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odd sound when driving straight and making right turns only

1K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  tukaniSVT 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I have a 2002 spi, automatic w/ about 93k miles on it. A few weeks ago I started to notice this strange sound coming from the front end.

When I start the car it immediately starts to idle really high. When I start driving I notice this weird rumbling/knocking noise that's coming from the front end of the car. It seems to be around the center of the axle or maybe even a little to the right. It's intermittent though and only occurs like every few seconds when accelerating. It also only occurs when driving straight and making right turns. When I turn left the sound disappears. Also, if I've been driving for ~20 minutes then turn the car off and then turn the car back on the sound seems to go away or at least it's not as noticeable.

I'm stumped on this one. I'm thinking it might be some kind of worn joint, but I'm not really certain. Any help would be really appreciated.
 
#3 ·
pretty sure it sounds like a wheel bearding...i think its the left but i dont remember the rule goes
 
#7 ·
well when you first start your car it's normal to have a higher idle. If you are feeling rumbling going straight as well as turning your cv joint could be bad. You could have a bad bearing but i wouldn't think it'd be making a rubbling noise.
 
#8 ·
jack up one side at a time and put it in gear to find out what side is gone for sure (unless you have posi..that would be bad lol) if it is a wheel bearing ...or take it to a garage and get them to tell you for sure?
 
#9 ·
If Its The Wheel Bearings Hold The Wheel At 12 And 6 Whilst The Wheels Off The Floor Try And Move It Top To Bottom If It Moves More Than About 5mm Then The Bearings Gone , The Knocking Sounds Is Probably The Drive Shaft Bearings And Its A Fairly Big Job To Do Will Take You An Afternoon To Do But Dont Put Ones From A Breakers On It As They Could Be Just As Bad As What You Got Now Any Problems Give Me A Shout I Work In A Motor Factors Retail Shop So This Is A Comon Question I Get Every Day
 
#11 ·
There's also your tie-rods ... The Jack up the car idea ... when you do that, you shouldn't be able to move the wheel back and forth. If you can ... these symptoms we speak here are your issues. TAKE IT IN QUICK if that is the case ... or your wheel wont last long ... neither will your tire.

You can also look at your tires inner wall. If it is worn more than the rest ... un evenly it is your tie-rod or cv joint. Good luck with that. I had to replace mine when I had this problem.
 
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