Noisy front end!

Hi Guys and Girls,

I'm not on here a lot because  VWs never break down, and I have very little time to work on them at the moment…

But, my '80 cabriolet has a noisy front end, and it's getting very annoying. To tell the truth, it's been like that for a long time, because every time I jack up the front and remove the wheels, there is no sign of wear or play, so I put the job off for another day.

Here's the first symptom - a loud metallic click over potholes, seems to come from just under the dash, clearly on the driver's side (LHD) but there's no wear in any of the bushes or the steering. With the wheel removed I've just noticed that the calipers seem to be loose on their slides, and they click if you shake them. Can I replace or re-bush the slides between the calipers and the carriers?

Second symptom, the springs groan when you swing the steering from lock to lock (with the front jacked up). They seem to slip in the cups, both top and bottom, just enough to make a klang. I've just remover one, and there are signs of rubbing top and bottom. Isn't the top cup supposed to rotate in the top mount? Do I need a new top mount? This is only on the driver's side of the car.

Is there anything also which could be causing a loud click and not clearly be a worn joint or bush?

Any ideas greatfully received,
Robin

I may have figured out why the springs were catching- it looks as though the combination of washers under the top nut on the strut insert allowed the the nut to clamp on the bearing outer race rather than the tube in the middle, which made it difficult for the spring top plate to turn the bearing.

I also found caliper slide-bolts on ebay. Are they a common fail?

Robin

Often the top plate washer rusted away or duff top mounts.
I was told that any gap wider than the a 50p between the rubber and the metal top bit. They need changing.
BTW sent you a message re your hood lol.


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Hi,

top mounts are two years old and still clean - no rust there and everything clean.

Robin

Usually when I replace the mounts I like the inner bearing between the strut and  mount to be dry…..
I guess I would shoot a little wd-40 in to the cup below the bearing and spin the wheel from lock to lock, spray again and repeat…. That should help to clean it up and then lube the part.

I also have noticed that if you see the mount twist slightly when you have some one spin the wheel that is a sign that your inner bearing or brace is binding slightly and it will eventually decrease the lifespan of your mounts.

I have also noticed that the newer mount with the bronzelite or steel bushing that the bushing is slightly taller than it needs to be allowing the strut to hammer it on a bounce so that the strut piston is allowed to fall then start the extension…Same on the compression stroke of the strut on the rise.  I like it about 10-15 thousandths above the mount face to prevent this type of issue…. Just my observation…over 35-40 years of driving these critters.

OK, thanks.

It looks as if I've sorted the side-to-side groan from the struts…

In my zeal to reduce play when I fitted new shocks and springs last Summer, I inserted an extra washer under the top nut on the strut, which made the nut clamp down on the tube in the bearing but also on the top surface of the top mount. As a result, the drag made the spring twist slightly.
Needless to say, with the extra washer removed (one each side) there is no rubbing and no noise.

The second noise is a loud click over potholes, not from the steering, not from the brakes, as it makes no difference whether I'm braking or not, and it seems to come from under the dash.

Any ideas?

Robin

Click.....like the click of a relay?

Under the dash?  Drivers side or passenger side?

Floppy wires can make things hesitate like relays, and cleaning and tightening all your ground wires may be advisable.

paul_c said

Click…..like the click of a relay?

No, much louder, and somewhere under the dash near my knees - driver's side LHD.

Is there something in the structure under the dash (cabriolet) which could be loose?

I'm going to tear the dash out soon and refit it all with foam in the gaps to try to stop the noise.

Robin

lower steerring shaft bearing out of place?  Is there in and out play on your steering wheel?  

I could type in a bunch of components as guesses but I think the way forwards here is a decent physical inspection. It also gets somewhat complicated diagnosing if you need to take into account components which might be misassembled or missing parts etc. For example I could guess that the steering rack mounts are cracked/loose, they are a known weakness of the Mk1 Golf etc

paul_c said

I could type in a bunch of components as guesses but I think the way forwards here is a decent physical inspection. It also gets somewhat complicated diagnosing if you need to take into account components which might be misassembled or missing parts etc. For example I could guess that the steering rack mounts are cracked/loose, they are a known weakness of the Mk1 Golf etc

Only because you use them backwards to the design.


I personally never has a issue with a rack mount…..Racks are a different story.

I've never personally had an issue with rack mounts (I've owned 4 Mk1s) but I've seen it on other cars, so I thought it would be worth a mention, only as an example of something it might be.

Hi Guys,

I'm still struggling here.

I've just had the dash apart, which is no mean feat, and found a number of missing screws in the metal brace bars, etc.
I put it all back in, and there's no movement anywhere in it as far as I can see - the braces are all in and tight, and the plastic outside doesn't flex.

So I went out for a quick drive and the annoying click is still clearly there, even more so since I haven't refitted the lower dash trim and the vents, so there's more road noise.

It's coming from the area behind the steering wheel, seems to be both sides though it's more on the left (driver's side over here) and the noise makes itself heard over the smallest imperfections, even on the gravel of my drive at 10 kph!

There is no noise over about 50kph, but that may be because I can't hear it!

With the bonnet open, I can see no movement in the top mounts, and I can't provoke the noise by shaking or bouncing the car.

Any more ideas?

Could the top mounts be making a noise but without visible movement?

Robin