Clunking Noise Suspension - Audi 80 Avant B4 1Z

Hello,
I had my shock absorbers replaced at a 'specialized workshop,' and since then I've been experiencing two problems.
'When the steering is fully turned or when driving over a bump, there's a cracking sound coming from the front of the suspension. It sounds like something is strained or under pressure.'
2. When I accelerate, the car pulls to the left. However, this only happens during acceleration. When driving at a constant speed, the car runs straight perfectly well.

By now, I had been to the workshop for the third time. The following measures were taken:
- Wheel alignment and camber checked again.
- New shock absorbers again.
- New triangular control arms.
- New fork leg dampers (or something similar).

I now have the feeling that the workshop either doesn't know what they're doing or that the car is somehow cursed. What can be done about it?

Best regards,
Franky1Z

Hi,

To me, that sounds very much like a faulty driveshaft.
If it's disconnected, you'll hear a click.
Especially when the front wheels are turned.
I recently heard a similar discussion in a workshop – that's how it was diagnosed.

Since I'm rather a novice, I'll wait for confirmations or improvements from more experienced forum members!

Marco wrote:

"When the steering is fully turned or when driving over a bump, there's a cracking sound coming from the front of the suspension. It sounds like something is strained or under pressure." 2. When I accelerate, the car pulls to the left. However, this only happens when accelerating. When driving at a constant speed, the car runs straight perfectly well.

Hello Marco,

Park your car on a level surface, make sure no gear is engaged, and firmly apply the parking brake.
Then, use a wheel nut wrench to try and turn the right and left front wheels without loosening the nuts.
If necessary, tighten the motherboard a little more.
If the front wheel moves forward and backward (even a movement of more than 5 mm is enough to cause the car to pull to one side), you need to find the loose part of the suspension system.
Since I don't know about your bike's suspension system, I can't give you any further advice on that.
For understanding: when accelerating, the front wheels are pushed forward. If one wheel is pushed further forward than the other, depending on the geometry/design of the tie rods, this causes a slightly different "straight-ahead" alignment of the wheels to the left or right, meaning they are not mirror images of each other.
The cracking sounds can also indicate loose parts in the wheel suspension.
In theory, wheel bearings that are slightly loose within the housing could also cause a cracking sound when the steering is fully locked, which would not be a major issue. However, I have never personally experienced this; all the wheel bearings were very tightly fitted in their housings.
Damaged constant velocity joints can also make a clicking noise, but they don't explain why your car is pulling to the left.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hello Marco,

I'm experiencing the same problem (80B4 Avant). Since the shock absorbers were replaced, there's a cracking sound coming from the suspension when starting and in tight turns (mountain roads). It sounds more like a metallic clunking.
If you lean forward on the vehicle with your body weight and allow it to compress, this phenomenon should also occur.
I also puzzled over this for a long time, but I think I know what's causing it: When the springs compress, one end hits the stop on the spring plate because they twist and rotate slightly. When we twisted the springs all the way to the stop in the workshop, the noise disappeared for a while. However, it has now reappeared. It's very annoying, and I don't want to have to mess with the spring compressor every two months. Maybe we could insert or attach something that dampens the sound. Why this only started after the damper change remains a mystery!

Regards,
Lucas.

Hello Marco,

I also experienced that cracking sound (Audi 80 B4 Avant). It's very likely that you have worn-out bearings in one or even both of the control arms.
While Rainer's test might also be successful, I found it better to jack up the wheels and then manually shake each wheel (simulating steering movements). This allows you to quickly identify the relevant bearings.
The cost of the repair when the control arms were removed was approximately 100 EUR for me.