Nasty noise when steering wheel is turned

[HDRider]

I have a similar noise in one of our 7's. I am beginning to think that it is the top spring mount plate.

When I replaced the inserts I noticed it had at some time been assembled badly and the plate around the shock hole was bent. I did straighten it out but the fit was a bit loose. I have replaced everything else including the rack and the clunck persists.

Edward Hamer
Petaluma CA

[Mark H]

Sounds like I should be grateful that I have one strut that doesn't clunk!

1980 TR8, coming back to life

[moodyblue]

I have the same issue on the R/H side when I jack the car up. It sounds like it's from the strut top but I think it's the rack bush, even though it's a reconditiond unit. The car also pulls to the left and grinds over bumps at high speed even though the tyres aren't touching at any point and everything has been replaced. I think that sometimes we expect too much and compare our wedges with modern cars, we just have to live with some of these issues and not change them too much from factory spec.

[HDRider]

If it "grinds " at high sped I would check that the bump stop was installed on the upper strut rod. The originals have long since rotter away and most modern mechanics don't know that they are suppose to be there.

Edward Hamer
Petaluma CA

[bmcecosse]

I use Moly grease in the rack - every little helps. And yes - I HAVE adjusted the 'nut' to take up a tiny bit of slack there. My car also failed the MOT a few years back becuase the tester detected a slight movement in the top bush of one strut. I stripped it, wrapped a shim of thin tinplate around and refitted the strut - perfect, no more play. But I wasn't ever aware of more than usual clunks from the suspension at any time.

[moodyblue]

My front bumpstops are poly so should be ok, unless they're too long. I fitted a new ball joint/track rod to a rack before, simple job. The knock can also come from the inner bush and if that's the problem you can live with it or buy a new rack. As for the struts mine feel like the shock/strut nuts are loose when I lift/push/pull them but they aren't, so again I'll live with it.

[Hasbeen]

The racks inner bush/pad, if sound, can be shimmed to correct for wear.

If the pad is unusable, anyone competent on a lathe could turn up a new one from a bit of delrin stock. This is radially available in most plastic supply places.

Alternately, a brass pad would do the job perfectly well, but would not be quite as good at absorbing road shock as the plastic piece.

Hasbeen

[Mark H]

I did a little more experimentation, and found that the car will pull for the first few hundred yds, the direction of the pull depending on which way I reverse out of the driveway.

This morning I tried going in the opposite direction to my usual one, and the car pulled to the left, instead of the usual right. It gradually goes away.

This seems to support the theory that one of the struts is not moving smoothly. Maybe?

1980 TR8, coming back to life

[Hasbeen]

Does your anti roll bar have the clamps to stop it moving from side to side through the front bushes? That sounds like changing castor, & the top of the strut would have to be able to move a fair way to do it.

Hasbeen

[Mark H]

Yes it does have the clamps, but I had just had a look and they are fitted so as to allow the bar to slide from side to side about 1cm. Tomorrow night I'll try to fix that.

1980 TR8, coming back to life

[Hasbeen]

That is probably not enough to cause a problem Mark. About half that should be about right. Don't try to make them tight.

It does sound like castor change if it pulls different ways after different turns. Could be movement at the strut top, but are you sure there is no, or very little, movement at the roll bar to control arm bushes?

Hasbeen

[HDRider]

Make sure that the clamps are positioned so that they won't bump into the frame when the roll bar rotates when the suspenion moves.

Edward Hamer
Petaluma CA

[bmcecosse]

Any chance the steering rack is moving sideways??

[moodyblue]

I always though that the ARB clamps should be tight against the bushes, as they have been on all my wedges. Were they all set up wrong?

[Hasbeen]

Almost tight, just a few thou clearance.

Hasbeen