SIngle loud click when accelerating

[Y]

Hi,

The other day I had my winter tires put on the same rims and since then I can hear a single loud click on the front driver side when I start accelerating (most of the time), I can even feel it a bit through the floor board. It’s also starting to get cold outside (below freezing).

When I was at the garage, they didn’t do anything else besides remove and reinstall the wheels from what I could tell. They also wire brushed my rims and put some copper grease inside the rims where they seat on the hub.

I didn’t get a chance to check the torque on the lug nuts but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t mess that up… they did use the gun though.

Is there anything else that would be causing this noise?

My car is a 2000 accord 2.3L MT

Thanks

Topic

[george gonzalez]

They may have bent a splash shield, or the act of raising the car broke a strut or ball joint that was about to fail. There are about 18 rubber-bushings and ball joints in the front end of a car, any one of which can thunk or click or squeak or groan.

[Lorrin Barth]

You are a little too trusting. Check the lug nuts.

[george gonzalez]

Right, they may have forgotten to tighten the lug nuts on one of the wheels. That can give you a click.

[Kevin Criswell]

[quote=”theraven” post=80236] they did use the gun though.

[/quote]

:angry: :angry: :angry:

I agree with the rest, check your lug nuts

[Y]

Well, I just re-tightened all the lug nuts. It’s still making that sound and it’s almost like I can feel it through the clutch pedal (usually when I am engaging it) but it disappears after driving for a few minutes; I guess after the car warms up a bit. It’s below freezing outside now.

I only notice it when accelerating from a stop; it doesn’t sound like it happens when using the clutch while stopped or while driving and shifting. Sometimes I feel like I can hear it from behind me also. Maybe the suspension is frozen stiff?

Weird how it only started happening after I changed my tires.

[college man]

Jack up each wheel and spin them to see if the clicking
is there. also check the cv axles.

[Bryan]

Ya, id give the wheels a spin , a shake and a pry and look for movement in the ball joints etc. Id also give the driveshaft a spin and a a good listen also. Are any vibrations felt at any speeds? How bout noise when turning?

[Bryan]

By shaking I mean grab the tire (when jacked up) at 12:00 and 6:00 and rock it in a pulling/pushing motion alternatively. Do the same with hands at 9:00 and 3:00 on the wheel. A pair of eyes behing the wheel while you do this, looking for movement in components would be a help.

[Y]

Thanks, I’ll give that a try when I get the chance. I don’t get any noticeable vibrations at speeds or noise while turning. I do have a slightly loose tie-rod on the left but I doubt that it’s what’s making the noise especially since I don’t hear it while jerking the wheel side to side. I also have a broken stabilizer link but I know exactly what that sounds like by now.

I’m starting to think that the noise is coming from the clutch pedal or master cylinder acting up in the cold weather.

[george gonzalez]

You have two known loose items in the suspension and you’re asking us what’s clicking?

[Jeff]

I had a single click or clank when accelerating in my 07 Nissan Altima with 100K miles on it. Drove me nuts and tried everything to see where it was coming from. Finally decided to get the Dealer Opinion and sure enough they knew the sound well. It ended up being the Axle Nut was a bit loose. They need to be supertight or will create a click when accelerating or decelerating. They wanted to charge $120 to tighten both sides but I talked them down to $50. They removed both tires, took the cotter pin off the bolt on each side and retorqued both bolts tight and no more noise. Worth a shot to get that checked out but DON’T PAY $50 for 15 mins of work. I had no choice cuz I had no tools or ability to jack up the vehicle then. Good Luck!

[Kevin Criswell]

[quote=”grg8888″ post=80383]You have two known loose items in the suspension and you’re asking us what’s clicking?[/quote]

Exactly. Like I have said before, you can’t diagnose around known faults in the same system. Sure the click might have nothing to do with the known faults, but it might and until you can eliminate them you really cant move forward on finding the fault unless you start shotgunning the vehicle. Many times a part can fail enough to make noise or feel it, but pass a visual inspection everytime.

[george gonzalez]

That sounds like what may be happening to the original poster. I always thought the axle nut was mostly unneeded, as the shaft is splined to the hub, BUT now that I think about it, the spline fits rather loosely in the hub, on most cars. So they’d have to depend on a VERY tight axle nut to provide enough friction to lock those two parts in place, and keep them locked during full-throttle acceleration.

So, check the axle nut! You will have to bang out the indented locking feature, then try tightening it to spec, which is usually around 180 ft-lbs. Basically, as hard as you can get it, with a 2-foot breaker bar. Or since I weigh 180 pounds, and often can’t find the torque wrench, I just carefully step on the end of the 1-foot socket handle.

[Lorrin Barth]

Another thing is not all brake pads are the same size. Some come too big and you have to grind a little to make them fit. Others come too small. Say, with too small pads and you are backing out of your driveway. When you apply the brakes the pads shift. Now, you drive a few blocks to the first stop sign and apply the brakes harder and as the pads shift again they will produce a click sound. My rear brakes are doing this now. There’s nothing really wrong here except the noise.

[Kevin Criswell]

[quote=”grg8888″ post=80571]That sounds like what may be happening to the original poster. I always thought the axle nut was mostly unneeded, as the shaft is splined to the hub, BUT now that I think about it, the spline fits rather loosely in the hub, on most cars. So they’d have to depend on a VERY tight axle nut to provide enough friction to lock those two parts in place, and keep them locked during full-throttle acceleration.

So, check the axle nut! You will have to bang out the indented locking feature, then try tightening it to spec, which is usually around 180 ft-lbs. Basically, as hard as you can get it, with a 2-foot breaker bar. Or since I weigh 180 pounds, and often can’t find the torque wrench, I just carefully step on the end of the 1-foot socket handle.[/quote]

Don’t forget Greg, the axle nut’s main job is to ensure the sealed bearing is properly pre-loaed and to keep the hub pressed into the bearing assembly. It is the reason I discourage using an impact to tighten the axle nut. Take you axle nuts off and eventually you will have a wheel come off as the hub slowly pulls itself out of the bearing.

[Author]

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