Clunking Noise

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Tw1g007

Member

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2002 Mazda Protege5

• Feb 23, 2015

• #1

So, I don't know if the problem is common or not, but, I have an 02 Pro5, and there's a clunking noise in the front end. It started out fairly subtle, now it's getting pretty violent (and amusingly, keeps the car more or less straight when it happens, despite my dire need of an alignment). I was just hoping you guys may know what this is to save some time trying to diagnose it myself, or at least narrow it down to the likely suspects. It happens most often around about 50 mph and up, and obviously gets worse the faster I go.

 

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Tw1g007

Member

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2002 Mazda Protege5

• Feb 23, 2015

• #2

Wrong thread, my b... Will move later probably, but in the mean time, help would still be appreciated

 

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DOMO

Member

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01 MP3, 03 MSP

• Feb 24, 2015

• #3

It's probably 1 of 3 things. Sway bar bushings, endlinks, or strut mounts. Take off front wheel or rear (depending where u hear the noise from) and grab the sway bar. Does it move and make noise? Bad bushings. Move the endlinks around, does it move around easily? Bad endlinks. Grab the strut and move it up and down. Noise? Strut mount is bad .

 

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Tw1g007

Member

:

2002 Mazda Protege5

• Feb 24, 2015

• #4

DOMO said:

It's probably 1 of 3 things. Sway bar bushings, endlinks, or strut mounts. Take off front wheel or rear (depending where u hear the noise from) and grab the sway bar. Does it move and make noise? Bad bushings. Move the endlinks around, does it move around easily? Bad endlinks. Grab the strut and move it up and down. Noise? Strut mount is bad .

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Thanks, I'll check it out. Somebody also told me to check wheel bearings and ball joints.

 

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DOMO

Member

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01 MP3, 03 MSP

• Feb 25, 2015

• #5

From my experience I've never had Klunk noises associate with a bad bearing or bad control arm. And I've driven on control arms with absolutely no bushing left, not fun.... Sway bar bushings are $6 at the dealer so I would change those even of they aren't fully worn

 

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Tw1g007

Member

:

2002 Mazda Protege5

• Mar 9, 2015

• #6

**Update**

Jacked the car up and tried to spin the front wheels. The drivers side wouldn't budge, the passenger side moved fairly easily, but it was making a slight scraping noise like the brakes were dragging on it. So, I already have to do the rear brakes, should I do the front as well? Or is it something else?

BTW, is CarID a reliable place for parts? They were cheaper than O'Reilly's for brake parts, but I don't know if they're a reputable vendor to buy from, thanks.