A while back I posted about clunking when accelerating. I thought I'd start a new thread as the symptoms have changed a bit.

Now I'm getting a clunk occasionally when I brake. It doesn't happen immediately when I press the brake only around less than 20mph. Secondly I can also hear clunks and a kind of spline clicking sound when accelerating from a stop and turning at the same time such as going around a roundabout.

I can't really pinpoint where it's coming from just somewhere on the front axle/front propshaft area. I've wiggled the u joints and couldn't feel any play on them. I'm not really sure what else I can do to try and pinpoint it further.

I'm wondering if it could be CV joints?

Certainly sounds like it might be a CV joint, or even a loose hub nut (pretty unlikely though). I'd get the front in the air and start giving everything a good wiggle and see if you can find any slack anywhere.

Unless the UJ's are on the point of explosion, you really can't detect play in them without unbolting the prop. There's generally too much load on them otherwise.
Worn CV joints will definitely click when turning on lock.
A clunk on braking/ acceleration? Could be completely unrelated and suspension bushes are getting tired. Radius arm bushes would be he place to start. Putting brakes on means that car will try to rotate around axle. Radius arms stop that (among other things).
Possibly get it onto a shaker table at your local MOT station and have a hard look at all of your suspension bushes.

Time to put some thought into how many more miles you are going to put on the car and what it's worth to keep it healthy.

My view is that once past the 100,000 mile and / or 10 years old anniversary you are onto a hiding to nothing chasing individual potentially serious "could be ... or maybe ... " type faults on any car without obvious evidence of what's gone wrong. Like shrapnel or pass the earplugs luv. Better to isolate the sub system and take the nuclear option of doing the lot in one hit. Generally P38 service and garage level replacement parts aren't silly expensive so if you plan any reasonable future mileage its financially viable. At least then you know where you stand and you've not wasted a ton of time removing and refitting bits several times as you dig deeper.

Putting my money where my mouth is this months play fund is going on full set of suspension bushes etc and 4 UJ's to be done over the winter. (Gonna cost a lot less than the washing machine that ate up last months play fund!). CVs and steering ball joints next in line.

Got so annoyed with the LRcat site during parts picking that I made a Word file of the whole Suspension section and printed it out. Another ring binder on the shelf next to the 8 holding my RAVE printout. If anyone wants it I can easily send the Word file or a PDF over by FTP.

Clive

Would a CV joint give a single click or would it be a series of clicks?

I should have mentioned that all of the front suspension bushes/ball joints have been replaced recently. The radius arm bushes, panhard rod bushes, hub ball joints, track rod, drag link and steering damper have all been replaced within the last year.

Not that that rules any of them out. I'll definitely give them another once over.

If they've been replaced there's always a chance that something wasn't torqued up tight enough and has some play in it? Front end bolts are pretty tight to get off so they need to be done up with the same breaker bar that you used to get them off.

Seems quite likely. I'll go round and check they're all torqued up correctly this weekend hopefully.

Gilbertd wrote:

If they've been replaced there's always a chance that something wasn't torqued up tight enough and has some play in it? Front end bolts are pretty tight to get off so they need to be done up with the same breaker bar that you used to get them off.

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True- 200Nm for some of the big buggers on panhard/ radius arms. Bit of a workout where space is tight under the car and a voyage to the end of my torque wrench that I rarely have to use :)
Radius arm bushes, if not pressed in with the correct tool, can easily be destroyed on installation. Non genuine bushes have been reported as failing in a very short time.

The trailing arms on the rear suspension are made of a composite material which is riveted to the steel pivoting part at the ends.
Some of the early cars had a problem with loose rivets causing a clunk when accelerating. Worth checking I think.

Last night I went around the mounting points for the panhard rod and the radius arms to make sure they were tight. The panhard rod was ok but the radius arm mountings were slightly loose. I torqued them up and on the quick drive last night and my drive to work this morning I didn't hear any clunking. That was a nice easy fix.

Thanks all.

Easy to miss , your normally so pleased, but so knackered when it comes to torquing them up,, glad your sorted