Heres one for the smart folk :-)
My car has developed a rattle, more of a clonking sound really, from the front end somewhere.
happens when you hit 'jiggly' road surfaces but not when you hit the bigger bumps. The sound also happens when the engine is under load in the higher gears, say 25-40 mph in 4th, approx 1500-2300 rpm, but disappears as soon as you take your foot off the gas and also at higher revs so perhaps the vibration at lower rpm is a clue?
The noise also stops when you apply the brakes ( I left foot braked at 35 and the noise stopped immediately ). Its really puzzled me and both garages ive had look at it who have check all the front suspension and bushes, wheel bearings and had a general look around.
The noise is very similar to what I got when the droplinks failed on a car I owned once, its a sort of metallic clonk/rumbling.
Its certainly not anything immediately obvious as the car drives, steers and brakes spot on and nothing appears loose. Ive also checked the bonnet catch and made sure all wheelnuts are all tight. Its odd because it seems to be related to several different symptoms. It also crossed my mind that it may be two separate faults.
Any ideas welcome !
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Seems all the obvious bushes and ball joints have been checked and reported ok.
Maybe an outside shot here but it won't do the car any harm and maybe give them an extended life.
I'm suggesting cleaning the CV joint boots and general area scrupulously and repacking the CV joints with the correct grease.
Are the inner CV joints (if fitted) pushed fully home and free moving (not sure of the design of your car driveshafts here Stu)
I've had dry CV joints making all sorts of rattling noises in the past.
Also have the brake pads been out for a clean and recoppaslipping (and the caliper sliders etc) since the winter?
Probably nowt to do with either but both simple home maintenance jobs that might just show up the real reason whilst being done.
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check the exhust and especially the heat sheilds around cat and the manifold. let us know how you get on.
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Ok, I think ive found the cause. I managed to isolate the sound to the OSF wheel as it only happened when that wheel was going over rough roads.
It turns out the caliper is loose on its mountings and there is about 1-2mm of freeplay from its fixings ( the NSF is firmly attached by comparison ). I could move it freely with my hand and it made the telltale clonking noise.
Question is, can I be sure this is the result of its brake strip down late last year or is there any reasonable reason that a caliper should become loose over 6 months? Should I be worried from a safety point of view, I mean its been like this for a long time although it will be sorted on Monday.
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Are you saying the mounting bolts are loose Stu, or is the caliper itself loose and rattling against the mount?
Maybe the anti rattle or securing spring has jumped ship or broken.
Still good opportunity for a check up clean and coppaslip, which a good valet man would have done long before now..;) I know don't bite me tongue or i'll poison meself...heh.
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All I know is that when I grab the caliper, i can physically moved it and knock it, presumably the noise is it knocking against the bolts. Seems to move more at the top then the bottom.
A good owner of a mint Merc would know what colour their leather is so I hear ;-)
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A good owner of a mint Merc would know what colour their leather is so I hear ;-)
ooooh! it's a fair cop guv you've got me bang to rights..;)
Without looking there's no way to tell whats wrong with the caliper, there are several methods of securing the thing in place and i don't have the foggiest which Daihatsu use.
I daresay it won't fall off before you get to the repair shop on Monday.
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Well its not fallen off in 6 months!
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Handbags down girls! ;>)
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ManBags thankyou very much!
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Well its been in and it turns out that two bolts needed another half turn which has completely eliminated the noise. Its amazing that such a small detail can sound so catastrophic yet be so simple to fix.
I actually talked to the guy who worked on it and he showed me in the workshop when the car was on the ramp exactly what had been rattling - great way of doing things rather than the faceless fob off you get from big dealers.
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So basically the brake caliper was loose, is that what you're saying Stu, don't like the sound of that, never had a brake caliper working loose in all me years.
If that is the case the 2 garages that originally looked at your car i would avoid like the plague in future.
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