front suspension

[njcamry]

hey guys my 99 corolla w 120k has started making a dull clacking sound from front suspension area even on small bumps..it is very annoying!! any ideas for a quick fix and where, I dont wanna get ripped off and pay $3-400 for an old car.. im assuming its the bushing/bearings or cv jts..any1 know where they can be adressed at an affordable price in nj?

[Crowbar911]

Where in NJ are you located?

The mechanic I go to is in South jersey in the cherry hill area.

Can you pinpoint what is causing the clacking sound?

[njcamry]

yea thanx..I really dont know what to look for, im assuming its the bushings, I'm in the newark area, doesnt matter really how far to go as long as i dont end up paying much, its an old car and i dont wanna do the whole suspension over..sounds like somethings broke in there!!

[Crowbar911]

I Pm'd you the address.

It will be an hourish drive from newark most likely.

It may be pricey, might be cheap. Not sure since we dont know the problem. at 120K though, a new shocks may be coming.

[hychar]

I have a 98 that is doing the same thing at 101k, clunking, rattling sound at low speed on bumpy roads. It is quiet and rides fine at highway speeds and on smooth roads. Pushing on the front end the car does what it should do with good shocks goes down once and comes back solid. Got a recent quote for two struts up front, bushings on the sway bar, and wheel alignment for $1k. Is that fair? Just got the car from my daughter a few weeks ago, she had it from new and recently got a new one. The car is in beautiful shape otherwise. Aloha!

[iCorollaS03]

-Check Strut/Shock
Press down on passenger side, it should not go all the way down... there should be resistance and some "bounce." If there is a small bit of bounce, its good. If its excessive bounce, its about to go bad. Do same thing to driver side.

If Strut/Shock are good then check suspension

-Check sway bar links
Jack up the car, put it on a lift, or on a ramp. Check the sway bar links... A lot of people think its their strut/shocks going bad because of these little links. If you can hold it in your hand and move it... and theres play, its most likely sway bar links.

-Check bushings

Sway bar links require only an allen wrench and I believe a 12mm or 14mm socket to remove and replace. They run anywhere between $12 to $30 a piece

If you are not a mechanically inclined person, seek professional help for the shocks. These run anywhere between $50 to $90 a piece.

[hychar]

Thank you IcorollaS03, I have narrowed it down to the bushings on the sway bar. Appreciate your reply. Aloha!

[Danimal7]

It could be as simple as tightening some of the nuts and bolts on the suspension parts (they may have come loose to a degree).

After I changed out my control arms and other components on the front suspension I had to take apart the whole suspension, and when we put it back together after driving for about 10 miles I started noticing a small clinking noise that came in random intervals (mainly on turns, bumpy roads, and low speeds). I parked the car, rocked it side to side by pushing against the fender, and my friend stuck his head down under the car to see where the clinking noise was coming from. Sure enough some things were a bit loose.

I got down and tightened down the bolts on the control arm bushings and also tightened down the sway bar links. The problem was only on the left side, but I doubled checked the right side as well.



Here is a DIY on changing out Lower Control Arms. You WON'T need to do this, but if you find it interesting it takes you through the process:

The lower control arm (LCA) bushing is not replaceable as a separate piece. If the bushing does go bad, the complete control arm must be replaced. But you can always buy a polyurethane bushing on eBay and have it pressed into your old LCAs at a tire shop. Also, while you're underneath the vehicle tearing apart your front suspension, it would be a good time to replace the ball joints, tie rod ends and sway bar links. But most importantly the rear engine mount can only be replaced once your whole suspension cross member is removed, so do yourself a big favor and replace it at that point.

There is a step by step removal and installation guide available and I referred to the one on AutoZone.com. I worked with a friend.

Replaced:
2 LCAs
2 Ball Joints
2 Outer Tie rods (did not change the inner tie rods as it requires draining the power steering)
2 Sway bar links
2 Sway bar bushings
1 Rear engine mount



With the car safely supported on jack-stands and the wheels removed unbolt the engine under-covers.

1. Disconnect the tie rod end from the steering knuckle. Mark the spot where it sits if you're going to replace it with a new outer tie rod. When the steering knuckle is detached it will be free to move around. Be cautious not to pull your CV joints apart and disconnected by messing around with the hub assembly i.e. pulling at twisting it at extreme angles.
   
