Strange thumping knocking sound from front of car.

nomeban

Hi folks,

I have a 2001 Honda Civic 1.4 Saloon (not modded in any way pure poverty spec)

There's a strange noise coming from (I think) the front right of the car. Could also be coming from the engine area... I can feel a slight vibration as I'm driving.

It's kind of a dull thumping / knocking sound, as if there's a lump on the wheel.

The frequency of these thumps increase with the speed of the car. I've checked the tyres and they seem to be fine.

It's not a wheel bearing as I had one of those go before so I know the noise it makes.

I've also had a CV joint go so I know what they sound like too. (more clack clack than thump thump).

Any ideas?

Veloce

Hit any pot holes recently? Are the wheels ok?

nomeban

Veloce wrote: »

Hit any pot holes recently? Are the wheels ok?

Cork city is desperate for potholes so I hit them every day.

How would I go about checking the wheels themselves?

Skatedude

just grab the front wheel and give it a shake,

Veloce

Do a visual on the wheel. Jack up the car and rotate the wheel and look for any damage on the outside and inside - such as flat spots or bent alloy/steel.

In my experience any 'buckling' of an alloy wheel - vibration gets worse the higher the speed (as opposed to the vibration coming and going if it's a balancing issue). A buckle will sometimes leave a bulge on the tyre too.

Thumping noise would indicate it's quite bad though so I'm thinking it should be noticeable if it is a buckle.

nomeban

Veloce wrote: »

Do a visual on the wheel. Jack up the car and rotate the wheel and look for any damage on the outside and inside - such as flat spots or bent alloy/steel.

In my experience any 'buckling' of an alloy wheel - vibration gets worse the higher the speed (as opposed to the vibration coming and going if it's a balancing issue). A buckle will sometimes leave a bulge on the tyre too.

Thumping noise would indicate it's quite bad though so I'm thinking it should be noticeable if it is a buckle.

I don't have alloys. So will this method still work?

H3llR4iser

nomeban wrote: »

I don't have alloys. So will this method still work?

Yes, but take the hubcap off or you won't see any buckling on the outside of the rim. However, my money is on it being on the inside.

Andrewf20

Are the wheel bolts tight? Jack up the car and check for slack as on the ground the bolts may feel tight but they may be loose - its just that the wheel is pushed up again the nuts to give the appearance of being tight.

Check all 4 wheels for everything. Its weird how sounds can sound like they are coming from 1 wheel but are in fact coming from another.

If the wheels look ok and theres no slack on the wheel bearings, take the car out of gear, jack up the driven wheels (one at a time) and spin them - there could be a bearings gone on the drive shaft / prop shaft. If its an open diff, with one driven wheel off the ground, you should be able to spin it freely and listen / feel for knocking. Get underneath and pull at the shafts, see if you notice anything loose on the drivetrain.

nomeban

Alright.... Time to get the torch out.

commited

Check the break pads too, I've seen quite a few slightly seized calipers recently causing premature pad wear and noises similar to what you've described.

dr.fuzzenstein

Good idea and check the brake pads as well while you're at it.

beantins

Broken spring?

JJJJNR

Does the noise happen when turning. Might be the bushings.

nomeban

How do I check the brake pads? Would they look obviously broken?

I found something anyway:

The front left wheel doesn't spin. When I stop pushing it around, it stops dead. Could that be a break pad like ye were saying? I really don't know what to look for. Although last time I went for a service (about 3,000 miles ago) the mechanic told me to change the front discs and pads within the next 10,000 miles.

Tyres don't have any bulges or anything. All nuts screwed tight.

Could also be bearings I guess? But I had worn bearings in my last car and the noise off them was different to the one now.

The noise now just sounds like I have a flat tyre basically (should have said that earlier instead of calling it thumping), but tyres are not flat.

What do you think?

Well at least now I have something to direct the mechanic to.

Here is a pic of the front right wheel.

postimg.org/image/sgxlprelv/

Lots of gunk on it compared to the left:

postimg.org/image/7601lhwhf/

The large boots look fine but the smaller ones below look a bit shagged.

commited

Sounds like you have a slightly binding caliper. This can often resolve itself when the piston is wound back and the pads are changed.

Best bring it to your mechanic.

Edit: After looking at the pictures, looks like you have a damaged balljoint boot on the "dry" side, and the "wet" side looks like a bad seal on the end of the cv boot. These are possibly independent of the noise that you're hearing.

nomeban

Thanks for that. Ye've been a great help. I'm getting the car looked at tomorrow.

Is it just the boots that would need to be replaced or the whole CV joint & balljoint?

And since I'm looking at brake pads at the moment - there are a few different braking "systems" - Akebono, TRW, SUMIMOTO etc. I need to get pads that match the braking system on my car. How do I find this info?

commited

nomeban wrote: »

Thanks for that. Ye've been a great help. I'm getting the car looked at tomorrow.

Is it just the boots that would need to be replaced or the whole CV joint & balljoint?

And since I'm looking at brake pads at the moment - there are a few different braking "systems" - Akebono, TRW, SUMIMOTO etc. I need to get pads that match the braking system on my car. How do I find this info?

The easiest thing is to just leave it to your mechanic.

Regarding parts, go to micksgarage, stick in your reg and then select brake pads. You should have a selection of front pads to choose from.

nomeban

commited wrote: »

The easiest thing is to just leave it to your mechanic.

Regarding parts, go to micksgarage, stick in your reg and then select brake pads. You should have a selection of front pads to choose from.

I will drop it to my mechanic as soon as I have the brake pads! But there are different braking systems on micks garage. Sumimoto, Lucas Carling or something etc. I asked a customer advisor what's the difference between these and she told me it has to match the braking system on my car ... so I have no idea how to find that.

commited

nomeban wrote: »

I will drop it to my mechanic as soon as I have the brake pads! But there are different braking systems on micks garage. Sumimoto, Lucas Carling or something etc. I asked a customer advisor what's the difference between these and she told me it has to match the braking system on my car ... so I have no idea how to find that.

PM me your reg number.

nomeban

commited wrote: »

Sounds like you have a slightly binding caliper. This can often resolve itself when the piston is wound back and the pads are changed.

Best bring it to your mechanic.

Edit: After looking at the pictures, looks like you have a damaged balljoint boot on the "dry" side, and the "wet" side looks like a bad seal on the end of the cv boot. These are possibly independent of the noise that you're hearing.

You're right - twas a binding caliper. Got the front discs and pads replaced too.