Front End Clunk..Related to Sway Bar Bushings & Links. Anyone else had this Problem?

[kelsey]

So for the past few months I have had a clunking noise coming from the front end of my 2005 chevy cobalt whenever I go over bumps, make sharp turns and so on.

So jacked up the car and found the sway bar so loose that I could move it back and forth (side to side) with very little weight. Also could tell the bushings were wearing down the sway bar. So first instinct was to replace the bushings.

Pulled the links off as well to find that they were also bad. (very loose at the ends, lot of play)

Soooo... after replacing these parts (bushings and links) and tightening back up, the clunk went away for about 10 miles and came right back clunking even harder! Jacked the car back up to find that the bolts on the links loosened up. Thought it was my fault. Tightened them as hard as possible, which I thought I did from the start. Took it for a test drive to find that they came loose again only after 5 miles!!!! The third time around, I added in some lock washers and thread locker.

So far seems to be working (been 2 days). clunking is gone and car handles much better. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this problem does not come back! What a poor design on GM's part on the sway bar, the bushings and the links! After doing a lot of research I keep coming across a TON of similiar horror stories where this problem keeps coming back to haunt them down the road. Anyone run into these problems? How did you fix yours?

Also.. something very odd I found from the sway bar that made no sense to me. The sway bar has rings on it where the bushings would sit against, after installing the new bushings and looking into the engine compartment down at the sway bar, I could notice a 1/2 gap between the "stopper" on the sway bar and the bushing. Is this a wrong size sway bar? why would there be a gap between these two? It would make sense for these to be flush together so that there is no play in the sway bar... another poor design on chevy/gm I imagine, or am I dealing with an aftermarket sway bar that doesnt match?

 

[Dan]

I had the same problem on my wifes 06 Cobalt LS.. The guy at our local grismer told us it was her control arm bushings, and after researching it, found it to be a common problem, so I replaced them.. After spending a few hours replacing them, I took it for a test drive, and it was still clunking. A buddy of mine who had a cobalt told me to replace the sway bar links. I did that, and the problem went away. After talking to a few guys I know with cobalt's and that work for dealerships, I was told to impact them as tight as they would go. The links I got had a nut that you could hold on to to properly tighten it up(I guess some brands don't have this). My wife drives her car like a bat out of hell and wont slow down for anything(poor car lol) and so far it is still not clunking. Maybe the links arent tight enough, or maybe they're defective.? Dont know if this helps, but its worth a try

 

[kelsey]

I had the same problem on my wifes 06 Cobalt LS.. The guy at our local grismer told us it was her control arm bushings, and after researching it, found it to be a common problem, so I replaced them.. After spending a few hours replacing them, I took it for a test drive, and it was still clunking. A buddy of mine who had a cobalt told me to replace the sway bar links. I did that, and the problem went away. After talking to a few guys I know with cobalt's and that work for dealerships, I was told to impact them as tight as they would go. The links I got had a nut that you could hold on to to properly tighten it up(I guess some brands don't have this). My wife drives her car like a bat out of hell and wont slow down for anything(poor car lol) and so far it is still not clunking. Maybe the links arent tight enough, or maybe they're defective.? Dont know if this helps, but its worth a try

thanks for the response! I did buy the cheaper out of the 2 brands of links available. Do you remember off hand what brand? I may have to return these and get the more expensive brand if these keep loosening up.

 

[Dan]

I got Parts Master(Genuine Auto Parts) , but I do believe Moog makes some too, both of which are good. I drove my wifes car on a paper route last night and the handling seems to be better than it used to be. I would try and return them and see if you can get different ones. Check them before you buy them to make sure they have a nut on them so they'll tighten up better.. Hope this helps

---------- Post added at 08:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 PM ----------

I did some checking around at part stores in the Dayton area (Ohio), and the most common brand is Moog, and of course all stores have their own "house brand". The Moog ones run about $43 dollars here, and the house brands are about $33. I think the extra $10 is worth the peace of mind lol

 

[donnkesterjr]

The Moog brand are thicker (ever so slight upgrade) and also have grease zerks so you can regrease them to extend the life. They also have the nut to hold with one wrench while you tighten the main nut, so they are pretty easy to install.

