Noticing knocking

GTE

Hello,

Love the prefixes! Not too sure if I selected the correct one.

But anyway! The car in the last 6 months (mark 4 Golf TDI) had some service work done. On both sides on the front it got suspension shock tops, I think roll bar bushes and on the drivers side an inner tie rod end replaced.
VW and a local main dealer identified all this needed to be done.

On the passengers side now though I have noticed a knock from that front corner. Especially noticeable when I go over a long 4 or 5 inch high speed bump on the right side of the car only. The left stays flat but the right goes over it. Doing that there is a noticeable click that I heard since month or two ago. Now, since I stopped driving over the speed bumbs that way, I noticed more increasingly that there can be a few little knocks happening under certain conditions.

My question is what do you think it could be and would it be a DIY jobby or something a bit more complex considering I have done brake pad and disc changes and also oil and filter. I know it could be anything and everything and a mechanic check would be needed.

Im going to get the front on a jack and axle stand and check that corner because when I man handle the front left wheel now it does feel that there is some sort of play. Im due back in Belfast (2 hour motorway trip) but if the car cant do it Im perfectly fine leaving it for now.

Thanks all.

Looking forward to using this forum in the coming Summer when I hope to get some projects done.

EDIT:

A further question I now have would be OEM parts vs third party. All the parts replaced on the car were not VW OEM ones. I read here that the spurious parts dont last as long and are not as good quality and the advice was to buy OEM and either DIY it or indy garage the work.

Im not taking that as gospel but I am curious as to what the people here think about using spurious vs OEM. Are they just as good as OEM and cheaper or are the OEM just overpriced like most things dealer.

GTE

Checked the car there and realised the force Id need to get it making the click/noise would probably knock the car off the stands. Still though, sure enough when its on all 4 wheels and I rock the car heavily I get it.

guil

check the anti roll bar linkage

GTE

Had the car checked over and he noticed that the front left spring had some very slight play when you manhandled (twisting motion) it but said that it was so small its nothing to worry about and since the car was on the ramp it probably made it much easier to do.

He also identified a slight slight amount of play in the steering rack. He said for 165,000 miles it was in great condition and there was nothing to be worried about.

He checked the anti roll bar too.

Ill keep an ear out. He said to get it check again if I heard anything definite when driving normally and not crawling over speed bumps like I was.

GTE

Well, I had a google of Mark 4 Golf TDi knocking and came across this! This knock hasnt really ever gone away and I think it was the beginning of the current problem.

Instead of clogging up my thread about gearbox mount changing with "Where the hell is this knocking coming from" I thought Id ask my questions here instead, google is doing a good job!

Recap of my story:

Symptoms
- Knocking over bumps
- Clunk/knock when car is reversed and the brake is applied in its first use
- Feels and sounds as if it is coming from the passenger side but not totally sure
- No feeling of a knock in the gear stick shaft (when you press through the gaiter)
- No knocks when I park the car and continually bite into the clutch in 1st and 3rd.

What has been done and noticed about it
- VW main dealer suspected the gear box mount
- Kwik Fit Mechanic looked at it for me again during a brake fluid change and said he noticed play in the passenger side mount (not specific as to saying gearbox or engine stabiliser)
- There is play in the gearbox mount but no knocking when manhandled. A third mechanic says it looks normal considering their job, there is going to be play in it.
- The engine stabiliser also has play. With a vice grips I was able to pull at it and hear a slight tap/knock, but very slight. I was pulling down on it with a slight twisting motion due to the vice grips.
- Both the gearbox mount and the engine stabiliser are around 70 euro each from a motor factors.
Although a member suggested it, VW and the motor factors can not supply just the rubber of the gearbox mount.
The motor factors wont supply just the rubbers for the engine stabliser, they say maybe VW can. I can also get a polyurethane "upgrade" so they can be gotten separate.
- Rear bushes of front wishbone/lower suspension arm have been changed.

The rear bush change seems to changed the knock. It doesnt seem to be coming from bumps in the road on the passenger side. There was a knock when I took a left hand bend which wasnt there before, only happened once.

Now, I am confused. Money problems have put me out of any position to buy parts so I was hoping a check list of anything knockable could be made for me to check?

Other notes
- The front wishbone bushes are good according to my mechanic friend.
- There is a slight play in the passenger side wheel bearing.
- Man-handing the car by the roof rails makes the passenger side knock.
- Man-handling the passenger side tyre also makes a knock, which is what was said to be the bearing.
- Roll bar bushes look good.

I have a proper jack and some axle stands but sadly very little time to check things. NCT is coming up in the next month or two so maybe they can pick up on anything that is wrong.

The only play that has been seen besides the expected amounts from the gearbox mount and engine stabiliser is the passenger side wheel.
It is looking like that, but could I always thought you heard whines when you are moving from bearings going along with the play in the wheel when you are stopped.

Internet search says
- Possible CV joint issue (but it is not a constant, grinding like noise)
- Tie rod ends (Tie rods had work done two years ago - Inner ends)

I will check what a the following link says about checking CV and Tie rods
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_causes_a_knocking_sound_in_the_front_of_a_car_when_turning_to_the_right



Thanks for any help you can give.

d o'c

check the front wishbone balljoints,

plus don't assume that most recent fitted parts are ok.

the play you found on the front wheel bearing, may be enire hub,

was it top/bottom play 12-6, or left to right 9-3 oclock?