Too Close for Comfort
09-04-17, 07:22 PM
#1
Too Close for Comfort
Had tein flex z's, tie rods, and a plethora of arms installed a few weeks ago... and there's this clunking that's driving me insane (especially pass front)! Did some research on the noises that may be coming from the tein's, so I went ahead and double checked all the locking collars, damper nuts, and all bolts in it's proximity that could be loose. No luck, I figured that everything may need to settle and an alignment can solve the problem... Guess I was wrong. After the alignment the tech mentioned that my outer tie rod sticks too far out and can possibly be issue. Based on the pictures it looks like it's near a shroud and the edge of inner wheel. Any thoughts? Thanks
09-04-17, 09:02 PM
#2
Record a video of the sound and tell us under what conditions the car is making noise (speed? wheel turned? even load?). Telling us an old car is making a clunking sound doesn't help.
What did he mean by the outer tie rods are too far out? The red portion of the outer tie rod should be as close to centered as possible. You want it centered between the inner tie rod and heim joint. If it's too much towards one side, then it puts more stress on the thread and will strip the tie rod end with time. It's really time consuming to get it perfectly centered, so it doesn't have to be perfect. If it's 90% towards one end, then fix it.
The dust shield can be bent out of the way or completely removed to clear your tie rod end.
Areas that I would check are:
1. what is the condition of your LCA and its bushings? bushing failure usually identifiable through a clunk when changing gears
2. When you tightened the center nut was the car's weight on it? Did you use a wrench or allen key to hold the shaft from spinning?
3. When was the last time you checked to see if the subframe was torqued to spec?
Something else to consider, adjustable aftermarket arms are loud in general. If you have multiple adjustable arms it can get really loud and annoying. They're not ideal for street cars unless you need them for a specific purpose.
What did he mean by the outer tie rods are too far out? The red portion of the outer tie rod should be as close to centered as possible. You want it centered between the inner tie rod and heim joint. If it's too much towards one side, then it puts more stress on the thread and will strip the tie rod end with time. It's really time consuming to get it perfectly centered, so it doesn't have to be perfect. If it's 90% towards one end, then fix it.
The dust shield can be bent out of the way or completely removed to clear your tie rod end.
Areas that I would check are:
1. what is the condition of your LCA and its bushings? bushing failure usually identifiable through a clunk when changing gears
2. When you tightened the center nut was the car's weight on it? Did you use a wrench or allen key to hold the shaft from spinning?
3. When was the last time you checked to see if the subframe was torqued to spec?
Something else to consider, adjustable aftermarket arms are loud in general. If you have multiple adjustable arms it can get really loud and annoying. They're not ideal for street cars unless you need them for a specific purpose.
09-05-17, 07:59 AM
#3
This^^^
We need a little more info or details to be able to make any kind of judgement. Not understanding the comment on tie rod being out too far or the details on the clunk noise. Also, the picture of the sheet is blurry so don't know what that is telling us.
We need a little more info or details to be able to make any kind of judgement. Not understanding the comment on tie rod being out too far or the details on the clunk noise. Also, the picture of the sheet is blurry so don't know what that is telling us.
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