Chattering noise from from end while turning at slow speeds

Looking for a little help with a new issue that popped up. About two weeks ago I was making a u-turn at relatively low speeds (about 5 or 10 mph), and when I turned the wheel to approximately half-lock I began to hear this rather pronounced chattering noise from the front end. This was a left-hand u-turn BTW. My initial thought was that the tire might have been rubbing on something up front, so I put the front end up on jack stands when I got home to check. No dice.

 

I didn't hear the noise for another week after that. Now, over the last few days I've heard it a few more times, and have been able to somewhat repeat the event. It still only occurs when I make a left-hand turn, and it seems there needs to be some loading of the suspension, not just a real slow corner. I've gotten it to happen with a small, quick movements in a parking lot, granted it's only like one or two "chatters". Taking the long way home for more left-hand corners I was able to make it happen with pretty decent consistency. No vibrations come back through the steering wheel, it just seems like something underneath the car is hitting a resonance briefly.

 

I put the car up on stands to check everything I could. Poking around with a prybar showed the ball joints, tie rod ends, end links, and control arms had no discernible play in them. Hubs didn't show any play either. No odd noises from either differential when moving the tires around. Steering motion is smooth, with no hard/dead spots I've read about that could be indicative of air in the system.

 

Relevant mods up from include new front and rear LCA bushings, new sway bar endlinks, driver's side hub replaced, passenger front axle replaced (neither axle has play that can be felt in the joints), and clutch. As reported in another thread, I've recently started to get some pretty wicked clutch chatter at times, and I'm wondering if that could have maybe knocked something loose... It's a long shot, but hey, who knows.

 

When I get some time this weekend I'm going to put my GoPro under there to see if I can try to pinpoint where it's coming from. In the mean time, any suggestions for what else I can look at? Car is a 2006 LGT 5-speed.

 

Thanks in advance!

I'm assuming you've ruled out a CV joint? How many miles do you have on your diff fluid?

Diff fluid has about 7500 miles on it. I couldn't find any unusual play or noises with the CV joints still on the car, so that's as far as I was able to check them. The front passenger side was replaced about 2000 miles ago, so I wouldn't expect issues there.

 

Can a failing hub cause this kind of chatter, even if there's no detectable play using the 12 and 6 method of shaking the tire?

Just providing a follow-up for those who might search and find this... replacing the hub seemed to solve the problem.

Did you have any wheel play as seen with bad bearings?

No, which is why it wasn't my first thought. The bearing did chatter when spun after I removed it from the car.

Glad you were able to fix it. I've read many times in various Subaru forums that some of the aftermarket axles can cause vibration by not having sufficient clearance relative to axial (side to side) movement. Curious if you used OEM axle or?

No, which is why it wasn't my first thought. The bearing did chatter when spun after I removed it from the car.

 

This is very common on the newer style bolt-in bearings on the subies. We've seen all kinds of weird noises and symptoms that relate back to the bearing being bad.

 

-mike

Glad you were able to fix it. I've read many times in various Subaru forums that some of the aftermarket axles can cause vibration by not having sufficient clearance relative to axial (side to side) movement. Curious if you used OEM axle or?

 

No, it is an aftermarket Cardone unit. Actually, it's the second one I've replaced on the passenger front since I accidentally pulled one apart while doing my clutch. I tried to be lazy and not remove the axles while pulling the trans back and pulled the slip joint apart. Oops.

 

Before installing the new axle the first time I measured the total travel compared to the OEM axle to make sure there wouldn't be any clearance issues. Everything checked out, so I knew that wasn't the problem when diagnosing this particular noise.

So turns out this didn't actually solve my problem as the noise is still present. It only seems to occur on left-hand turns, and is exaggerated by rough roads while turning. I hear a knocking noise, accompanied by what feels like a loose front end.

 

As the struts and hubs are basically new, I'm now leaning towards ball joints. At 122k miles of Michigan roads they've been well-abused. I've inspected the steering as much as I can by myself, but I'm not thinking that's the issue since the steering feels if tight and has no slop (either felt or visible in the tie rod ends). I'll also go bad and check the driver's front CV as I've noticed some grease leaking out.

Replace the PS belt???

I have not replaced it if that's what you're asking. I did flush and bleed the system about a year ago.

Replace the belt. It may look good, as mine did, but it wasn't. I had the same symptoms , stealership said steering rack, maybe pump, belt fixed it.

 

Just because it is a toothed belt, doesn't mean it will not slip, particularly at low engine rpm under load.

Belts are cheap - I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

Belts are cheap - I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

 

 

Keep us posted:)

I replaced both the power steering/alternator and AC condenser belt Thursday, however, it did not fix the issue. I just finished replacing ball joints on both sides today (which was a huge pain in the ass). I didn't find any noticeable play in either side, but I'm also not able to apply anywhere near as much force as the suspension can. Although there was no play, they were very loose and moved around incredibly easy once removed. Even if they were still okay, at 122k miles it's peace of mind that they're replaced.

 

The car is still up on stands pending brake line replacement tomorrow. Provided all the brake line connections come apart without rounding off (finger crossed!) I should be able to get it back driving tomorrow evening. I'll update then if this has worked. If not, the next components in line get progressively more expensive...

 

I love this car, but they need some TLC to stay running happily!

So what's the verdict ?

The ball joints seemed to tighten up the front end a bit and lessen the harshness of certain bumps, however, they did not seem to fix the chattering issue. The may have lessened it to a degree, but when making a left turn and hitting some rough pavement or a nice bump it will still sound like something is loose up there.

 

I think my next steps will be to find a way to safely attach my GoPro to try and see what's going on up in that corner when this happens. I'm kind of at a loss now, since most everything have not been replaced in the front suspension that would either be worn out and/or broken. Only thing left is the CV, which shows no signs of leaking grease of any other sort of damage.