Clunk coming from driver's side front end

Hey,

I posted this a few weeks ago, but, well.. with the server crash and all, I never really got a chance to see what people had to say.

Anyway, recently bought a 94 GT 5 speed with about 100k miles. Had a slight clunk coming from front end, drivers side, mainly happens during low speed turns and when the car shifts weight (like starting/launching from a stop, or coming to a stop). But NOT so much over bumps (extension/compression), which seems interesting.

Guy I bought it from told me he had it looked at and they said it was the front end bushings. Got the car in the air, bushings look pretty much ok for having 100k on them. Actually, nothing in suspension really looks suspect outright, so I'm kinda confused.

Car has Eibach Sportline springs, aftermarket CC plates, and KYB shocks. Steering rack bushings look like they should be replaced, but I don't know if that's related to this problem, but I'm pretty sure that those steering rack bushings are causing the inch-or-so of play in the steering wheel. But first things first - this clunk is pretty annoying. I'm a college student on a college student budget, so I can't really afford to take apart the whole suspension - I'm hoping to isolate this problem and deal with it specifically.

Anyone else run into this? Any suggestions? I took some pictures, don't know if they'll be of any use, but I'll post a few if someone thinks they'll help.

Jack's95gt said:

It sounds like a control arm bushing. Don't wait until it breaks. Any repair shop will be able to tell you exactly what wrong in two minutes after it's on a lift.

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The control arm bushings are what we had planned to replace. They look fine, there's no distorting of the rubber or any sort of significant damage at all. We took a pry bar to the various bushings to try and replicate that clunk with no result.

Is there a specific reason why you think it's the control arm bushings above all else? Also, the clunk doesn't happen over bumps, which seems to indicate that it's something other than a bushing, right?

sn94gt. said:

As i suggested before the big crash,I had an issue before like this and it ended up being a front universal joint on the drive shaft.So i replaced both while i had the drive shaft off.Once i got the drive shaft off the loose uni's showed there uglyness with having alot of play in them.It was an ugly clunk.

As far as it being a ball joint,these tend to squeek before letting go,i have had this happen,and trust me a broken ball joint raises the hair on the back of your neck when they go.

So go for checking the universal joints first.

I hope this helps.

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Hmm.. for it to be a u-joint, it'd have to happen when it was in gear, right? Because it'll happen just when the car is a reaching a stop, and the weight shifts from slightly forward to a more level stance, and at that point, the gearbox is obviously in neutral...

Really feels like a front end problem. Tie rods, maybe? I don't know what sort of symptoms bad tie-rods cause, but I'm running out of front end parts as suspects...

madams74 said:

Tie-rod ends. You say it happens during low speed turns. You will need an alignment after replacment.

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Any way to determine if these are bad for sure?

madams74 said:

Not unless you take it to the alignment shop.

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What should I expect to pay? And do you have to replace tie rods on both sides of the front end, or just driver side? Any other parts I'd have to replace in the process?