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I have a 2000 Grand Prix. I’ve changed most of the front end parts in the last 2 years. I’ve changed:
Sway bar and end links
Wheel hubs and bearings
Outer tie rods
Ball joints
Trans axels
That’s about it I think
My problem is after I’ve forward and the reverse there’s 2 loud, distinct, simultaneous pops coming from the front end somewhere. At least it kind of sounds like 2 overlapping. It may just be one I guess. Also my car vibrates on the highway when going over 50 mph. And it’s not in the steering wheel it’s in the rest of the car just not the steering. Thanks
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Usually a vibration is something that rotates. But seeing
your getting a popping check your motor mounts and trans mount.
see if this link helps further.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/determining-the-causes-of-vehicle-vibrations
If I rationalize the popping and vibration as one problem, I’d want to look at one of your CV joints as being bad. It doesn’t necessarily matter that you’ve replaced them. New parts can go bad too. While this is less likely, I’d also look at your control arm bushings as a suspect for the noise complaint. The rubber cores of these bushings are prone to separate from its outer shell and then the rest of the control arm can shift up & down freely rubbing on the subframe. If the vibration at 50+ is a stand alone problem, I’d check tire balance. You could try rotating your tires front to back and see if the vibration moves from the seat of your pants into the steering wheel.
Are there ways I can check my mounts to see if they’re bad? I replaced my top mounts before because when I would shift from drive to reverse the engine would twist back and forward really hard shaking the vehicle.
As far as the control arm bushings I will check those and see if I see anything.Now I have a really interesting question for both of you, or anybody else that can answer it.
When I changed my axels I had to undo the nut off of my ball joint and remove the control arm from the steering knuckle. I obviously compressed the spring before I did this to take all of the tension off of the assembly so it would be easier to work with. When I did this my entire shock/strut/steering knuckle assembly swung away from my car. It was actually really dangerous because it was way too much force for me to press it back down and towards the vehicle. I had to take a ratchet strap and wrap it around the frame and the assembly and ratchet it back down into place so I could get it back onto the ball joint and reattach everything. It just moved sideways away from the vehicle. I can’t possinly explain what could possibly cause that movement. It doesn’t make any sense to me. The only pressure that should have been on it was the spring and I compressed it and removed that pressure. So I have no idea. Is something else messed up? It might help to know that both sides did this equally and the only way I could get it back down was the ratchet strap method.That changes things a lot. You should have never compressed the springs and you should have never had to force anything back into place with a ratchet strap. The knuckle assembly actually pulls away easy enough with a little muscle to R&R the axle shafts. Now I’m led to believe that the spring isn’t seated correctly and it’s rubbing on the strut tower or found a bare spot on the perch to cause your noise problem. Personally, I’d pull the struts out and get the springs reseated or just replace the struts outright with a quick strut and then get the car in for an alignment.
Why are you saying to never compress the springs? I’m not sure why I shouldn’t compress them. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just curious. I was thinking about replacing all 4 shocks anyway. The ride is not very comfortable anymore. I may do this and have everything aligned and balanced.
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