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YOUR RESEARCHFront End Help... Monoball Cartridge
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Check nuts
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I checked the nuts when I first encountered this and that's what lead me to replace the drop links (they are cheap and I figured, start with the cheap stuff).
Leading evidence: 'Check nuts' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'good idea' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check nuts' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
Sounds like those were already replaced ("drop links")
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
Last year I replaced the drop links up front and that seemed to help a bit, but the noise is back even louder now.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I tightened the nut that holds the shock in the mount and it went away.
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Suspected cause
It's probably a good idea to check all the top nuts for proper torque - I certainly wouldn't rule it out without checking.
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Check nuts
No successful repair reported for this finding.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I checked the nuts when I first encountered this and that's what lead me to replace the drop links (they are cheap and I figured, start with the cheap stuff).
Replace drop links (they are cheap and i figured, start
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Discussions that contain suggestions
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Suggestion · Original poster
I checked the nuts when I first encountered this and that's what lead me to replace the drop links (they are cheap and I figured, start with the cheap stuff).
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
12 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
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Generation: 20261026T183130Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
I'm hoping that someone might be able to shed some light on an issue I'm seeing with the front end of my 03 C4S. After driving the car for a while, I hear a metal "clunking" sound that I'm fairly certain is coming from the left front of the car. Yesterday I tested this theory by driving over the road lane divider bumps and could clearly hear the clunking/rattling coming from that area. When the car is lifted, I can't seem to hear/see anything loose so I'm thinking it's something that requires the suspension to be under load to duplicate. Last year I replaced the drop links up front and that seemed to help a bit, but the noise is back even louder now. From all my research I'm suspecting the upper strut mount bearings or the mounts themselves, but I can't seem to be able to tell for sure. Another thing that seems to be happening is that when I encounter any ruts on the highway the car pulls into them which caught me off guard this morning.
Has anyone experienced similar symptoms with their car? If I have to replace the upper strut bearings or mounts I was thinking about switching to a monoball setup instead of the stock units. I don't track the car so I'm not looking to do a race setup, so I'm wondering if anyone has installed the "cartridge" monoball upper strut system (see pic)? If so, how are they installed and are they worth it?
Any help would be much appreciated. I don't want to just start replacing things (aka throwing money at the problem) if I don't have to.
Thanks in advance for the help!
It sounds like your top-mounts may be shot. Stock top-mount will be fine for your purposes (road use). Mono ***** will work and technically create less deflection under load, but can tend to be a little noisy/clunky themselves. This is just inherent due to their design (no rubber to cushion bumps) and doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. This is not the case with the stock mount as the bushing is surrounded by rubber in the mount. It's this rubber that cracks/tears, so the top of the strut or shock is essentially floating freely inside the mount - this is the clunk you hear when hitting a bump. Also, you probably won't be able to see this without pulling the strut/shock out...
I've had that when the upper mount is loose. I tightened the nut that holds the shock in the mount and it went away. When the car is on a lift, the weight of the unsprung parts masks this because it puts weight against the mount.
Yes, that will make the same or similar sound. It's probably a good idea to check all the top nuts for proper torque - I certainly wouldn't rule it out without checking. If they are loose, I'd also go through the rest of the suspension as well. This being said, torn/cracked top-mounts are fairly common - especially on a 18 yr old car (assuming they are original - rubber wears out...). Mine were both torn and cracked - the right side was totally disconnected and floating in the mount. I replaced them with Tarrett adjustable camber plates, as they were the same price as the stock mounts (C4)...
You might also consider the diagonal "tuning fork" control arms. They can make some wicked clunks over bumps, and they can get worse when things are warmed up and all the rubber and plastic bits get a little softer and more flexible:
https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-arms-wow.html
I checked the nuts when I first encountered this and that's what lead me to replace the drop links (they are cheap and I figured, start with the cheap stuff). The nuts were tight... hah
No, it's actually less than it was with the bad/broken top mounts. That being said, they are little harsher (less compliant - no rubber) and noisier than new/good top mounts. It's all a balancing act between a "race" setup and a street setup. For my tastes it's well within my parameters for comfort - this is not my daily driver and I like the sporty handling.
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