1995 maxima 250,000 miles, making rattling noises when driving over rough roads or bumps, coming from the front end. Front struts, rack and pinion and drivers side tie-rod has been replaced int he past two years.
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box above.
- Better answers use proper spelling and grammar.
- Provide details, support with references or personal experience.
Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
Tip: The max point reward for answering a question is 15.
When you changed out the struts, did you also replace the Strut Bearing Mounts that mount the struts to the strut towers on the car? These things are notorious for making the rattling sound.
This sounds like a bad strut, one or both on the front has gone bad. Here is a picture of just the strut with out the spring. The price ranges from $65.00 to $220.00 depends on what you can afford.
At 36,000 miles I had to have my rack and pinions replaced. Problem fixed. At 84,000 miles I had the front tie rods replaced and new front tires. Still has the noise. Now I find out it is suspension and bushings. I still love the car though.
look at the front lower engine mount. I had similar noise which has been driving me nuts, thought may be thesway bar links, put it on friends hoist and saw that the front engine mount (mounted to bottom of lower radiator support) was cracked and the rubber bushing inside very worn with pieces missing. odd thing is that reving, or putting into gear never caused it to make a noise, just certain bumps. I ordered part from Autozone,hopefully it gets here before the holiday week end is over. Good luck
check strut and rack and pinion for proper tightness if good check the body panels/front valance for loose or missing bolts or any light assembly that may have come loose
Upper strut mounts aren't prone to rattling or knocking as they are usually under load all the time. Very few cars do not have a swivel bearing - a few old Fords are all I can think of. Most current models have the swivel bearing integrated into the strut mount, the main job of which is to insulate road noise from the body. Some cars use a swivel bearing fitted between the strut and lower spring cup.
Worn shock absorber internal valves can be very noisy over small bumps and road undulations and wear in steering rack components can make similar noises especially the rack slipper bearing, the rack end support bearing and the rack end joints.
Many track control arm ball joints have an internal spring to compensate for small amounts of wear. When such a joint has worn significantly it is not always possible to detect free play with hand pressure but they are liable to make noise on the road.
Struts that are housings fitted with shock absorber cartridges retained by a single large nut - the nut can sometimes be loose by a small amount causing the cartridge to knock inside the casing.
The strut piston rod and bush is subject to a great deal of force from the reaction of acceleration and braking and considerable wear can take place between the rod and it's bush. The trouble is any free play cannot be detected when the vehicle is jacked and the wheels clear of the ground and similarly cannot be detected with normal force when the vehicle weight is on the ground. I find lifting the car until the suspension is only compressed an inch or two gives the best chance of detecting wear though considerable strength and energy is still needed.
×