front end clunk

[igonutz]

Has anyone had the issue of a clunk in the front end mainly when you go over bumps in the road that dip down. i have had it in to the chevy dealer 6 times and they have replaced the stabilizer links, struts, strut mounts and i still hear the noise, it is driving me nutz. I have an 08.

 

[YelloEye]

I woulda said the spring seats but you replaces the struts.

 

[bhope]

Over six visits the dealership should have found the problem. However...... the best way to find a front end problem is with the car up on ramps, you underneath it and someone behind the wheel turning it right and left.

Inspect both right and left sides listening for the sound and excercising caution place your hand on the components most likely to go bad:
- A-arm
- ball joint
- tie rod
- tie rod end

Also take a wrench to the hub bearing. Sometimes they can come loose and cause play that will result in unwanted movement and noise.

Your '08 should not have much wear on it.

 

[dman090]

check your control arm bushings, thats where my clunk is coming from

 

[The GRAFX Shop]

when this happens to both my cobalt and my g5 9normaly every 3-6k kms
its often one or both of the following
control arm bushings
sway bar end links

.... very common issue with the above cars.

--also note if the sound is more inside the car. it may be your steering colume . iv had mine replaced 5 times now.

 

[elcaminokid]

I know from experience that its your lower control arm bushing(s). As soon as the first one started to clunk I took it in. They fixed it under warranty, now that the second one is going the warranty is expired and now they they want almost 200 to fix it. So I bought the part and I'm having a vocational school replace it. I'm surprised that your garage hasn't diagnosed it..strange.

 

[cobalt123]

some people are just idiots...and the garage he took it to seems to like hiring them lol

 

[pbass]

I had a loose bolt in the front suspension. Tightened it and the clunk went away. It might be worth going around the car yourself and retorquing every suspension bolt. What could it hurt?

 

[cobalt123]

alot if over torqued lol but its a good idea

 

[badphil7]

intermediate steering shaft...

 

[EuroBalt]

lower control arm bushings get these done issue is fixed. they go out alot when i got mine done on my old balt they were on back order due to it being a realy comon problem

 

[Black_Dub]

just took mine in today and its the lower control arm bushings.... should i replace both at the same time? or is just replacing one sufficient?

 

[pedulla-2007]

Is there a better part than OEM to replace the bad ones?

 

[Becca]

I have the same issue. Clunking when I brake hard, rattle when I hit bumps. Dealer says intermediate steering arm. How hard is this to change?

 

[Tuner923]

Becca, the intermediate steering arm is a very common complaint. If you google "intermediate steering arm cobalt" numerous links to threads show up. read through, may give you a better perspective on the difficulty.

 

[Intmd83r]

control arm bushings .... did mine . got moog from rockauto.com few months ago . love them .

 

[historybuff]

My '08 Cobalt has had a front end 'knock' noise, both sides, since mileage in the 15K range. Dealership could never find it...did the sway bar bushings, control arm bushings--did nothing to alleviate the noise. In fact, they even replaced the column which to me was never the source of the noise. Less than twelve months after the comped column replacement, the 'new' column was rattling! Took it back; they first replaced the power steering motor free, stating that's where they thought the noise was coming from. I returned as the column noise was progressively becoming worse; they then comped the second column for me. That last one didn't last twelve months! WTF?? Now I have a rubbing noise in the column when I turn at low speeds (parking lots, driveways, etc.) and they think it's a plastic ring part in the column...about $300 to replace. I don't suppose their being in the steering column twice in the past two months (replacing column and power steering motor) would have anything to do with the noise, would it? Sheesh! I have owned 13 new Chevrolets since 1981 but this one is making me re-think my loyalty. My daughter's PT Cruiser, built within one month of my car and with mileage 1K less than mine, is completely silent over bumps in the front end and the steering makes no noise whatsoever. If Chrysler could do it, why not GM?

 

[donnkesterjr]

Get the Moog LCA bushings. They are solid, unlike the OE ones.

Those dips in the side cause excess play & premature failure.

The Moog ones are solid rubber.