Since summertime, I have a fairly consistent popping noise coming from front end. Pop is not a CV axle clicking. It is a loud pop, i can hear it mainly at low speeds even with windows up. Can't tell for sure driver or passenger side. i hear it when driving straight down a neighborhood street, usually when the tires going over low spots & then bouncing back up. Happens on turns also. But, I can "create" the noise myself by playing with the steering - rocking the car side to side while driving straight. almost sounds like CV axles sliding in & out of transaxle housing each time i rock the steering side to side.

- I tried the following with no help: rotated tires, replaced a couple of tires
- With car running jacked up on stands: friend turned wheel lock to lock. i watched for anything loose. all looks normal. no unusual noises with car running / i watched motor mounts while friend shifted from Park/Reverse/Drive. Engine/tranny not rocking or shaking
- Still on stands, car not running, wheels on & lugs tight: Checked for wheel bearing play by both a) rolling the tires forwards/backwards b) pushing/pulling tires in & out, rocking them - but no play at all.
- Still on stands, car not running, wheels removed: Checked control arm bolts / Ball joints (boots not cracked) / rack & pinion bolts / outer tie rods (boots seem okay) / CV axles - boots are good shape - neither side leaks, there is some in & out play at transaxle housing, but seems "normal" to me. The driver side CV axle shows some residual leaking (no fluid drips - just greasy) all around the housing at tranny (not boot), so i just wiped tranny seal off & will keep an eye / Sway bar bolts & links - links have cracked boots, but are not loose at sway bar or strut / Struts are only 20-30K old and are not leaking / Springs around struts are in place & when i rock the car, they do not bounce excessively

Any ideas? I've read some posts, but i've checked suspect items and they seem fine. All bolts i've checked are tight & no other symptoms, just the loud pop while driving. I can't see any results of damage ... like another family member hit a curb? I'm thinking about separating the outer tie rods from the steering knuckle & then check for play on the inner tie rods that are booted.

Car has 116,000 miles. thanks for any help! dennis

 

Upper strut mounts ? If it turns out to be that...get new ones from the DEALER. I've seen a number of posts claiming KYB or Monroe mounts are a poor replacement and that they have been troublesome in SATURNS. Swaybar bushing are a known noise maker in IONs. The mount bushings as well as the end links. Stop in the new member area and introduce yourself.

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...mb=v0o1P244XfT

http://images.search.yahoo.com/image...mb=v0o1P244XfT

 

i can personally vouch for the fact that monroe mounting hardware is crap

 

So many things it could be with 116k on the clock. I'd look into the swaybar to frame mounting bushings and top strut (mounts) bearings.

 

The only time I have heard anything that meets the description of your popping noise was a junk yard Dodge Van with 300,000 miles on it that looked like it got that far running on pure neglect. In that case it was the bearings at the top of the front struts where they rotate as the front tires turn and move. The bearings on that car were separate items as I remember it and did not come with the the struts. I think anyway. It has been a number of years since I owned it. As to buying things from the dealer. I guess I do not go along with that as an overall philosophy. There are some items on certain models that it is important to do so. But in my opinion struts and parts for them are not one of them.
Your car, your choice. I know what mine would be.

I take back the diagnostic. I had a Dodge Aries K car that developed that problem too. That one was the lower ball joint at the bottom of the strut. It went into a hole into the bottom of the strut and was clamped into place by tightening a bolt that tightened the the hole tighter. There was a slot cut into the casting where the hole was, a bolt went through the casting to squeeze the area where the slot was cut. The shaft the lower ball joint was mounted with had a notch in it to allow the bolt to pass through. If the bolt was not tight enough, the ball joint would move up and down against the bolt and pop when it did it.

Now I'm done. Hope something becomes obvious.

 

Unc, struts don't seem to be the problem, yet aftermarket strut mounts have been an ongoing problem when used on S-cars. In fact many aftermarket parts for S & L cars are not worth buying. Most aftermarket parts for the 2002-2007 VUE have not been very good. That changed somewhat when GM cloned Saturn.

 

Thanks everyone! after reading your responses, i called a friend over and we figured out a way to reproduce the noise with the car parked in the driveway. He started bouncing the front end at the driver side strut & we heard the popping - thankfully not at the strut mounts. i started looking at the sway bar mount at the passenger side frame and sure enough the bar is just moving and popping inside the mount bushing. I'll be replacing both side bushings as soon as i can.

really appreciate your direction ... if you don't hear back from me on this one, problem solved.

 

Well, we'd appreciate your posting back even if it is the sway bar bushings and you get it fixed, Dennis. We're all here to try to help one another out and if this fixes yours, maybe your information will help steer someone else in the right direction if they run into this situation.

 

no problem, good idea. i'll definitely post back and update this thread ... i still have not had a chance to get the bushings replaced ... layoffs at work; so we are working more overtime & weekends. But in all my spare time, it's nice to have the good wife i do that helps me set my priorities in order. We at least have Chrismtas lights on the house now. Good wife was not the one on the roof

in the meantime while our house is nice & lit up, her van needs a motor mount & my car needs bushings.

 

Get new straps from the dealer, they have been revised. Get the rubber from the dealer or MOOG brand from NAPA all others are worthless.