DB9 Front end knocking noise - suspension?
Discussion
Hi
Can any of you clever people suggest a solution to a mysterious noise?
The car is a 2006 DB9 volante.
A while ago I started to get a knocking noise from the front of the car. It sounds like the noise I’ve had on other cars caused by worn track rod ends. That’s the best way I can describe it.
It happens when I drive over bumps at the same time as the steering is turned to the left.
I’ve had several garages look at the front end and inspect all the suspension components, they have found nothing.
The car was at the Aston doctor in Valencia last week to look at an aircon problem and I asked them to diagnose the noise.
When I went to see how they were getting on they said they couldn’t find the knocking noise. I took the mechanic out for a spin and there was no noise. Nothing.
They had done two things :
Firstly they took the front section of the floor pan off and put it back again as part of dealing with the aircon problem. I don’t think that’s what temporarily solved the problem.
Secondly, they had it up on a ramp with the wheels not supported, hanging down. It had only ever been on ramps with all 4 wheels on the ramp before.
I drove the car 60 miles home on the motorway, and it was as quiet as a mouse.
The next day I took it out and going through town drove over a bump in the road, which was on the right hand side of the car. There was a loud “cracking” sound and from then on the knocking sound was back.
I have made a short video compilation showing when the noise happens. It’s difficult to get a feel for what the noise sounds like, but it might help spark an idea in someone’s head.
https://youtu.be/8gIfBRRPTrI
Does anyone have any theories on what the noise might be?
Cheers.
Paul
Can any of you clever people suggest a solution to a mysterious noise?
The car is a 2006 DB9 volante.
A while ago I started to get a knocking noise from the front of the car. It sounds like the noise I’ve had on other cars caused by worn track rod ends. That’s the best way I can describe it.
It happens when I drive over bumps at the same time as the steering is turned to the left.
I’ve had several garages look at the front end and inspect all the suspension components, they have found nothing.
The car was at the Aston doctor in Valencia last week to look at an aircon problem and I asked them to diagnose the noise.
When I went to see how they were getting on they said they couldn’t find the knocking noise. I took the mechanic out for a spin and there was no noise. Nothing.
They had done two things :
Firstly they took the front section of the floor pan off and put it back again as part of dealing with the aircon problem. I don’t think that’s what temporarily solved the problem.
Secondly, they had it up on a ramp with the wheels not supported, hanging down. It had only ever been on ramps with all 4 wheels on the ramp before.
I drove the car 60 miles home on the motorway, and it was as quiet as a mouse.
The next day I took it out and going through town drove over a bump in the road, which was on the right hand side of the car. There was a loud “cracking” sound and from then on the knocking sound was back.
I have made a short video compilation showing when the noise happens. It’s difficult to get a feel for what the noise sounds like, but it might help spark an idea in someone’s head.
https://youtu.be/8gIfBRRPTrI
Does anyone have any theories on what the noise might be?
Cheers.
Paul
i had a similar issue.
we knew it was from a suspension component
but the noise location could not be identified.
so we did the lubrication test:
this is where we sprayed grease on a specific joint, drove it to see if the noise went and if not then sprayed a next joint etc
we eventually identified it as the drop links.
we knew it was from a suspension component
but the noise location could not be identified.
so we did the lubrication test:
this is where we sprayed grease on a specific joint, drove it to see if the noise went and if not then sprayed a next joint etc
we eventually identified it as the drop links.
Hello
You can change 4 and look at 2 and 7
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
You can change 2 and 5
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
You can change 4 and look at 2 and 7
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
You can change 2 and 5
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
pancholi said:
i had a similar issue.
we knew it was from a suspension component
but the noise location could not be identified.
so we did the lubrication test:
this is where we sprayed grease on a specific joint, drove it to see if the noise went and if not then sprayed a next joint etc
we eventually identified it as the drop links.
That's a brilliant idea, thank you! we knew it was from a suspension component
but the noise location could not be identified.
so we did the lubrication test:
this is where we sprayed grease on a specific joint, drove it to see if the noise went and if not then sprayed a next joint etc
we eventually identified it as the drop links.
Phil57DBS said:
Hello
You can change 4 and look at 2 and 7
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
You can change 2 and 5
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
Thank you 👍You can change 4 and look at 2 and 7
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
You can change 2 and 5
https://www.scuderiacarparts.com/part-finder/aston...
R129 300SL said:
Bookmarked. I've seen a few of this guys videos and they are very watchable. Hadn't found this one though. Cheers.
Hey Loft-
Did you ever get this problem fixed? Lots of helpful advice here, love the Aston community.
I have an 06 vantage with 47,000 miles which I’ve owned for 11 years. I don’t really have a squeaking like in 1936’s videos, I have more of a clunk on the front drivers side that I can hear going over bumps at lower speeds.
Looking to try and address it during my next oil change in a month. I’m thinking about spaying white lithium grease all over the front upper and lower suspension bushings as well as the stabilizer.
