I have a 2005 Honda Pilot that just underwent front end surgery. I had thought it was a wheel bearing that was toast on the driver side and took it in for repairs. The mechanic found it was the CV joint on the drivers side axle and replaced the axle assembly. At the same time, I had just received new struts in the mail and since they came in earlier than expected and the car was going to be on the rack anyway, I asked if they could install them. They obliged and replaced the front stabalizer pins with the new struts. I have a great relationship with the mechanic and have worked with him previously and known him for a total of 25 yrs.
The car drives great and the original noise that I thought was the drivers side front wheel bearing is now gone.
The front end now has a new noise and is quite pronounced. It is a higher frequency rattling sound and occurs when driving straight, braking, coasting, or accelerating. It is not constant but occurs inconsistently. Underneath everything is tight, including the stabalizer pins (my first suspicion). The tie rods seem tight, too. What could be making the noise? The struts were replaced with Monroe Quick Struts and seem like everything was installed correctly.
Most likely something to do with the suspension work. Try doing a bounce test on both front corners, see if you can hear the noise then. The goal is to isolate when the noise occurs so you can rule out the engine, transmission, and the stuff related to the wheels rotating. Does the noise go away when coasting in neutral for example?
I would look at the brake backing plates and all of the heat shields on the exhaust including the exhaust manifold. Also go up and down the exhaust with a rubber mallet hitting things to see if you can get thm to hit metal.
I also thought it kind-of sounded like brake pads rattling in the calipers but the noise also happens when I am riding the brakes, so I discounted that option. It is not a heat shield but sounds a bit more solid than the tinny rattle from heat shields. It happens coasting/accelerating/braking.
I was curious if there was something on the struts that could cause this. The stabilizer pins seem tight but maybe they are the culprit.
I can grab the tie rods and they do not move in/out or up/down but they do rotate and make a clunking noise when rotated by hand to the end of travel. Could this be the issue?
Otherwise I am stuck!
Seems abnormal. Doesn’t happen in any of my cars anyway, a little rotational movement yes, but no clunking noise when rotating/testing the tie rods by hand force alone.