Horrible noise from my front suspension

[Brian Baskin]

This started today out of the blue. If you're driving straight, there's an intermittent metal scraping noise, coming from the front of the truck. It sounds exactly like you're dragging a heat shield, I stopped a few times but didn't see anything. The thing is: if you drive straight, the noise is intermittent. If you steer to the right, the noise becomes more regular, to the point of a hard right turn the noise is constant. If you steer left, the noise practically goes away. It's a VERY loud noise (I could hear it echoing off houses down the road)

I knew my radius arm bushings were probably shot for awhile (it's been clunking for a few months) ... could this be the drastic result of me never having that fixed?

 

[Lightning Struck]

hehehe...When was the last time you did brakes?? Sounds like a pad went bye bye..


Check both sides, look through the wheel and see if you see any grooves in your rotor.. Pads can become un-riveted or bonded, and what you're hearing is the rivets grinding into your rotor..

 

[Red 93 L1 #3383]

Be sides brakes when was the last time the wheel bearings were repacked? It kinda sounds like you have a wheel bearing going south. Wheel bearing or brakes check them out before driving any further. Other wise we'll be looking @ photos of your totalled L

 

[paul12]

Looks like you guys have this covered! :tu:

 

[Brian Baskin]

Well, I had new pads and rotors put on in (I think) October ... when my FR wheel fell off the truck at 65MPH

I'll check them, though. It seems I can only go 6 months on a set of pads before they start squeaking, sigh. Thanks for the help guys, I'll update when I figure it out

 

[stryfe]

havent had my lightning long enough to look, but my trans am has dust shields and one of them was damaged by high speed collision with a small furry animal (coon).

it vibrated badly and eventually i got mad enough that i took one off of my parts car. it sounded like what you described.

i like the look for simple stuff first, but expect the worst...that way i never get crushingly upset when something expensive breaks...

 

[paul12]

why did your wheel fall off. I had that happen when i was 17. Someone tried to steal my wheels and loosened the lug nuts.

 

[BLoG]

Brian is taking the old cliche of driving it til the wheels fall off a bit far.

 

[paul12]

I was just wondering......I have 110k on mine, maby i should look at selling before my wheels fall off.

 

[Brian Baskin]

Well, the wheel was my own fault, and I shouldered the burden of it for a long time. I rotated my own tires, and think I tightened that wheel down lopsided. Within a week, I was hearing weird occassional noises from the front right, but couldn't find the noise. Drove around another week, then 150 miles up to PA with the wife. Up there, I heard it again, and checked everything out. Then I saw that two of my lugs had sheared off. I took the wheel off, and it was full of metal shards. Well, damn, it was late Sunday, no stores open, 150 miles from home, and I had to work in the morning. I threw on the spare tire, and drove home slowly. Got within 3 miles of my home, was making the exit off the highway around a turn, and felt the wheel hobble around. I started braking (from 65MPH) then it flew off, barely avoiding another car. I eventually got it off the road, but sheared about 4" of metal off the rotor.

My fun story of the day Don't do as I do.

 

[stryfe]

strangely enough, similar happened to me.

i got a new set of tires installed at a tire store, the same one that i have always done business with.

evidently, the new "technican" put my tires on but forgot to torque the front left. read "torque" as tighten, period.

going down the road, the tire came loose, outran me, and i slid to a stop in the ditch. this was on my 79 ta, so all it tore up was a shock and mount.

needless to say they paid towing and repairs.