Front end creak / clicking

[mark1968]

Dear All
I have a 1993 4.0l auto and I have this annoying sound coming from the font end somewhere. It is a random click or creaking sort of sound. It happens usually when manouvering slowly, particularly when reversing, sometimes when pulling away or coming to a stop. It does not make a sound when driving, throwing it into bends or going over rough roads. I have been unable to track down the source of the sound, but I have so far changed the following: top and bottom balljoints, gearbox mounting, shock absorber bushes, anti roll bar bushes, steering rack bushes and I have tried tightening the sub frame mounting bushes too. Short of dropping the whole front sub frame and starting again, I am at a loss where this noise is coming from. It has been happening for at least a couple of years and when I ask my MOT man to have a good look, nothing is apparent.
Any ideas what I may be missing? Any thoughts most welcome.
Mark

[davidr]

Have you looked at the shock absorber top bushes? They are foam and disintegrate over time and can make just the kind of noises you describe when they do.

[mark1968]

Hi David
I replaced the top shock bushes a couple of months ago. So far, everything I have done to eliminate the noise has had no affect whatsoever, so I can only assume I haven't yet found the culprit.
Mark

[cabriolet]

Hi Mark,
You seem to have covered most of the usual areas that cause noise issues, the only area extra to this that has caused a clicking noise for me is the centre panel that is below the windscreen that houses the wiper motor. The panel is supported by rubber mountings and if loose or worn can cause a clicking noise when driving.
Alan

[cabriolet]

Hi again,
I read your symptoms again and my suggestion does not fit with the noise happening whilst moving slowly. It is probably a dry joint and if it was my car I would try spraying each joint one by one with WD40 as a process of elimination.
Alan

[greeban]

Lower wishbone bushes? As Cabriolet suggests, soak them in WD40 and see if this cures it.

[mark1968]

Dear All
Many thanks for the replies and advice.
I have tried soaking every rubber bushing one at a time with no result whatsoever. I have gone to every nut and bolt to check they are tight. The only thing I have not tried is replacing the track rod ends. I can't feel any play or knocking/creaking in the steering wheel at all, but could there be sufficient wear in the ends to cause a noise as the front wheels take strain in manouvering? As I have said before, there is no noise during general driving.
Mark

[steve_m]

Does your car have the cross bars at the top of the engine bay.
These can come loose over time and make strange noises.
When I had a very weird noise coming from somewhere at the front we found it by me driving very, very slowly whilst the mechanic stuck his head in the engine bay in various places until he located it; turned out that the subframe bolts were loose!
Make sure that you don't run over his feet whilst doing this!

[mark1968]

Many thanks for all of your replies about my annoying noise. I took the plunge and dropped the front sub frame and immediately found the culprit. It was one of the subframe vee bushes. One side of the bush had completely rotted away. So while it was all off, I went and refurbished the whole subframe. I took it out today for a short test drive and all creaking and clicking was gone.