Clunk goes the camry!

[gfryhtsn]

Hi.. I have a 1998 V6 camry with a problem that has seemed to stump almost all my local mechanics. It makes the clunking noise while driving (not necessarily over bumps, even in my own driveway which is smooth) Don't quote me on this but it seems to do it more often when turning. It also has an -intermittent- bad vibration of the steeringwheel in-between like 55-70 mph. And I don't really know how to explain this, but when im turning it seems to be really choppy in the turn. I have rebalanced the tires...rotated the tires. Had the struts checked out. Bought new tires. Had the struts checked out again. Put new strut mounts on. Had the springs checked out. Had CV joints/boot checked out. Rebalanced the new tires. And once again had the struts/springs checked out (at another service station). The new strut mounts seemed to -minimize- the noise for a short period of time, but by no means solved it. Just got it back from sears today because the vibrating was getting worse (and Toyota house says they don't think all new struts will fix anything, because they look fine, and it would be like 1300..) Also sometimes it seems that the something is really week in the suspension. When I go to hit the breaks hard, the rear end raises up more than I think it should, and it lowers more than I think it should with a full tank of gas. Any ideas guys? Any help would be much appreciated!

[gfryhtsn]

Also i was just going to say it has 86thousand on it, and i have read it could be the engine mounts or something, could this be it? It doesnt make sense to me, but then again i wouldnt know! And the struts are not leaking anything.

[STANJ]

might be your stabilizer bar(since you have already checked struts, balanced tires & changed mounts). Check the rubber bushing and make sure that they are alright. also, check to see if the stabilizer bar is loose. It might just be that the stabilizer bar is hitting the bottom of your car.

[Obelix]

does it "clunk" when you slowly hit the brakes (while stoping) and check the stabilizer links .... i had the clunking noise while stoping only and it was the rotors...

[RichieRichJP]

I have a clunk on my car too that mechanics couldn't find and I thought it had something to do with the arms connecting to the stabilizer bar. Now the problem I had with steering wheel vibration was a bad outer drivers side Tie Rod End. After I got that Tie Rod end fixed, I now notice squeeking noises when I hit bumps

[Eye8Pussies]

bearings are a possiblity

[gfryhtsn]

Im sitting here looking at my work order from earlier today. It says that the tierods checked out fine, ball joints fine, bearings fine. And no it doesnt only clunk when i stop or slow down...Pretty much just randomly. I dont remember toyota house saying they checked the stabalizer bar, and I cant find it on this work order from sears..So maybe I finally have a lead!

[Big05Taco]

My '04 has had the same problem twice. Both times they replaced the entire rack and pinion assembly. It would clunk and you could feel it in the steering wheel. It would do it when you took off kinda hard or turning, especially to the right and going slower.

[Donald]

I had a similar problem on two occasions. Both I found myself after Sears couldn't.

The first was a lower ball joint. It checked good if both front wheels were lifted off the ground at the same time, and would only show play if that wheel only was jacked, because of the tension of the stabalizer bar.

The second was a strut cartridge cap nut that had worked loose.

[Eye8Pussies]

^ wow...that's some pretty good trouble shooting....did you think of that yourself, or did you conicidentally jack up the one side and find out that way?

and why am I not surprised that sears couldn't find it anyway?

[Donald]

Pissed off and dumb luck

Both took several searches to locate, and each was found just as I was about to give up and replace every F*****g thing in the suspension.

[gfryhtsn]

wow nice donald...i would have just traded in before me, or any mechanics here would have figured that out...props to you most definatly..And i will definatly have to have that checked out