Last week I had the upper and lower ball joints replaced. Since I've gotten it back, I've noticed a clunk in the front drivers side. You hear it just when you pull off, after about 15 mph, it seems to disappear (maybe it just gets softer than wind noise ?). I can actually feel the vibration under my feet. It is a rotational noise as the wheel spins. It's gotten a lot worse. Doesn't have anything to do with steering. I can't make it happen in reverse. I jacked it up tonight, there is no wheel play with pushing and pulling. When you turn the wheel, stop and then start turning again, there is a very soft clunk / hesitation. I didn't have time to actually pull the wheel off. Ideas ????

 

Does it happen as you're turning or when you're driving straight? Smooth road?

I don't like to guess with these things and send you on a wild goose chase...

You say that there is a clunk when you turn the wheel. Are you stopped? If so, I would check the tie-rod ends.

If you're moving when all this fun happens, perhaps a CV. It seems a coincidence that this started when your ball joints were replaced. Who did the service? If it was a reputable shop, take it back.

uberhahn

 

No, it's not steering, it happens going straight and smooth road.

I know something wasn't put together right, it was a reputable shop. Just wanted ideas of what to look for.

 

If you're going straight, I can only think of CVs and wheel bearings that would cause a noise like that.

uberhanh

 

Hmmm... Okay, so does the interval of the clunk vary with road speed?

If they only did ball joints, there "shouldn't" be anything that they did to cause something rotational, unless they did a hack job in getting the front end apart and they trashed the CV or didn't tighten the wheel hub nut.

A "clunk" tends to say that something isn't square in the rotational plane. So, wheel's not tight on the hub (or not square); CV's not fully seated; possibly the ball joint's not tight enough (they can be hard to get seated); hub nut is loose; rotor's not square; caliper's loose (but they shouldn't have had to remove it); lower ball joint cup is loose...

 

Yes, the clunk does vary with speed.

They also changed my brake pads.

I think something isn't tightened or over tightened.

I don't think it's the wheel bearings - from what I've read, that seems to happen around 35 mph?

When I said "I jacked it up tonight, there is no wheel play with pushing and pulling. When you turn the wheel, stop and then start turning again, there is a very soft clunk / hesitation", I meant turning the tire, not the steering wheel .