Noises from Suspension, Driveshaft or Gearbox?

Hello.

I have a Bora TDI ALH with a conversion to a 6-speed DRW transmission. There's a 'clack-clack' sound coming from somewhere in the front when the left wheel goes over bumps. It also makes a clacking sound when driving over very small potholes where the wheel barely compresses. Occasionally, you can hear the noise when the passenger gets in. It doesn't necessarily have to be a heavy person; even my 50 kg girlfriend is enough to trigger it. Since the noise started, I've driven about 1500 km. Nothing has changed, and it hasn't gotten worse. When driving in curves, nothing suspicious is noticeable, whether it's a tight or wide turn, or driving fast or slow.

I've already disassembled the left side and checked everything. The rubber bushings are okay. Both ball joints are okay. The tie rods are okay. The wheel bearings are okay. The driveshaft has about 1mm of play (measured externally at the joint) in the inner joint when you try to rotate the shaft back and forth. So it's barely noticeable. The strut mounts are not worn. The spring is not broken.

Okay, I'm now going to completely disassemble and inspect the right side as well. The question is, if I don't find anything there either, what could it be? If it's the drive shafts or the transmission, how far could I realistically drive before something breaks? I'm unfortunately not familiar with tripod joints. I still have about 6000 km to drive before I'm back in Germany.

Regards,

Paul.

Have you ever checked or replaced the axle shaft rubber boots?

Okay, I hadn't even thought of that. That would also be a possibility. I'll try driving around without the tie rods when I get back to my car.

Quote:

Ah, I hadn't even thought of that. That would also be a possibility. I'll try driving around without the tie rods when I'm back at my car

.

If the stabilizer bar can move freely from left to right and/or if you see signs of rust on the rubber bushings, it's best to replace both the stabilizer bar and the clamps at the same time. The new ones are modified. If the stabilizer bar is already rusted at the mounting points, it needs to be treated accordingly.