Horrible clunk - Please Help!

[jimbo]

Hi folks,

 

Haven't been out in the escort for weeks. Missus said there was a clunkin noise coming from the brakes, has been getting more noticeable over the last week. Went for a spin and found the following:

 

Started car off fowards under idle (it's an auto) each time i popped the brakes, as the car stopped, there was a clunk. Seems to come from front right. can feel it slightly through steering wheel. As car pulls away it reclunks.

 

Have checked round all the bolts. All are there and tight. Had a few wiggles on various.Nothing with too much play.

 

What I did notice is that, if I put car on full LH lock the left tyre rubs the inner edge, and the right rubs the arb. When I go full RH lock, then there is plenty of clearnce.

 

Has anyone got any ideas what I might have missed?

 

Cheers,

Jim

[MK2Ed]

Mine clunked when the bolts had loosened between bellhousing and gearbox....

[Superblue76]

Wheel bearing? Bottom ball joint?

[Paul_G]

Steering rack bushes?

 

Whatever it is don't drive it, I had a caliper come off at 70 mph on the m1 and it was just a bit frightening.

[flyingbanana]

brake pad pins worn/lose/missing so the brakes rock when the brakes are applied

[countrybumpkin]

broken spring moving in it seat on the strut? or maybe anti roll bar bush worn or braket loose

[bomber1]

i would go for bottom ball joint tbh. had one go on a smile face transit. the wheel went right up in the arch luckly i was only doing 10mph at the time

[jimbo]

Thanks for all your suggestions ......I got out and had a decent look earlier and tried to rule them out.

 

Engine/Bellhousing/Gearbox bolts................are all good

Wheel Bearing........smallest amount of play, but not serious. No noise from bearing when driving.

Steering rack bushes replaced 3000 miles/3 months ago with Polybushes........Still all nice and tight

Brake pins spin freely, but no significant play in them.

ARB bushes look a little tired, but no play. Brackets all tight.

Bottom ball joint. No play in it.

 

So I moved onto the strut. The spring looks in good nick and is properly seated. However, when I turned the wheels from lock-to-lock the drivers side turret jars a little before it pops back in line with the rest of the strut. So I'm guessing that's the strut-top bearing. What do you guys think?

[omj624p]

Check the bolts that hold the brakes on! This sounds very familiar, a friend I know said something similar, and then on the way home on the M1 his brake caliper came off, jammed his front wheel and he came screeching to a halt in the middle lane!!! The car could have rolled and been a write off.

[oldbus]

Have you had a look at the front pads?

 

I once had a set of iffy pads where the pads had seperated from the backing plate (if you get what i mean?)

 

If it clunks only when you hit the brakes it might be worth having a look.

[Escortosis]

Check the bolts all the way down the drive train especially the ones on the propshaft. My old sierra gave similar symptoms to those you describe.

 

I had two bolts missing and two loose

 

Ray

[caprinerd]

could be a tca bush where anti roll bar goes through the tca