Did you ever get this problem fixed? Lots of helpful advice here, love the Aston community.
I have an 06 vantage with 47,000 miles which I’ve owned for 11 years. I don’t really have a squeaking like in 1936’s videos, I have more of a clunk on the front drivers side that I can hear going over bumps at lower speeds.
Looking to try and address it during my next oil change in a month. I’m thinking about spaying white lithium grease all over the front upper and lower suspension bushings as well as the stabilizer.
Hi
I'm currently in the process of getting it diagnosed as it went quiet all over the summer and then came back in November.
I ordered new top end mounts for the front suspension and it was in the garage last week to have them fitted.
However, when everything was taken apart on the left side (my driver side LHD) there is a huge amount of play in the gas strut bush and bearing.
The worst side on mine was the right hand side (driver's side on a RHD) and we haven't taken that apart yet. Before we do, I'm going to get either new bushes and bearings (if available) or failing that, new gas struts.
So it's all back together again at the moment waiting for those parts before we strip out all down again.
Interestingly, nothing else was found to be wrong on the left side, so I'm now thinking it's a gas strut bearing problem. Can't wait to see what the right hand one is like when we take it off.
Don't know if that helps, but that's where I am with it at the moment.
Yours sounds like a very similar problem, so if you get to the cause of yours perhaps you could post here, and I'll do the same.
Cheers
I'm currently in the process of getting it diagnosed as it went quiet all over the summer and then came back in November.
I ordered new top end mounts for the front suspension and it was in the garage last week to have them fitted.
However, when everything was taken apart on the left side (my driver side LHD) there is a huge amount of play in the gas strut bush and bearing.
The worst side on mine was the right hand side (driver's side on a RHD) and we haven't taken that apart yet. Before we do, I'm going to get either new bushes and bearings (if available) or failing that, new gas struts.
So it's all back together again at the moment waiting for those parts before we strip out all down again.
Interestingly, nothing else was found to be wrong on the left side, so I'm now thinking it's a gas strut bearing problem. Can't wait to see what the right hand one is like when we take it off.
Don't know if that helps, but that's where I am with it at the moment.
Yours sounds like a very similar problem, so if you get to the cause of yours perhaps you could post here, and I'll do the same.
Cheers
Just curious, what pointed you to purchase new suspension top mounts? Today I went for a purposeful drive over bumpy roads and heard a creaking sound that happened more often which sounded like it was coming from the lower windshield/back of the dash. It is not the vents as those are tightened down.
My clunky sound only happens when I hit larger bumps and sounds like it’s at my feet.
Given where the creaking sound was happening I was starting to assume it may be the top mounts....
My clunky sound only happens when I hit larger bumps and sounds like it’s at my feet.
Given where the creaking sound was happening I was starting to assume it may be the top mounts....
I took it to a local garage who test drove it and listened to it.
He said it sounded exactly like a car he'd had a while back, which turned out to be the top mounts.
Given they weren't very expensive, we decided to get some replacements prior to taking the suspension apart.
My noise also sounds like it comes from behind the dashboard and can be a loud "crack" sound.
But because it is at its worst when the wheels are turned and the car is going up a slope, I figured it had to be related to the suspension rather than any other component.
It's getting bloody frustrating not being able to pin it down.
He said it sounded exactly like a car he'd had a while back, which turned out to be the top mounts.
Given they weren't very expensive, we decided to get some replacements prior to taking the suspension apart.
My noise also sounds like it comes from behind the dashboard and can be a loud "crack" sound.
But because it is at its worst when the wheels are turned and the car is going up a slope, I figured it had to be related to the suspension rather than any other component.
It's getting bloody frustrating not being able to pin it down.
A few years back I also had a knocking front end issue much like what you've described that was driving me crazy. Looking at it all appeared to be tight. I also had several mechanics take a crack at my DB9 in an effort to diagnosed my problem, but in the end they all failed. Finally last winter when I was fully prepared to pull out the entire front end if need be to find the noise maker. When I removed the shock absorber I noticed the threaded spindle on the unit was slightly bent causing it to hit the underside of the upper mount. (Some where along the line I must have hit a pot hole which caused the damage.) Replacing the shock solved my problem.
