1994 850 -- have a "clunk" from right front wheel

I get the "clunk" not loud but definitely heard over the radio when I am in
the last stages of breaking in a straight line (stop sign) or making a hard
left turn from a standing stop. Not regular but often enough to be
noticeable. No wheel noise during other turns or braking/starting.

Please. Pretty-please-with-ribbons don't tell me that its the CV boot
going...

 

Isn't the boot the cheap part? It's the joint you should be worried about.

 

It's obvious when the cv boot is gone... Oil gets flung everywhere
inside the wheel opening. Your problem sounds more like a failing sway
bar link, the occasional creak and clunk will soon become a clunk on
every bump. Turn the wheels so you can access the sway bar link and
shake it as hard as you can. If you feel any play, you need a new one.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

NOTE: new address!!
Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

Perhaps its a lose caliper bolt...even just a little lose will make it do
this.
Perhaps it's the cv....

 

I had this clunk, and it turned out to be a £20 top spring seat bush thingy
on the top of the front strut. Easy to change yourself if you have some
spring compressors, and as implied, very cheap. I had the clunk when going
over large bumps very slowly (like when pulling into my very steep driveway
at an angle).
If you were local, I'd offer to sort it for you, but it looks like you're
many miles away!
Cheers.
Joe Landy
Peterborough
UK.

 

New one went in the last shop visit a month ago, plus left-hand
bearing.

Right-hand bearing was replace in January when I found the "Black Hole
of Alliston" -- six feet long, three feet wide and one foot deep
sinkhole at night. It took out both right-hand tires on my car, plus
another six vehicles before the police could put out traffic cones.
Score was somewhere around ten tires, and at least three aluminum
Volvo rims (two for me and oen for the kid who'd borrowed Dad's car to
run some friends home...)

 

Hey Joe,

Where did you get it at that price? Everywhere I've looked its been about
£40 or more! I presume you're referring to the big rubber bit with a steel
insert bush the top of the strut bolts through?

Al

 

I'm only two hours away from Peterborough. Peterborough Ontario .. UK is
just a bit further down the 401...

Thanks!

 

Hi all.
I got the top spring seat/bush for £20 from my main dealer. Surprisingly
cheap really, something like £17 plus VAT. Do you want me to send you some?
I bought the rotary part of the top strut assembly first, thinking this was
broken, but it was fine. I was scratching my head for a while until I
noticed the dislodged steel tube in the centre of the bush.
Yup, a little far to Peterborough UK for a cheap repair!
Cheers.
Joe.