Clunking on turns, over rough roads...Help!

[Hhighland Lassie]

Hope someone here can help. I have a 03 Grand Am sedan. A month after purchase it was in an accident. The following was replaced: Right front strut; hub; knuckle;lower control arm & axle shaft; Right rear strut & knuckle; aligned front and rear suspension.
Had to have both sides of frame repaired due to towing damage. The tow hooks ripped through frame...removed damaged section of frame, welded in new.
I have complained repeatedly about a loud clunking sound while driving over rough roads, making tight turns, or backing out drives.It seems to be coming from the front area but no specific side. I have since had ,on different occasions, the (excuse me if this is stated wrong, I'm not a car person!) rack and pinion gear- tighten loose rack to frame; replaced front and rear strut mounts; replaced front stabilizer shaft at frame; and lube insulator brackets. All this in response to trying to correct the clunk. I get relief for about a month then it starts again. Also I have had the front brake pads replaced with the rotors turned twice...once at 27,000 miles and then again at 40,000. Tech said this was not normal after only 13,000 miles.
I really don't know if this clunking is a Grand Am issue or because of the accident.
Thanks for any suggestions.

[grfnkl]

Welcome to the Forums,

From what your describing, i will definetly say it's due to the accident. it sounds like it's probably a bad strut or strut mount that is causing the noise. Just be persistant and patient with the repair facility, bring them on a road test with you so they can hear the noise as well. Good luck

[sirrobocop]

You may wish to check this, from a recent experience on my older Grand Am (1993). I'm betting the design is the same, and I think the engineering is a bit flawed.

Look under the hood by the back firewall. You should find the steering linkage to BOTH front tires bolted next to each other, probably on the power steering assist piston. The uppper rod end may have a large washer under the bolt and over the rod. Check it very carefully and you may find that ONE or BOTH are missing a thick, stiff rubber bushing that fits inside the end of the rod. The clunking on holes, rough roads, and some turns is caused by the play in the rod, smacking against the bolt.

Took me a year to track that down because I swore it was coming from the tire area inside the vehicle, but I had trouble duplicating the problem and locating it outside the vehicle. I stumbled onto this sort of by accident.

The bushings are cheap and fairly easy to replace...and a godsend in noise reduction!

Sir robo