They may be slightly more costly, but totally worth it. I got the pair on Amazon $59.47, shipped.

 

[06CobaltLS]

www.rockauto.com has some nice ones for cheap.

 

[kelsey]

I got Parts Master(Genuine Auto Parts) , but I do believe Moog makes some too, both of which are good. I drove my wifes car on a paper route last night and the handling seems to be better than it used to be. I would try and return them and see if you can get different ones. Check them before you buy them to make sure they have a nut on them so they'll tighten up better.. Hope this helps

---------- Post added at 08:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 PM ----------

I did some checking around at part stores in the Dayton area (Ohio), and the most common brand is Moog, and of course all stores have their own "house brand". The Moog ones run about $43 dollars here, and the house brands are about $33. I think the extra $10 is worth the peace of mind lol

ya, should of went with moog brand instead. the ones i got from advance auto parts keep loosening up still! they were the "house" brand for 33$ a piece.

 

[Intmd83r]

ya i got my moog bushing from rockauto.com . still no problem with them .

 

[kelsey]

finally just got fed up with the knocking and dropped it off at a dealer. yup turns out the POS links were just bad.

had the dealer put on new ones with some kind of "lock bolt" they told me..

should of went with the moog from the start

word of advice: DO NOT BUY DRIVEWORKS parts!

 

[Redeemer]

Just ordered these of amazon. banking on your comments here hoping i didnt just waste $60

 

[Dan]

The bushings with the "lock-nuts" for lack of better terms, is by far worth the money. I've talked to at least 12-13 people, with g5's/cobalt's alike with the same issue, and most of them went the cheap route, and had to replace them again within a month, where as the few, myself included who ponied up the extra few bucks haven't had a problem.. so rest assured the $60 is well spent lol

 

[pvee]

New guy here with a 2008 Cobalt with the clunk in the front end.

60,000 miles on it and this just started recently.

I was prying around under there today. Had the car supported on jack stands and jacked the lower control arm up and down and the only obvious problem I am seeing is the control arm is right down against the metal under it. I can pry it up and around easily.

As much trouble as it is to replace that bushing do you feel I should replace the whole control arm ( Both sides of course).

I couldn't detect any play in the sway bar links.

 

[Dan]

The control arm bushings are pressed in, so its a bit of a pain to get just the old bushings out and the new ones in, but its the cheaper way to go. I got the bushings for about $30 bucks for the set, but one control arm assembly was $230. If you have the tools, time and patience, I'd vote for replacing the bushings themselves and saving money. I spent about 2-2 1/2 hours between both sides. I personally would try doing the sway bar links first, as the cheaper route to go, but make sure you get the name brand(most common is MOOG). They have a lock nut design that allows you to tighten them up fully, otherwise you'll end up replacing them shortly after installing them. Hope this helps

 

[songsj]

Got an '08 with 60K, clunks like an SOB, Another quality part on the Cobalt.

 

[YelloEye]

Got an '08 with 60K, clunks like an SOB, Another quality part on the Cobalt.

You just posted a similar response in another thread. Have you thought about claiming a lemon?

 

[songsj]

Hello, update on my '08 with the front end clunk.
Had it into the dealer today. 823.00 dollars later with 2 new lower control arms and alignment it drives like a new car. They did not want to do just the bushings. Said the amout of labor to get the old bushings out and the new ones in would not save me that much money. I'm very happy my car is running like new again but as I told the dealer, I've been driving GM cars for over 35 years and I've never had to put front end parts on any car at 60K.

 

[GMCustomerService]

Hey there songsj,

I'm glad to hear that your vehicle is running like new. Please feel free to contact us via private message if you ever have any other questions or concerns regarding your Cobalt. We will be glad to help!

Kristen A.
GM Customer Care