Front End Noise

[Wisco86]

Hi guys,

I have a super loud rattle/clanging from the front end of my 83 C30 when I hit bumps. I have eliminated the shocks and sway bar as culprits. All 4 ball joints have a little play, I found the worst one and replaced it with no change in the noise. I also found that if I apply the brakes while going over bumps, it will decrease the noise and even eliminate it if I brake hard enough. I checked the control arm bushings and they seem tight (and also look like a PITA to change.) Doesn't seem to be motor or trans mounts. I'm pulling my hair out over this. Any ideas?

[Bandit130]

Welcome

[demian5]

Grease anything and everything on the front end that has a zerk fitting and try again.

Maybe your core support bolts are lose and the braking forces the front end down?

[cadillac_al]

How's the wheel bearings?

[Wisco86]

Wheel bearings seem fine when doing a shake test. Can't hear any howling at road speeds, but the exhaust may be drowning any bearing noise.

[Dead Parrot]

Get a 1lb rubber mallet and whack the crap out of the frame and bumper. Might just find the loose nut, wiring harness, or other thing that is doing the rattling.

[mongocanfly]

Welcome...
Crawl under the truck while you have someone bouncing the front and see if you can isolate where its coming from....can you tell if its left or right side?
I would immediately suspect away bar or shocks...you could disconnect one thing at a time and see if it clears up..

[Wisco86]

I've chased a bunch of minor loose parts like the fan shroud and tightened them up. The sway bar and both shocks are currently out of the truck so it's definitely not that. My main suspect was the control arm bushings, but why would the rattling stop when I apply brakes? Is it possible that the caliper is loose? The brakes are firm, no sticking, and no pulsing like if there was a stuck pad or warped rotor.

[Rooster73]

I had a similar issue, the outboard brake pads were rattling, the 2 ears were not bent down, should be bent as to take a large pair of pliers to squeeze them to the caliper and hold. The calipers still float. When changing pads just barely tap with a hammer and it fall right off.

[Big Moose]

Most likely your spring clip for the caliper is broken, had this happen a couple of times and it only rattles when your driving over bumps. Also installing the anti rattle clips on the brake pads helps as well.

[cadillac_al]

Yup, gotta be something with the brakes if applying brakes makes the sound change.

[Redneck Rydes]

X2 on the brakes,loose calipers,or rattling pads.

[Wisco86]

Rooster, how loud was your rattle? Mine sounds like there's not a single bushing left under the truck. I never imagined that a brake component could be so loud. I'll pull the wheels off this weekend and take a look.

[Rooster73]

Not to loud, just a quick rattle since the pad doesn't have a lot of area.could still be a suspension piece though, if there is slack from something then applying the brakes will pressure it back, sore to speak