Good luck and hope this helps
Good luck and hope this helps
i had the loud crack on my 2005 db9 when manoeuvring at low speeds in a cark park or cornering hard , couldnt find it no matter how hard i tried , finally found it when i replaced a front lower wishbone after the classic seized camber bolt ,
when i took the arm off there was a fair amount of clearance between the front bolt and the bush in the arm, same with the new arm and a new bolt, that was the only play i could find.
now i know im going to get stick over this but the idea was to remove that play and see if it worked, bearing in mind mine did this from 16k miles and took me 5 years at each service to find this issue,
i made a tubular "bushing" from an aluminium lager can that was just handy, cut it to the length of the bolt shank and wrapped it round the bolt , slid it into the bush with some copperslip , result no play between the front mounting bolt and the bush,did other side same, cracking noise gone at last!!!,
i did have some grand idea about getting a special bolt made as a proper fix but that was about 2 years ago...............
i reckon the rubber bush would absorb as much force as it could then move the crack was the bolt moving across the steel bushing with the stored force from the rubber. might be wrong but its fixed and it used to be really annoying / embarrassing
when i took the arm off there was a fair amount of clearance between the front bolt and the bush in the arm, same with the new arm and a new bolt, that was the only play i could find.
now i know im going to get stick over this but the idea was to remove that play and see if it worked, bearing in mind mine did this from 16k miles and took me 5 years at each service to find this issue,
i made a tubular "bushing" from an aluminium lager can that was just handy, cut it to the length of the bolt shank and wrapped it round the bolt , slid it into the bush with some copperslip , result no play between the front mounting bolt and the bush,did other side same, cracking noise gone at last!!!,
i did have some grand idea about getting a special bolt made as a proper fix but that was about 2 years ago...............
i reckon the rubber bush would absorb as much force as it could then move the crack was the bolt moving across the steel bushing with the stored force from the rubber. might be wrong but its fixed and it used to be really annoying / embarrassing
JackCh said:
A few years back I also had a knocking front end issue much like what you've described that was driving me crazy. Looking at it all appeared to be tight. I also had several mechanics take a crack at my DB9 in an effort to diagnosed my problem, but in the end they all failed. Finally last winter when I was fully prepared to pull out the entire front end if need be to find the noise maker. When I removed the shock absorber I noticed the threaded spindle on the unit was slightly bent causing it to hit the underside of the upper mount. (Some where along the line I must have hit a pot hole which caused the damage.) Replacing the shock solved my problem.
Good luck and hope this helps
That's helpful actually. I think mine might have had a bash on the front right side as the tracking was way out when I got it. Good luck and hope this helps
I think as well as the new top mounts I'll pop a couple of new shocks on as well.
Your description of how you felt after so many mechanics failed to find the problem and just wanting it sorted at any cost is a very familiar one.
Thanks for your input, much appreciated.
craig elam said:
i had the loud crack on my 2005 db9 when manoeuvring at low speeds in a cark park or cornering hard , couldnt find it no matter how hard i tried , finally found it when i replaced a front lower wishbone after the classic seized camber bolt ,
when i took the arm off there was a fair amount of clearance between the front bolt and the bush in the arm, same with the new arm and a new bolt, that was the only play i could find.
now i know im going to get stick over this but the idea was to remove that play and see if it worked, bearing in mind mine did this from 16k miles and took me 5 years at each service to find this issue,
i made a tubular "bushing" from an aluminium lager can that was just handy, cut it to the length of the bolt shank and wrapped it round the bolt , slid it into the bush with some copperslip , result no play between the front mounting bolt and the bush,did other side same, cracking noise gone at last!!!,
i did have some grand idea about getting a special bolt made as a proper fix but that was about 2 years ago...............
i reckon the rubber bush would absorb as much force as it could then move the crack was the bolt moving across the steel bushing with the stored force from the rubber. might be wrong but its fixed and it used to be really annoying / embarrassing
Thank you. That's another issue I'll get the garage to investigate while the front end is in bits on the floor. when i took the arm off there was a fair amount of clearance between the front bolt and the bush in the arm, same with the new arm and a new bolt, that was the only play i could find.
now i know im going to get stick over this but the idea was to remove that play and see if it worked, bearing in mind mine did this from 16k miles and took me 5 years at each service to find this issue,
i made a tubular "bushing" from an aluminium lager can that was just handy, cut it to the length of the bolt shank and wrapped it round the bolt , slid it into the bush with some copperslip , result no play between the front mounting bolt and the bush,did other side same, cracking noise gone at last!!!,
i did have some grand idea about getting a special bolt made as a proper fix but that was about 2 years ago...............
i reckon the rubber bush would absorb as much force as it could then move the crack was the bolt moving across the steel bushing with the stored force from the rubber. might be wrong but its fixed and it used to be really annoying / embarrassing
Just need to find a reasonably priced pair of shock absorbers now.
Craig elam1 said:
There was 0.30mm between the bolt and bush
In mine.
My noise was a hideous single crack as lateral forces were applied to the lower wishbone by steering or hard cornering not a suspension compression/ rebound which is normally a knocking or chattering
That's very interesting, mine is a crack noise too, like the windscreen has cracked. In mine.
My noise was a hideous single crack as lateral forces were applied to the lower wishbone by steering or hard cornering not a suspension compression/ rebound which is normally a knocking or chattering
Really bad when steering out of the underground car park, when the wheels are on lock and the car starts to climb the exit ramp. So it's twisting the front of the car.
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