HI All
I recently bought a new TL Awd. After a couple of hundred Klms it started to develope a faint "klunking" noise in the passenger side front suspension. Only when going over bumps. The noise is slowly getting louder and more noticable and now the drivers side is making he same noise.
It is not real loud but still noticable. Sounds to me like a worn bush on the sway bar or a strut that has some play in it.

When the car had the 1500klm service I sent a note in with the car to bring it to their attention ( my wife took the car in ). Not sure if they took any notice of it or not. Anyway the car now has 4600klm on it and today I managed to take it to service dept myself. Service manager went for a ride with me and agreed there was a noise. He said he hadn't come across it before and filled in a job card. Said he would contact the technical people at MMA and get back to me.

Has anyone else here had this sort of problem?

thanks
bollie7

My car has a noise on undulations and small bumps as if the wheel wasnt fully on, kinda hard to describe its a hollow noise most noticeable on corrugated roads. Its very hard to tell where its coming from.

greenmatt
that sounds just like the noise mine makes. I've also noticed it doesn't seem to be as bad when there is a passenger in the front. This makes me think its strut related. I'm thinking strut reaching its full extension when going over bumps. Extra weight of passenger means car suits a bit lower so suspension has to move further to reach full extension.
Might jack it up next w/end and see how much travel it really has.

regards
bollie7

Oh well if you do find anything then do tell me. Im wondering if by lowering it with just springs it will go away. Might be louder again in your car because of less sound deadening, its hard to describe to a mitsu person though, let alone complain about it.

will keep you posted
bollie7

greenmatt
Update
Took the TL to the Mitsu dealer, service dept who I bought it from a couple of weeks ago. Service manager went for a ride and immediatly agreed it had a noise, said he would contact MML tech dept and get back to me. He called last week and sia d they wanted to have a look at the car, My wife took it in today. apparently they went all over the front end and made sure everything was tight. Nosie is still there but is not as loud as before. He said the next thing they will try is a new set of struts and is ordering them in.
So at the moment thats where its up to. No problem with MML re warrenty so far.
will keep you posted as things go along

bollie7

Mine screeches when taking a 90deg corner at 75kph with no turn-in. I guess that's a different sound.... ;)

So much for the "Better Backed"
Its now been 6 weeks since the new struts were ordered and they are still waiting for the passenger side one. The drivers side came in within a couple of days.
I have had lots of phone calls to the service dept at the local dealer who inturn have been chasing Mitsubishi in SA. I have also called their customer help number a couple of times and the latest is the passenger side strut should be in Adelaide next week. This after being told last week that it would be in the local dealers spares dept today.

I've even offered to pay the difference to get VRX struts fitted if they are available (which I believe they are) only to be told that Mitsubishi "won't do that".

This is bull**** (pardon the language but I'm really starting to get ticked off now)
I have trouble believing that there is not a spare passenger side strut available somewhere in Australia. If they were really fair dinkum about "better backed" they would pull a strut off the line if they are still assembling magnas. (not sure if production has stopped, I can't get an answer on that)

To really tick me off the drivers side strut is now leaking oil everywhere. Its dripping off onto the ground and also coming through the wheel and getting splattered up the side of the car.
I've been hoping to get both struts changed at the same time to minimise the downtime of the car, plus the hassle of taking it in twice.
Looks like I will have to get them to change the drivers side on its own.
bollie7

oil leaking hmm......
get the mitsu guy to have a look under the car then hahahaha :badgrin:

I had my front left shock replaced which cured my clunking but unsurprisingly the right one is starting to make the same noise. My left shock was replaced the same day so all was good in that case. I wonder if a whole batch of monroe shocks were of bad quality as when it started they hadnt gone 20k and yours far less by the sound of it. Hope your luck improves.

I have a TJ II AWD which I took in this week to have the same noise looked at. They have ordered 2 new front shock absorbers which they said would take a week to get. When there replaced I'll let you know if the noise has gone. Other than that the car is fantastic!

