Loud Bang when hitting bumps

[riojas]

1992 Grand Vayager 3.3 - When hitting a sharp bump in the road I hear a loud solid bang in the egine compartment. What could this be?

I replaced the front struts but that did not help. My only though is the front motor mount has gone bad again, but that was replaced 3 yreas ago along with cv joints.

Question: After replacing front struts do I need to get an alignment?

[capoeta]

have you checked the swaybar bushings?

[riojas]

No, I have not but will do tonight. What am I looking for visually? No bushing at all, loose connection, etc..

thanks..

[mrlong]

I believe that you should get an alignment. I've replaced my sway bar bushings, ball joints, struts, and had my motor mounts tightened to get rid of my bang, and never got it. Mine is from the bearing plate in the strut apparently.

[riojas]

Originally Posted by mrlong

. Mine is from the bearing plate in the strut apparently.

Please explain futher? Bearing plate I presume is the top portion of the strut that houses the bearing and holds the spring in place, but how does it go bad that it would make such a loud bang? How can I tell if mine is bad as I just had the springs reloaded on the stuts by a mechanic and he did not mention that the plate was bad. Oh, how much was the part and how is it referenced in a parts list. (sounds like a dealer only part).

thanks

[mrlong]

Yes, that's where it is, right at the top and they have to compress the spring to get it out. I had my front struts changed, but they didn't notice the plate I guess. Not really sure what goes wrong there, but they found it by putting a stethescope on the strut and driving the car with a mechanic riding in the engine compartment. I believe they quoted me $250 Canadian for one strut, maybe it was $350. I didn't get it done because I don't think it's a big problem, but when I have some spare money I'll do it - hate the sound of the clunk.

[CarBob]

Originally Posted by riojas

1992 Grand Vayager 3.3 - When hitting a sharp bump in the road I hear a loud solid bang in the egine compartment. What could this be?

I replaced the front struts but that did not help. My only though is the front motor mount has gone bad again, but that was replaced 3 yreas ago along with cv joints.

Question: After replacing front struts do I need to get an alignment?

I have a 1992 Caravan that experienced similar symptoms last year. It rode smooth except for when I hit sharp bumps (like you feel when you cross a bridge or enter some driveways) then BAM!!! I hated that. It made me cringe. I took it to Firestone and asked them to check it out when I had my alignment done. They replaced the struts. I really didn't feel that was so much the problem because my ride was otherwise really good, but I tried it anyway. The problem persisted, so I took it to another Firestone where they discovered the "jounce bumpers" were shot. They are basically a rubber bumper that prevents the slamming sound you've been hearing. My Caravan had about 160,000 miles on it at the time, and these were the original bumpers. They replaced them and that took care of the problem immediately. They only charged me for parts, because the other dealer should have caught the problem (plus they probably overcharged me by replacing struts I didn't really need). The jounce bumpers are a dealer part and cost around $38.00 for the pair. By the way, I have replaced all of my motor mounts. They were never part of a banging sound;however, I did notice that even after I had relplaced them, I would often times still get a little clunk sound when shifting gears. The problem was the front mount. Though new, it had a little bit of play between the rubber and the metal, so I used a couple of old plastic putty knives to make shims to take-up the slack in the mount. Now the mount functions like it should; it holds the engine firmly, but cushions vibrations etc. I hope this helps.

[mrlong]

I don't suppose that you can tell me where to find the 'jounce bumpers'. Never heard of them and can't see anything that looks like that.

[racenut65]

I have a 1999 T&C AWD with a similar issue except it is in the right rear only. Have had it checked several times and it is still not fixed. One place tried to tell me it was the rear driveshaft bouncing in the mounting brackets. The van has the automatic leveling system which seems to work fine and the shocks are in good condition. I hook up my camper or carry a heavy load and the sound is gone when I hit bumps. Time to start looking at this problem again when I get the van back from a transmission replacement at 86,000 miles! Any thoughts???? Thanks!

[lord4scrye]

When I changed the front struts and didn't put the old pads back between the steel strut and the spring, it did that, when I put them back on, it stopped...

[riojas]

Are these the same part from the above posts?

jounce bumpers = old pads back between the steel strut and the spring

If so, do the strut & spring unit have to be disassembled to install. I too have already installed new struts to try to fix this problem to no avail. I did it myself and took the strut assembly to a local shop to load the springs for $20 each. Oh, do these things just fall off or what? I did not see any type of rubber/urethane bumpers when I removed them. Where is the exact location of this bumper?

Note: BANG seems to only come from the passenger side front wheel and my next thought was to replace the spring but if all I need is a bumper of some type that would be great.

Good note on the front engine mount as mine does the same thing. Will shim next time I get under there


Thanks.

[CarBob]

Originally Posted by mrlong

I don't suppose that you can tell me where to find the 'jounce bumpers'. Never heard of them and can't see anything that looks like that.

I do most of my own car work, but honestly, I have never worked on the struts. I've either had them replaced under warranty, or in this case, I was in transit and without my tools. That's why Firestone did them. Anyway, if you have a Haynes or Chilton manual, you can see the location of the bumper in the suspension and steering systems section under strut replacement. The assembly does need to be unassembled to replace the bumper. As described in my Haynes 84-93 Caravan/Voyager manual, here is the order of parts from top to bottom: nuts, shock tower, retainer, mount assembly, washer, spring seat, BUMPER, dust shield, spacer, coil spring, isolator, strut damper, and lower mounting nuts and bolts. Since I haven't personally done this job, I'm not certain if any of the other parts are plastic/rubber (i.e., retainer, washer, spacer). I would recommend replacing any parts that are rubber or plastic while you've got the whole thing apart. I do know that immediately after the bumper was replaced, the LOUD BAND went bye bye. Good luck!

VR,

CarBob

[ishop4less]

I believe only dealer have the item called "bump stop" when you go to the dealer they know if you mention that. It's like a rubber that place on top of the shock, when you buy a new shock this bump stop never come with it. Replace it I guarantee the loud bang will dessapear.

[CarBob]

That is correct. The bumpers are a dealer item. Sorry. I know I thought it. I just forgot to type it.

[Dayalalito]

[you can also get this BUMPER from NAPA they sell the stops for around $15.00, when you order they mention that an additional parts ie needed ...