Clunking sound from front end

[sherylglo]

I have a 2001 Buick Lesabre Custom. When you go down a curb or hit a bump, there is a clunking sound coming from the front end. Hub assembly on the passenger's side replaced last year. Drive shaft and boot replaced a few months ago on the driver's side. Any ideas?

[Rasp]

It might be your ball joints are worn. That could be quite dangerous. I personally would recommend checking them out if even just to rule them out.
I once had a ball joint go on me and my tire ended up under the car as I was still moving. You can't steer when that happens and if you are going fast you could have a nasty collision.

It may not be that but I would for sure want to rule that out. You can check this yourself by jacking up the front of the car and try to wiggle the tire sideways and up and down. You should have little or no movement if your balljoints are ok.

Other causes might be your engine mounts are loose.

[GringoPete]

I had the same exact problem with my 98 custom back in March. It turned out that my sway bar linkage needed to be replaced. Nothing major......$80 repair.

[HotZ28]

Don't forget to check the upper strut mount bushings!

[Smith1000]

I recently found that both front stabilizer links were rusted and broken on my wife's 97 Lesabre. They tend to rust and break. They run about $9 each and are fairly easy to replace. I otherwise could not tell that they were even in need of repair. I had jacked up the front to balance the tires and notice they were broken.

[sherylglo]

Thanks to everyone for your input. It turned out that both outer tie rod ends needed to be replaced and the stabilizer bars did too. Cost $375 at a garage to fix.

[sherylglo]

Also, the sway bar linkage on the driver's side needed to be replaced.

[GringoPete]

Originally Posted by sherylglo

Also, the sway bar linkage on the driver's side needed to be replaced.

Glad to be of help. It's good that you got it fixed right away as these are important parts in controlling the front end of your car and could result in an accident if ignoring such.