club.liberty.asn.au

I have a clunking/knocking noise from the front end, when turning sharply at low speed. Now that'd usually be the symptoms of a centre diff, but I've just had the centre diff replaced. The centre diff noise is now gone, but this noise remains. It's not a clicking noise, more of a rotational noise ("clunk-clunk-clunk"). Shaheenis has what sounds like the same issue.

Any ideas? Could this be Bilstein Knock?
Isn't the Bilstein knock more of a single intermittent knock, not a repeated noise when turning?

I took it back to the mechanic, and they check CV shafts etc, without finding anything. They said it is probably a Bilstein knock, but I have my doubts!
I never get any knocking when driving, even on bumpy roads. It's only when turning sharply or doing a U turn (sometimes a single kock when turning at a 90deg intersection).

That really doesn't sound like a suspension issue to me, since the suspension really isn't under much load. And it only happens when the car is warm, nothing when it's cold (and by cold I mean 25deg NorthQLD winters lol - more the driveline/oil temp than outside temp).

Interestingly mine, with 165,000 has recently started this. Not a bilstein knock. Not a cv 'click' either. Tight turn feels like going over a little bump about once a rotation..... Got me !

Tonic wrote:Interestingly mine, with 165,000 has recently started this. Not a bilstein knock. Not a cv 'click' either. Tight turn feels like going over a little bump about once a rotation..... Got me !

Yeah, and Shaheenis is in the same boat. I'll book my car into another mechanic at some stage, to see what they think.... I'll share the info once I know more.

I tested it with continual RH and LH turns last week, in an empty car park. No difference between RH and LH turns for me.

tom_kauf wrote:

Tonic wrote:Interestingly mine, with 165,000 has recently started this. Not a bilstein knock. Not a cv 'click' either. Tight turn feels like going over a little bump about once a rotation..... Got me !

Yeah, and Shaheenis is in the same boat. I'll book my car into another mechanic at some stage, to see what they think.... I'll share the info once I know more.

I tested it with continual RH and LH turns last week, in an empty car park. No difference between RH and LH turns for me.

I've just had my 5eat and c diff rebuilt/replaced and it's doing something similar to what you guys describe only on full left lock. Right turn lock is fine

It's different to a broken c diff, which is more of an audible clunk

I had a similar issue in a VW Jetta a few years ago. I was told that there was some wear on the wheel bearing and it was a non issue apparently as it was not in play during normal driving. Had the thing replaced anyway which sorted the symptoms

Hey boys,

I am battling the same problem at the moment on a 05 Liberty 3.0R-B - i am finding it difficult to get the mechanics to understand that it is only happening when the car is warm.

Naively, i got the outer CV joint replaced ($300 gone ) to find that this wasn't the problem.

I am probably going to try another mechanic soon, has anyone had any luck or can share their findings?

I am finally turning some heads - not for the right reasons though...

Wow, this is a much more common issue than I thought .

Definitely a hard one to trace. And yeah, like Lib_king said, I even made sure I brought my car into the mechanic mid-morning when it was warmed up (so it wasn't sitting there half the day and cooled down again). But they still said they couldn't fault it (only noticed 2 small clunks on the entire test-drive). Yet as soon as I left there, I turned sharply and heard the 'clunk clunk clunk' . They clearly didn't listen when I said to do eg a U-turn.
One of my CV shafts (RH side) is less than 6 months old, the other is still original. So yeah, I don't suspect CV shaft either (and it's a different noise from what people have said).

Are we agreed that it's definitely coming from the front of the car?
Mine sounds like it's from the very front, not from the transmission area. So yeah, maybe a Wheel Bearing like McDoof suggested, or Ball-joint??

Sway bar end links are a common source of knocking but generally over bumps. Just done mine and couldn't feel any play till I took old ones off and one was loose in the socket. Might be worth a look if you haven't already. Just a thought.

Gadgit7 wrote:Sway bar end links are a common source of knocking but generally over bumps. Just done mine and couldn't feel any play till I took old ones off and one was loose in the socket. Might be worth a look if you haven't already. Just a thought.

Thanks Gadgit7. If it's common over bumps, that doesn't sound like my issue. I never get knocks at all when driving (even on bumpy roads). Just when turning - more when turning longer ie sharply. But if you (or anyone) has had some luck with resolving my issue with sway bar end links, that'd be good.

tom_kauf wrote:

Gadgit7 wrote:Sway bar end links are a common source of knocking but generally over bumps. Just done mine and couldn't feel any play till I took old ones off and one was loose in the socket. Might be worth a look if you haven't already. Just a thought.

Thanks Gadgit7. If it's common over bumps, that doesn't sound like my issue. I never get knocks at all when driving (even on bumpy roads). Just when turning - more when turning longer ie sharply. But if you (or anyone) has had some luck with resolving my issue with sway bar end links, that'd be good.

Mine's also not over bumps or driving. I'd say it's predominant mostly at very slow speed, full lock on steering and especially when reversing. Maybe it's my built box... Will suss it out soon

I've done some more research and it seems that this has been a common trait of a viscous coupling problem - located in the centre diff.

See:

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=13335

http://www.ausubaru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17376

http://www.subarugearbox.com.au/centre- ... -exchange/

It's not looking like a cheap fix, with the majority of cases saying that it will be $1400+ (w/ fitting).

Again, if anyone more mechanically minded can answer why the temperature influences the 'donking' it might give me some piece of mind!

That's right, except I just had my Centre Diff replaced (as per my original post in this thread, and more info here: http://forum.liberty.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11589 ).

So that's not the issue in my case either unfortunately. It is expensive but had to be done. I'm now left with the noise I described here.

Mine is not all the time either... And yes a cv replacement showed a little worn cv but noise continued. Tight turn, low speed generally gets it going clunk. Not bumps or geral driving

I just took mine to Heasmans in Sydney with the same problem. They jacked it up to find nothing wrong. They took it for another drive and it was gone. Apparently, by fully extending the shock, then compressing it again, it fixed it. Which means at the end of the day,after 145000km, I need to re-co the billies. $352 + labour for the front.

Mine has been diagnosed as the centre clutch needing 'treatment' after the gearbox build.

It's high torque clutch material and needs to be covered with some sort of 'treatment' fluid to make the clutch grab smoother when in reverse, instead of grabbing on and off in a jittery fashion. One of those teething problems straight after an auto box build I guess