knock with throttle

[drift7one]

hopefully its not anything super serious. just today on the way to the parts store to pick up some stuff for my brother's Ford Taurus, I made a turn in my neighborhood and heard a sort of pop/ knock sound.

I figured I had just run over a stick because we had a big storm last night. but now it seems everytime from a complete stop, when I give it steady throttle, there is a single knock /pop right away but nothing out of the ordinary afterwards. its only under steady acceleration, nothing happens if I give it more aggressive gas. when it does happen, you can feel it as if is through the pedal or floorboard.

has anybody else had something similar to this, or any suggestions on what I may need to look at?

[01bonneSC]

Hows your oil pressure?

Have you checked your oil level?

Try revving a bit in park and see it it does it.

[drift7one]

oil was just changed about a week ago. my dad did me the favor and took it in while I was doing landscape work. oil level is good. cant say anything about Oil PSI because the needle is pegged, and hadn't given the part to my dad to get it put on during oil change.

drove it around a little more because I needed to, and now it seems like when I hit a bigger bump or go up my driveway curb its the same thing. there also seems to be a light groan like sound coming from the right front.

[01bonneSC]

What kind of oil filter did the shop use?

Also sounds like you need to get under it and shake the suspension down.

[SPLLOUDER]

Sounds like it might be a motor or transmission Mount .

[drift7one]

after taking it to a couple places today and doing some typical in town errands, it now appears less and less with acceleration. HOWEVER, when ever I mak a right hand turn it makes a very prominent pop sound. happens 99% of the time I make a 90° turn. gonna take it in yo the local shop my buddy works at, and see if he can spot something.

[01bonneSC]

Sounds like a strut mount plate. Check the end links also.

[bc21]

Same thing happened to me and i thought it was something major. Turned out it was a Sway bar link. It would make a terrible bang noise when ever I would first start pulling out of the driveway in the morning but then nothing else until maybe I put the car in reverse or made a sharp turn slowly which would get the 2 broken pieces aligned just right again and when i would hit the gas, BANG again!!!!. Its worth a look. keep us updated on any diagnosis you find. good luck

[drift7one]

Thanks bc21 for the pointer. definitely sounded the same way you described.

got a couple free minutes of time and took a look behind the wheel, and sure enough...



looks like the bolt rusted through and snapped. you can pull the two end a part. other side looks functional, but I'm gonna go ahead and replace both of them.

I would like to make this a DIY project. only problem I'm worried about is getting the older rusted ones of. don't have much more tools than a very basic auto repair toolbox kit I got as a gift a couple years ago.

[Archon]

The hardest part of it is getting the old ones out. I've found it easier to cut them out with a sawsall than to try to remove them with wrenches. Moog would be a good replacement.

[bc21]

Well I definitely hope this fixes your problem, it fixed mine. As for getting it off it can be tricky, no real special tools are needed. The hardest part about it is getting the rubber bushings to slide off the old rusted bolt. I just take a pair of vise grips and clamp the rubber bushing and use a ratchet with a 13 mm socket and crank them back and forth until the rubber pops off. Also pry up and down with a large flat head screw driver to get the rubber bushings off. Use a hammer to try and break things loose. Once it is off the new one will take about 5 minutes to put on.

I would definitely make this a DIY. I got a quote one time for a $103 per side. Autozone carries swaybar links starting at $5 that are brass so they dont rust. they also have better quality one as well. I normally always will always spend more for quality, but a few years ago I had to buy the $5 do to being in between jobs and things were tight. That was a little over 3 years ago and they are still going strong. Either way you can make your own choice on the quality you want. (I would hate to tell you the cheapo's are good and they last you only 3 months). I believe moog makes a high quality link and is not the much more expensive.

Good luck

[drift7one]

called around a couple places to get some prices. seems like there are numerous brands, many which offer simple OEM style replacements for about $5 (Master Pro). there are two parts stores in my area which both carry the MOOG brand end links. from what I've been told and recommended, they are the brand to go with.
as most things, there are two models. a more standard bolt with thermoplastic bushings to resist heat, wear, salt, road grime and oils. or a Heavy Duty design that includes a strong zinc plated bolt to resist corrosion and breakage along with the same thermoplastic bushings (IN BLUE!!!). there is one other brand that is a bit more expensive than MOOG, any body ever use Rare Parts products?

I'm assuming going with the MOOG HD is the better option for only $4 more per side. http://bit.ly/PTkMuH

[01bonneSC]

Some go with Energy Suspension brand units also.

I would suggest getting them from RockAuto and using your Pontiac Bonneville Club discount code. You would have them in 2 days being from NW Indiana

[drift7one]

I would like to go through Rock Auto, being that the MOOG HD endlinks are only $6 there, plus getting the Pontiac Bonneville Club 20% Off code. Im just pressed for time.
I sprayed down the bolts and bolt heads with some lubricant and rust remover, hoping it would help me out. *dang* I wish I had some Kroil.
gonna pick up the parts in the morning, and hopefully I can get it done tomorrow during the day with what basic tools I have or early Saturday morning with a buddy helping.
I have plans to head down to Indianapolis this weekend for my Alma Mater's rivalry football game Saturday night.

maybe Sunday, any area Indy area members could meet up for a quick lunch or something.

[drift7one]

Finally got around to posting on here. got the new end-links put on, caused me little problems. I went to Harbor Freight beforehand and picked up a cut off tool and blades, figured I would need them. I guess was wrong.
Once the car was up on jack stands it was just a matter of grabbing the bushings with vise grips and unbolting everything. interesting enough, once I finished replacing the broken one on driver's side, I went to do the other side, and as soon as I tried to loosen it, it snapped. if anything, made my job easier. slipped everything to place, tightened them down, and ta-da. done.

my only question, is are these supposed to be torqued down specifically? I think I read 14lbs somewhere. I just kinda measured the intact old one (before it snapped) and then tightened the new ones down to about the same length for now.

[01bonneSC]

Just do em tight. Not overly tight, but not loose. It's a feel thing.