Allegro Club International

Mike Dean · Joined: 01 May 2007 Posts: 455 Location: North London

After driving back from Coventry, Lavinia (VP 1500 S3), developed a few more noises, one of which got worse as the week went on. By the following Saturday there was a loud "Clunk" (and possibly a jolt) from the nearside coinciding with wheel rotation:- i.e. one clunk per rotation of the wheel. It was (usually) worse when driving rather than coasting. Curiously, it went silent during left turns and for a short time after the turn. I cold see nothing amiss when I removed the front nearside wheel and removing the the gaiter revealed the outer CV joint ot be well greased. There ended my capacity for investigating the issue considering my skills, tools and working space. I called Les at BL Transverse and he advised me that it should be safe to drive to him as there was no obvious play, so I set out there. Unfortunately, about halfway on the 20 mile journey, the noise stopped, so there's nothing for him to hear. Having spoken to him today, he can only hear a faint noise from the offside. I've suggested he tries to locate an equivalent environment to my home patch by driving Lavinia over the worst speed bumps he can find, but without experiencing the problem I'm sure he must think I'm the car owners' equivalent to a hypochondriac.
Any thoughts would be appreciated - I'm hoping Les can sort Lavinia out in time for Shuttleworth.

M. Irvine · Joined: 21 Jan 2007 Posts: 804 Location: Farnham, Surrey.

Hi Mike,
There is nothing worse at times than trying to find noises in cars as they often don't originate from where you think they are coming from, and your first idea was the best place to start. Other possibilities I can think of are:
1) A chipped ball/roller in a wheel bearing, which won't necessarily give free play or make a noise most of the time.
2) Loose front hub nut.
3) Fault in balls or tracks of the inner CV unit next to the gearbox.
4) Stone or stones in the tyre tread. (It's surprising how much noise they can make at times).
5) Stone caught in caliper, which I agree would normally give a different type of noise.
Lets hope the noise does not return, and you should be safe if everything is secure on the car.
Best wishes,
Mervyn Irvine.

Mike Dean · Joined: 01 May 2007 Posts: 455 Location: North London

Thanks for your reply Mervyn,
A work crisis meant I've not had chance to harass Les further to find out if anything else has been revealed. Item 4 in your list had crossed my mind but I hadn't been able to find anything, and as the volume of the clunk was as loud at slower than walking pace (listened to from outside the car) I think unlikely. Hopefully I would have eliminated the possibility of item 2 in my removal and replacement of the wheel. The other suggestions I'll bear in mind if Les doesn't find anything. Who knows, you may get a chance for a first hand diagnosis at Shuttleworth. ;-)

Thanks again,

Mike (&K)

crippsacars · Joined: 26 May 2007 Posts: 214 Location: East sussex

I had a very similar noise the other day on a mates ford transit that turned out to a loose wheel nut! (several actually!) He had changed the wheel some days previous and hadn't re-checked the wheel nuts.

anglegrinder · Joined: 20 Sep 2007 Posts: 61 Location: Colchester

definatly sounds like a flat spot on a ball in teh CV joint, when you turned left, you rotated that ball a bit, and as you say, it didnt do it for a while after you turned straight again, the ball had rolled around to a place it wasnt flat, then worked its way back again after some distance. It would make it more prominant at slow speed also, so i think that option is probably the most likely.
_________________

Rust proof!