Front end chatter? Help... Its REALLY annoying...

[Vinchenzo51]

got an 04 cobra... stock springs, stock isos, stock wheels, stock breaks.... stock.... and everytime i hit a bump, it sounds like my front end is going to explode. Take a coffee can, fill it bolts and scaps of metal and shake it, and its the noise i get. When i press the breaks and hit bumps, it seems to die down quite a bit. Might it be my breaks?

Thanks in advance for any help

-Vinny

 

[Smacked_in_ATL]

I think Maximum Motorsports aluminum steering rack bushings are what you need. Does it creak and pop??

 

[Juruense]

Could be a lot of things get under there with a pry bar and figure it out.

 

[mu22stang]

The brake dust shields have a tendency to make a lot of noise - very metallic and chattery in nature.

 

[sunburned]

Could be your brake pads are loose in the calipers somehow. It happened on a friend's car and went away completely when he swapped the pads. Did you change the pads recently or has a shop/previous owner done the brake work? This follows the evidence that the noise goes away when you hit the brakes.

 

[Juruense]

Did not see the part about brakes in the OP, good advice above on dust shields and loose pads. My guess is the rattle clips are missing from the pads.

 

[Vinchenzo51]

hmm rattle clips... well i'll tell you what its not, its not the springs, it not the dust shields, and i tightend every bolt i could find... but these rattle clips you speak of, i dont know what they are/look like but i pulled the pads off and there where no "clip-like" things around or on the pads, i think thats my problem there. what do they look like or where can i just buy some new ones???

p.s. thanks for all the help this has been pissing me off for over a year no
(and by the way, it was Ford who replaced my pads during a routine service a while back... good ol Ford techs)

 

[thelpb]

Each pad should have the two round clips and the single, smaller clip on the end. Very similar to these:

 

[f2hatch]

I have the same noise i checked all the bolts too. I thought it was the heat exchanger but nope put new pads on new rotors nope bumpsteer kit, caster camber plates, ball joints that didnt fix it. I'm thinking its the struts only thing left. I notice the noise over a cluster of small bumps more than one hard bump. My way of thinking it's the struts is maybe the car being lowered put to much angle on the piston of the strut and now it has to much slop slidding in and out. Does that make any sense? Sorry for spelling.

 

[3Dglasses]

NAPA sells them for about 12 bucks...

 

[SVT1999]

TTT. sorry for brining up such an old thread but i have this problem and I am looking to see if you all fixed your issues?

 

[Jefe]

Get a video of the noise. Theres so many different sounds these cars make :lol1:

 

[MadManElmo]

I'm sure it's the break pads, I got a rattle noise after I got the new break pads installed, and the noise would show up when hitting small bumps on the road. If the noise goes away when you hit the bumps at the same time that you step on the breaks, then it's your break pads for sure.

 

[exdeath]

Is your noise most pronounced when maneuvering slowly over rough/cracked uneven pavement such as in a parking lot when the suspension is undergoing slight but rapid movement?

Probably the struts and/or the upper mounts. The upper mounts SUCK and the stock Bilsteins aren't known to go 50-60k miles, if that, before they start making noise. It's hard to tell because the stock dust cover is in the way, but you probably have some rubbing of the strut shaft against the body and it's knocking around. If you are prepared to dig into it to investigate, remove the dust cover (has a metal band like CV joints) and take the spring out and grab a hold of the knuckle/strut body and shake it around violently and I bet you'll find your rattle.

Get some new struts, a set of spherical bearing CC plates, thow in a set a poly bushings for the lower control arms for $50 while you're at it and you pretty much get rid of the worst offenders up front.

I never know what the cause of things is half the time; when one part doesn't behave I tend to get pissed off and shotgun everything in the general vicinity of the bad part so I never have to screw with it again.

 

[Stalker27]

Not trying to threadjack here but mine started making a metal sound. It's a mettalic wep weep sound over and over. Very pronounced when I'm driving against a wall or another car. If I lightly touch the break they go away. I hear it more on the driver side tire. I jacked up the car and grabbed the tire itself and agressivly shook it and made that weep noise

 

[srl135]

Is your noise most pronounced when maneuvering slowly over rough/cracked uneven pavement such as in a parking lot when the suspension is undergoing slight but rapid movement?

Probably the struts and/or the upper mounts. The upper mounts SUCK and the stock Bilsteins aren't known to go 50-60k miles, if that, before they start making noise. It's hard to tell because the stock dust cover is in the way, but you probably have some rubbing of the strut shaft against the body and it's knocking around. If you are prepared to dig into it to investigate, remove the dust cover (has a metal band like CV joints) and take the spring out and grab a hold of the knuckle/strut body and shake it around violently and I bet you'll find your rattle.

Get some new struts, a set of spherical bearing CC plates, thow in a set a poly bushings for the lower control arms for $50 while you're at it and you pretty much get rid of the worst offenders up front.

I never know what the cause of things is half the time; when one part doesn't behave I tend to get pissed off and shotgun everything in the general vicinity of the bad part so I never have to screw with it again.

Ever hear of the sperical bearings going bad in the CC plates? I have MM CC plates, stock struts (which i plan to replace) and also where do you find poly bushings for the lower control arms?

 

[Jack32v]

I am having the same front end noise, I notice it is more pronounced when the car is warm. It doesnt clunk over one bump but when coming to a stop say at a red light it sounds like the front end is going to fall apart... or at night when I pull in my driveway it really clunks and rattles

 

[Qwik03]

my cobra is doing the same thing so i jacked up the front end and i messed with the caliper and it rocked slightly front to back i just had new brake pads installed too ... are there clips that keep the caliper from moving like that ??

 

[Jefe]

my cobra is doing the same thing so i jacked up the front end and i messed with the caliper and it rocked slightly front to back i just had new brake pads installed too ... are there clips that keep the caliper from moving like that ??

Yes

From another thread

Took me 30 mins to find a kit! Ford is 3 days to get them, NAPA is 2 days, Checker is 3 days out, Pep Boys is 4 days out, found 1 kit left at Auto Zone for $5.99! Part # H5800 for anyone that needs them

AutoZone.com | | Brake Disc Hardware Kit - Front | DISC BRAKE HDW KIT

NAPA is Part # 83014A

Different color....

Store Locator | NAPA Online

 

[Qwik03]

i have those 4 clips and the shop that did my brakes said that those clips were'nt gonna solve my problem.... is there a thread that shows how the clips are installed ??