suspension Knocking noise

swarcup

swarcup

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I wonder if anyone could offer some assistance

I have developed a knocking from the front drivers side suspension, it only happens at low speeds upto say 15mph and its not related to bumps on the road. Im pretty sure its going to be a ball joint or trackrod end. Im not very familiar with the audi rig up under the wheel arch as im used to simple mcferson struts, can anyone tell me the methods of testing to see which joint is the one thats at fault.

Ive jacked up the car and theres no play on the wheel and i couldnt detect any give in the joints but that was only with arm power. :think:
 
Check the antiroll bar links aswell, they are known to cause a slight knocking noticeable at low speeds.
 
just resurecting this as ive been looking and found that if you rotate the ball joint that is fixed to the end of the steering rack you get a distinct knock of metal to metal without using much effort, ive jacked the other side of the car up and it doesnt do this on the other side so i am presuming that this is the cause of the knocking noise. Whats the procedure to replace, is it as easy as undoing the pinch bolt that holds in the ball joint and remove it from where it is held than to twist the end off the rod that comes from the steering rack and replace. will the tracking need to be done afterwords?
 
Any news on this? Ive just developed the same problem.
 
still chasing it im afraid, have spoken to a mechanic and am going to see him tonight. his money is on a lower arm bush but cant confirm till he has had a look. i will let you know tomorrow what the result is.
 
Ok mate, thankyou. This noise is getting on my nerves and I havent had time to have a look yet.
 
I have exactly the same issue. Car went for an MOT last week, passed with flying colours. After I asked about my knocking noise and they couldn't see anything, and this garage is hot on perished bushes and loose suspension parts.
 
right i have now been to the garage and they have poked around and levered at all the joints but nothing conclusive. there is some movement where the bottom arms join the car on the inboard side although they couldnt get anything to knock but did say that they should be firmer than they are. there were no telltale signs of any metal contacting with metal and no play on the wheel. I have already changed the droplink so can rule that out. The car only knocks when you take off and when you let off the power to coast and only ever does it at low speed(sub 10mph).All of the rubber boots covering the ball joints are ok and undamaged.the shocker is dry with no leaks

Can anybody confirm if the bushes in the lower arms where they connect on the inboard side are changeable or would it be better to change the whole arm?
 
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I had exactly the same problem on my S4 avant, I changed all the wishbones, turned out that it was the upper rear wishbone on the drivers front corner :), no noises whatsoever now!!

Chris
 
not sure if my noise is the same, i get a rattle knocking metal type sound, you only notice when braking from slow and driving at slow speeds.
how do you check an engine mount, or is it looking for perished rubber?
 
matttrs said:
not sure if my noise is the same, i get a rattle knocking metal type sound, you only notice when braking from slow and driving at slow speeds.
how do you check an engine mount, or is it looking for perished rubber?
Click to expand...

This was the noise I had mate!! Only light bumps, big bumps it didnt really make the noise?
 
cheers lads

im looking at the guess work route of replacing parts in the hope it cures it, ive seen aftermarket sets of suspension components but am unsure of the quality, has anyone any experience of these or should you stick to the audi parts?
 
My Audi A6 failed an MOT on three suspension arms last year. As my mechanic would have had to do a lot of dismantling to replace 3 arms, i sourced a full suspension Kit from ATP in Germany. It passed the next mot with no problems and handling etc is now excellent. However about 5 months later i'm gettting this knocking noise from the front of the car when i brake at low speeds and again when i release the brake pedal. Brought it back to my mechanic who could find nothing wrong, went to another garage yesterday for a second opinion. They told me that the suspension is absolutely fine (almost new afterall) and it could be my brakes. My braking is fine, calipers are not loose, ABS etc is not a problem. So i'm at a loss as to where the knock is coming from. Any other theories appreciated.
 
Ive been all over the suspention and nothing, no play in any joint or bush.

Its going to be one of those.....
 
ive been looking on etka and elsawin and its looking like all the bushes are replaceable so i think i will source new bushes and have them fitted.
 
What was the result of this, I have this problem still and its doing my head in.
 
not reallyresolved as yet suffice to say i have now replaced all 4 arms,track rod ends and drop links, although this seems to have removed the odd clonk i still have a bad sound. It sounds like a metalic creak when you set off and corner left. I think its as turkster has been telling me for a while, drivers engine mount. I lifted the bonnet and on set off the drivers side of the engine is lifting quite a lot well 3 inches i would guess. Im not sure but this doesnt seem correct to me so when payday arrives its getting changed. £104 for the part from audi
 
swarcup said:
not reallyresolved as yet suffice to say i have now replaced all 4 arms,track rod ends and drop links, although this seems to have removed the odd clonk i still have a bad sound. It sounds like a metalic creak when you set off and corner left. I think its as turkster has been telling me for a while, drivers engine mount. I lifted the bonnet and on set off the drivers side of the engine is lifting quite a lot well 3 inches i would guess. Im not sure but this doesnt seem correct to me so when payday arrives its getting changed. £104 for the part from audi
Click to expand...

Did you get to the root of the problem?
 
Knocking when taking off and coming to a stop..... I had this on my a4 tdi when i first purchased it and turned out to be the rear engine/gearbox mount, cost me about £100 in total to sort it
 
Yep drivers engine mount, as soon as i started to dismantle it became quite apparent as almost all of the steel plate that forms the bottom had sheared off and was gone,had it changed on the drive in an hour.
 
I have the same issue after i replaced all the spring and struts on my a1. Struts are bilstein b4 & st by kw springs 30mm. Handling & performance obviously improved but after a week i heard a knocking/clunking noise on the front but for some reason it only happened twice & went. But on the rear though it makes them noise again but only on low speed like below 10mph going through bumps or uneven surface like cobbles. Im wondering if its the top mounts or bearings or spring caps or maybe nuts&bolts might just needs tightening. It couldnt be ARB links as ive replaced them as well
 
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