I'm keen to hear your results

My 99 TH has the same damn Problem. It's driving me NUTS. Have had into Mits Dealer: Struts replaced! The noise is still there. When I questioned it a second time they answered " we have driven other cars of the same age (80 000km's) and they make the same noise so it 'normal'." My response to that is to say that these cars too have the same problem.

Out of frustartion I took the thing to 'No Bull' Pedders for the big 28 point check and........... There's nothing wrong with it!!! That they can see anyway.

I am at my wits end, so much so that I Lowered it 50mm and Threw 18" rims on it. The noise is no different. I'm thinking it may be from elsewhere. I myself have had the front end apart looking for the "fault" and truly, with 2 new struts, all bushes etc look to be good the answer for me at least can only be to start looking at mounts etc for the gearbox or a loose something under the dash.

ANY HELP would be much appreciated.

That interesting, well in annoying way. I thought if the noise was not the shock absorbers it may have been the bushes at the top of the shocks, but if you say you have replaced them & the noise is still there, that's a bugger. My brother in law had a listen and thought it could be in the steering arm or torsion bar not being tight. What about engine mounts?? Good luck in resolving the problem.

A possible solution...........
I was having a good think on the drive home this evening, clunking away, and came to this possible answer. I suspect that it may be close to what you suggest. That is, the bearings in the strut cap. I don't doubt that after time they might have developed some vertical movement and this is where my noise is coming from. Seems to make sense to me at this stage, after checking everything else. Dissapointed I didn't think to check them whilst I was putting the new springs in. Anyhow, I'll let you know when I get a result.

After waiting over 5 weeks for a new left strut to come in I finally had to get them to change the drivers side on its own as the oil leak was that bad it was spraying up the side of the car.
The left strut finally arrived last week and is being fitted on Friday this week.
After the drivers side was done it still appears to be clunky on the drivers but this could be the sound from the passenger side being transmitted through the body. Will be interesting to hear what its like after this friday.

will keep you all posted.
regards
bollie7

Well the new strut went in on Friday and has made no difference to the noise.
I have spoken to the service manager and also forwarded this thread to him.
Will have to wait and see.

My old Skyline was quiter in the front suspension than the new Magna, and it had near 400,000 klm on it when I sold it.

bollie7

I had similar problem. Had a knocking sound when the car rolled and turned slightly left. Changed the shocks and problem was gone. Guess i shoudl have a look at the old shock and see what the problem was....


Has anyone checked your steering rack bushes?

"Has anyone checked your steering rack bushes?"

Well the mechs at the service dept are supposed to have checked the entire front end. I was thinking the same thing myself. Usually though when a rack bush is worn it is only really noticable on the passenger side as the tensioner on the pinion end stops the actual rack from rattling in the housing. My car is clunky on both sides.
Having said that, it sounds a lot like a worn rack bush. Considering the car only had about 200 klm on it when the noise first started to become noticable, then if the rack is worn, there is a problem with TRW or whoever made the rack.

bollie7

I win!!! I am pleased to announce that my noise has been silenced! After a long and firm discussion with the local dealer, they agreed to replace to Strut Bearings through "goodwill" (as they didn't consider the car to be unsafe) and...

NO MORE CLUNKING!!!!

Good work. But what are strut bearings?

OK,
All McPherson front ends run this same set up, the strut bearings are located at the top of both front struts inside the Strut Caps. Where the top of the shock absorber mounts to the metal cup that bolts to the chasis, it passes through this bearing but is fixed vertically to allow the wheels to turn left and right freely. If you take off the rubber plugs on top of your struts (under the bonnet) you can see them from there.

Obviously over time they can develop some vertical movement although in my limited experience it is quite unusual. Of all the old Sigmas, Galants and Scorpions I had never this problem.

I hope I have explained that OK!!

Cool, thanks.