Caranvan: random tapping noise

Hi, My Caravan (94 SE) recently got kind of metallic tapping noise in the
front. The sound is there most time when driving, but sometimes it's gone
for a while, then come back. But no noise can be heard at all at full stop.
It's like something loose.

A friend says it could be a problem with lifter. I just don't believe in
him. could please give me some hints. Thank you.

Henry

 

Have you checked the oil level and maybe replace the filter.

 

Like the OP said, there is no noise when the vehicle is not moving. That
means tranny/diff/drive shafts/hubs. Maybe even something as simple as a
stone caught in the thread of a tire.

A lifter noise would be there whether the vehicle is moving or not. Mind
you it could come-and-go at various engine speeds. There should not be any
connection between lifter noise and vehicle speed.

Just my own past experience with lifter noises.....

Ken

 

Thanks all.
It does sound like a tiny piece of stone jumping inside a metal jar.
The oil level has been ok. Anything to do with filter?

Henry

 

Have you checked your Front Sway Bar Bushings lately????

I have a 94 GC, and I recently had mine replaced - man were they ever
shot!

Fear not, these are real easy to check, and very inexpensive to
replace! So start with the simple stuff first!

hth

 

Maybe a little something extra trapped inside a hubcap?

Ken

 

What sort of symptoms did you have, and how did you check them?

--Geoff

 

Again thanks.

How to check the sway bar busings?

 

Depends on how badly worn they are. If real bad, you can see that the
hole in the bushings are bigger than the diameter of the sway bar (i.e.,
you can move the sway bar up and down in them). But if they are only
slightly worn, they can still make thumping noises (the bar slapping
against the tops and bottoms of the holes) when hitting small pot holes
and other pavement irregularities. In this case, you may or may not see
any gaps in the holes, and you may or may not be able to tell by prying
up on the sway bar to check for looseness in the bushing holes.

The way I had to do it recently on my Concorde was by process of
elimination. There was obviously something causing the thumping. I
checked all other suspension parts (ball joints, rubber bushings, tie
rod ends, etc.) and could find nothing. The only other possibility was
struts and/or strut upper mounts, which are difficult to check. Even
though my tire/alignment shop told me they thought it was struts, I took
a small gamble and replaced the sway bar bushings because: (1) they were
a lot cheaper and easier to replace than struts, and (2) From various
internet forums, I learned that it was *very* common for the sway bar
bushings to need replacing on the LH cars (not sure about the vans, but
wouldn't be surprised to find it the case with them also).

Bottom line, I replaced them (I used graphited polyurethane bushings
because they should last the life of the car and are stiffer), and all
trace of suspension noise is gone.

So - if you get thumping and can find nothing else loose, replace the
sway bar bushings, especially if there's high mileage. Chances are
that's the problem. Certainly don't replace the struts before trying
them unless there's good reason otherwise to suspect the struts.

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

Thanks a bunch, Bill. I'm working on it with these useful hints...
Henry

 

There was some unexpalinable clunks now and then.

I did some googling and found this to be a comon problem.

I did a visual inspection. You could spot the wear a mile away. The
rubber was softer than it should have been, was slightly perished, and
you could se signs of wear on the edges of the bushings. The Bushings
that were connected to the control arms were the worst.

A quick inspection on the hoist by my trusted shop confirmed my
findings. Cheap, cheap, CHEAP! IIRC it was about $85 CDN$ installed
including taxes!

Strange noises disappeared immediately.

YMMV