpy roads you can hear a metallic chattering coming from the driver's side.

3) There is a vibration in the car that I can't pinpoint but I was told the front rotors are slightly warped and that could be causing it, thoughts?

4) I put brand new tires on in January and it has less than 10,000 miles on them but they already look like they need to be replaced. They are Michelin Hydro-edge tires. I have had it balanced/rotated at 6,000 miles as well as an alignment. Nothing was said to me about any problems by the tire place when I had it done a few months back, which I find odd.

5) When turning into parking spots or turning at low-speed in general, especially when turning right, I sometimes hear the tires squealing.

I was going to go ahead and replace all 4 struts, strut mounts, strut boots, rear sway bars, all 4 rotors and brake pads. But I wanted to make sure that this would fix the problem.

Do I need to get the front Driver/Passenger CV Half Shaft Drive Axle assemblies?

Are there any other parts that need to be replaced that could fix the issue? (Tie Rods? Ball Joints? etc?)

Are there any other parts you'd recommend replacing while working on the car?

I tried searching but could not find anything that specifically matched the problems.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

With all those issues i'd just take it in and ask someone you trust to take a look and giving a print out of everything that needs to be done.

It sounds like the problem i had, which was the strut mount broke....and that eventually led to my spring breaking.

I just had my front suspension completely replaced, and no more problems.

But take it in and have it looked at to be sure.

[SIrMack]

I just wanted to give a quick update.

I replaced all 4 struts, 4 strut mounts, 4 sway bars, 4 rotors and brake pads. It eliminated the clunking, metallic chattering, and creaking.

Unfortunately I still have vibration when I get up to certain speeds. I was told that it was most likely the tires, as they did not wear very well with the bad struts. So the next step is replacing all 4 tires and doing a balance on them to see if that fixes it.

Could there be anything else that would cause a decent vibration in the wheel at 65mph or so? Ball joints? tie rods? etc? or do you think the tires are the culprit?

[HertzRaj]

Which make model of struts did you use for your '03 camry?

[SIrMack]

Originally Posted by HertzRaj

Which make model of struts did you use for your '03 camry?

I ended up getting Monroe Struts.

I did get 4 new Michelin Harmony tires, which were a lot kinder on the road than the HydroEdge. That seems to have solved the vibration. Also did a front and rear alignment.

I still have a strange "wobble" noise in the rear passenger side tire area that occurs randomly or when hitting bumps just right. I replaced the hub bearing for that wheel and it did not solve the issue. No idea what it could be.

[pkpkpk2]

Originally Posted by SIrMack

I just wanted to give a quick update.

I replaced all 4 struts, 4 strut mounts, 4 sway bars, 4 rotors and brake pads. It eliminated the clunking, metallic chattering, and creaking.

Unfortunately I still have vibration when I get up to certain speeds. I was told that it was most likely the tires, as they did not wear very well with the bad struts. So the next step is replacing all 4 tires and doing a balance on them to see if that fixes it.

Could there be anything else that would cause a decent vibration in the wheel at 65mph or so? Ball joints? tie rods? etc? or do you think the tires are the culprit?

could be a bended rim...that happened to me once, only occurs at higher speed...did you hit the curb?

[SIrMack]

Originally Posted by pkpkpk2

could be a bended rim...that happened to me once, only occurs at higher speed...did you hit the curb?

Thanks for the input!

Never hit a curb but I did have a rim that was slightly bent, and changed that out, but it did not completely eliminate the vibration until I got the new tires. So I am guessing it was the tires wearing improperly prior to changing out all the suspension parts.

The issue I still have is a "wobble" noise in the rear passenger now. Changed out the hub assembly but it did not elimiante it. Not sure what it could be, and it only makes the noise when hitting bumps or going over speed bumps, etc.

Any ideas?