2006 Grand Prix front end noise, crunch and soft clunking,?
This may be a shot in the dark but, I have a 2006 Grand Prix that I am experiencing front end suspension noise and I am hoping someone may be able to shine some light on my issue. My grand Prix is the base model sedan with the 3.8L Series III non-supercharged. The noise is worse when it’s cooler outside; 50 degrees or colder. When you start out from a stop and start to accelerate I get a crunching noise from the front end. It sounds like it is a lower suspension noise coming from something attached to the sub frame. I also get a very slight clunking noise when going over bumpy pavement or riding on rough surfaces. My car only has 58,500 miles on it. I haven’t been driving it much in the past two years since I have been using my truck more. I just had a state inspection at the dealership in November and they didn’t notice anything. Everything seams tight when I looked at the front end in November. I plan to jack up the front end tomorrow after work and tug on some components. I was thinking strut mounts, control arm bushings or sway bar links or bushings. I couldn’t imagine it being an engine mount since I have hardly driven it since inspection and with it having such low miles. I am not getting hard shifts or engine vibration through the body that I normally have experienced with other bad engine mounts. Is there anyone out there that is familiar with these front ends that may know of a common failure they could recommend? Thanks in advance!
What are some of the things that can happen if I keep driving my car with a broken tie rod?
Tie rods have an adjustment that keeps your tires in alignment. They also provide the link between your steering wheel and the front tires. You turn the wheel, the tire rod pushes the tires left and right.Worn tie rods can cause shaky front wheels, misaligned front tires, imprecise steering, excessively worn tires. A broken tie rod would allow one tire to flop to the side causing instant loss of steering and a crash if you are going fast enough.A least, you will be wearing out your tires much faster than you should. You will be replacing those tires sooner than later.At most, a worn tie rod could cause an accident because your steering isn’t accurate.If you are still driving your car, you don’t have a broken tie rod. You may have severely worn tie rods if your front tires are wearing unevenly (can be caused by a poor alignment as well), aligning the front end doesn’t fix your tire wear problem, or your steering wheel wobbles while you drive.They aren’t that expensive to replace and much less expensive than adding a new set of tires to that cost or an accident.
How can I tell if I have a bad CV joint?
Grease coming out of a small crack or tear is the early sign of the CV joint boot failing. If the damage is bigger, you might see dark grease splattered on the inside of the wheel rim and around the area inside of the drive wheel like in the photo.If a car is continued to be driven with a damaged CV joint boot, the CV joint will wear out and eventually fail. A most common symptom of a badly-worn outer CV joint is a clicking or popping noise when turning. Usually the noise gets louder when accelerating in turns. In worst cases, a badly-worn outer CV joint can even disintegrate while driving. This will make your car undriveable.Inner CV joints failures are rare. One of the symptoms of a failed inner CV joint is shudder or side-to-side shake during acceleration. A worn-out inner CV joint may also cause clunking when shifting from Drive to Reverse.
What are reasons your steering wheel won't lock?
I assume that you are referring to your steering wheel not locking in position after you stop the vehicle and take out the key?There are several possible reasons for this.1. The cog that fits into the detent on the steering column is broken and needs to be replaced.2. The detent on the steering column is worn or broken3. You have not turned the wheel far enough for the cog to find a detent. Pull the wheel first to the left, and then to the right to find the spot.4. The actuator from the solenoid to the cog is broken.To repair this will require the cover on the steering column to be removed, and probably need to have the steering wheel removed as well. Take it to a qualified shop or dealer for this. Incorrect actions could result in damage to the parts, or even the deployment of the air bag on the steering wheel. The exact disassembly required will differ for each manufacturer and possible model of vehicle. If you have a Chilton's manual for your vehicle, you can look up the repair to see what is involve.
How dangerous is it to drive with broken struts?
A complete strut consists of a shock absorber and a spring combined into a single unit.“Broken” is a nebulous term in this instance. What is meant by “broken”?To me, broken would refer to the spring or it’s supporting plates. The spring is what supports the weight of the vehicle. If the spring is physically broken then you will have serious issues controlling the vehicle …and this can be potentially exceptionally dangerous.Now, if by “broken” you’re referring to the shock portion of the strut being worn out that is a different matter. A worn out shock is no where near as dangerous as a broken spring. The shock simply dampens oscillations caused by road irregularities. While worn shocks can effect handling it is certainly not dangerous.
Auto Repair: How long should brake service normally take?
There is also the issue of skill. Some shops have newer guys do simpler jobs, like maintenance. So it's also very likely the guy was having some trouble. Even at an independent shop 2 hours was about the tops for 4 wheel brake job. We'd order the parts and take it all apart, if machining needed to be done get it started and move to something else. By time the parts arrived you'd hopefully be able to put some stuff together. You check the parts and if they're right, get it together, if they're wrong you get new parts ordered. The worst I ever had was a brake job that came in around 2, checked it and needed front pads, rotors, and rear drums and shoes. Took it apart and moved on. Checked parts when they came... the rears were all wrong. It was 4 already because delivery gets busy near the end of the day. Assembled fronts and waited until 530 to get rears again. Made sure they were right, gave old ones as exchange and put rears together. It was almost 6. Got the car ready for a brake flush(also sold), performed the flush and let the writer know. It was almost 615 and the customer waited the entire time, needing to get to class. That was the worst.Typically it's 40 minutes in a dealer setting for all 4 without machining, about 60 with. You check them, get parts, and assemble. That's it. Machining is typically very easy if you know what you're doing and you get started ASAP so you can work and machine. In a smaller shop you can hear when they're finished to remind you about them. If you forget though nothing happens and time is wasted.So what you want to do is not wait for your car to be done if you can. Let the shop worry about issues and you can get on with it. If you're on a tight schedule and need the car consider returning when you have more time, brakes very rarely need to be done immediately, as it is with most vehicle repairs.
Can you drive a car with a motor mount that needs to be fixed and how far?
As long as it’s not completely broken you should be able to drive it. You can test the motor mount, to see how bad it is before driving the vehicle. You’ll need an assistant.Open the hood of your vehicle.You need an assistant to watch and see how much the engine moves when you press on the accelerator with the brakes applied.Have your assistant stand to the side (not in front of the vehicle) and observe the engine while you do the following procedure.Start the vehicle.Make sure nobody is in front of you in case the brakes fail and the vehicle lurches forward.Engage the emergency break and hold your foot firmly on the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from moving.Put the vehicle in DriveWithout letting up on the breaks, gently press on the accelerator to rev the engine slightly.If the engine moves just a few inches then the motor mount is bad but it’s probably still safe to drive it for a while longer.If the engine moves more than a few inches then it may not be a good idea to drive it at all. What you want to avoid is the situation where the engine is able to move far enough that it collides with the hood or other components in the engine compartment.