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banging noise in front end when turning if its cold outside

6K views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  bleedblue94 
#1 ·
05 ex

this noise only happens when it is cold outside, as in less than 20 degrees.

noticed it first last winter when turning left, the noise went away when the weather warmed up, now again its back this year. sounds like a consistent/rhythmic banging noise, almost like a torn sway endlink rattling against itself. i changed the endlinks in the spring so i doubt they are busted again already. any ideas?
 
#2 ·
Could be a broken spring or something to do with the CV. I had a similar issue with my car last winter. Ever time I would turn left only, I was get a banging or a thud noise that kept repeating. Had a CV joint that had gone bad. I'd take it in though, things like that can escalate.
 
#4 ·
sorry for the late response. i do not feel it in the wheel at all. i have suspected a cv joint, but i asked the local garage to throw it on a rack and run it and they did not see anything nor did any of the joints show issues. the issue is not associated to body roll either. seems to only be associated to the cold.
 
#6 ·
thats the way im leaning, bc nothing else makes sense. the shop said it was on the lift and they ran the car and did not see wobble or anything, but as i said the axle seems to be the only thing that makes sense. i may disconnect the endlinks and start driving it just to eliminate any possible issues there, but the axle is where im thinking the issue is
 
#10 ·
update. i had the car driven with me standing outside by it as a turn was made at low speed. i could absolutely tell it is not an axle. it has to be a bushing or something that has come loose and is banging. my girl friends 02 ex civic has a torn front lca which i am replacing tomorrow for her. i crossed the autozone part numbers for the standard replacement bushings w her car and mine and found they were the same. energy suspension makes a replacement bushing kit for the lca bushings of her 02 civic, so i ordered a second set to use on the element. i will change them either tomorrow or monday. hoping one of the bushings is torn and allowing the lca to vibrate. i know the issue is in no way connected to the sway bar bc i took the end links off and drove the car to test it and the noise actually seemed to be more prominent which makes me believe more that it is a worn lca bushing and it make more noise with the sway disconnected bc it is not putting as much tension on it all.

fingers crossed
 
#14 ·
well i finally got around to doing the bushings on my car. when i went to separate the lcas from the ball joints they ended up being completely seized into place. torch, c clamp, bushing popper, fork, nothing worked, so i actually had to cut the ball joints in between the knuckle and the lca, then pop the stem out in a press. that was fun. everything went standard except for the 3 faulty moog ball joints i got and the ensuing arguments with the parts store which kept telling me it was installation error. what a joke.

anyways everything is back together and the car is MUCH firmer on the road over bumps and in turns with increased stability. i have always had good results with poly bushings on every car i have worked on as long as you can deal with some minor squeaking which comes with poly bushings despite however much lube/grease you cover them in.

the banging sound is still present at times. once it warms up i am going to crawl underneath more bc the only suspensions/drivetrain related things left are tierods and axles. motor mounts all looked good. maybe there is just a random piece rattling somewhere.
 
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