   
   
2. Separate the stabilizer bar (sway bar link) from the lower control arm.
3. Unbolt and remove the ball joint from the lower control arm. Be careful not to damage the ball joint (especially the rubber part) IF you're planning on reusing the old ball joints. I installed new ball joints during the install (good practice).
   Place a ball joint separator or a fork between the steering knuckle and the ball joint. Try using some leverage or a bigger hammer because they're tough to get loose.
   
   
4. Unbolt and remove the sway bar and the 2nd cross bar that goes across. Make sure to keep track of the bolts and and components.
5. Remove the three bolts from the lower control arm, they are two different sizes.
6. Remove all the other bolts around the suspension cross member until it comes off. Don't drop it on yourself, it's a bit heavy.

At this point you will have access to the rear engine mount. Purchased from rockauto.com for around $35.


suspension set of Ball joints, inner and outer tie rods (even though i didn't use the inner tie rods), and sway bar links for front and rear bought from worldsuspension on eBay.com Control arms were a separate purchase from the same seller. And the Sway bar bushings were purchased at RockAuto.com
BALL SWAY TIE ROD ENDS SET O.E. Brand S&H Included
Order Total: $83.99

2 LOWER CONTROL ARMS SET O.E. Brand S&H Included
Order Total: $111.99
Stabilizer Bar Bushings MOOG $6.82

Front end alignment $40

When installing everything back in reverse order make sure to put the bolts back exactly where they belong and use new cotter pins to secure the ball joints and tierods. Double check to make sure that the ball joints are greased, if not, you will need a grease fitting and a grease gun.

P.S. I also replaced the rest of the engine mounts on the previous weekend. The one located below the stock airbox is a transmission mount (be careful when purchasing the parts because the other ones are just called engine mounts).

[hychar]

Danimal7 what an absolutely amazing amount of usable information. Thank you so much. I am so glad I found this site. The diagram is certainly useful to me. Thanks again. Aloha!

[Danimal7]

Originally Posted by hychar

I am so glad I found this site.

Me too!!!

[joecharp]

This is great info and pictues - Thanks! I do have a question though about disconnecting the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle. I am going to attempt to replace the front axles on my daughter's 99 Corolla. To do that, I have to separate the tie rod end from the steeing knuckle so that I can move the wheel enough to release the outer end of the axle.

Here is my question.....do I need a special tool to separate the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle or can it be done with a normal tools....pry bar, hammer, brute force etc.

Thanks again.
Joe

[Danimal7]

Originally Posted by joecharp

This is great info and pictues - Thanks! I do have a question though about disconnecting the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle. I am going to attempt to replace the front axles on my daughter's 99 Corolla. To do that, I have to separate the tie rod end from the steeing knuckle so that I can move the wheel enough to release the outer end of the axle.

Here is my question.....do I need a special tool to separate the outer tie rod end from the steering knuckle or can it be done with a normal tools....pry bar, hammer, brute force etc.

Thanks again.
Joe

You shouldn't have any problems disconnecting the outer tie rod from the steering knuckle. A pry bar would do fine, maybe a little force from the hammer. I don't know whether you will be reusing the same ball joint, but those are the ones that will be a pain to take off. I had a fork connected to a metal pipe and a BFH (big effin hammer) knocking away at the pipe.

If you're prepared to and know how to replace the axle then the tie rod will be a sinch for you. Axles are trickier.

[joecharp]

Hi Danimal7. I am hoping you can help me again. I started the job or replacing the drivers side axle on my 99 Corolla. I have gotten everything apart with little problems - just a pulled muscle getting the axle nut off :-) Anyway, It is all apart but I am having a real problem getting the axle out of the transmission.

I have a Haynes manual that shows a picture using a pry bar to pry it out. My problem is there is not much room and I am having trouble getting any purchase with a pry bar or even a screw driver. If you have done this job, I would appreciate any tips you might have for this part of the job. I am going to go back at it in the morning and I really don't want to flail around all day.

Thanks again.
Joe

[Danimal7]

I can't speak from experience on the axle removal, but i would imagine there are people on this forum that can post a good advice for you in this thread. I will ask my friend tomorrow if he might have any suggestions. I would hope you could clamp onto the shaft without damaging the teeth (wrap a cloth around it) and pull it out with brute force. if you can stick a pry bar in there somehow then you could give it a knock with a hammer to get it loose.

If anyone has done this before please post.