Clicking/knocking suspension

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I get a clicking/knocking sound from what sounds and feels to be coming from the front left tire of my Impreza. It happens when you just first starts moving (either forwards or backwards) or when you first touch the brake while moving. It will only happen once each time you touch either gas or brake. It will do it moving in a straight line, so doubt that it’s CV.

The guy that I bought it from upgraded the sway bar, end links and bushings so all those pieces are new-ish. I’ve taken it to a mechanic who did a cursory inspection and said that all suspension components looked ok and were tight. He also confirmed that the boots looks good on the CV joints. I’ve also confirmed that all lug nuts are tight, so it’s not the wheel moving.

The other curious thing is that I cannot recreate the noise by manually bouncing the car up and down or rocking it back and forth while the car is stopped - it only happens when driving.

Any ideas?

2

Check the wheel bearing on that side. Subaru are notorious for this

3

Have the front brake inspected to see if any anti-rattle clips/retainers are worn/missing.

A loose brake pad can make a one-time noise when moving forward/reverse, or when braking.

Tester

4

Agree it is unlikely to be the CV’s. Possibly wheel bearing or brakes, but I’m guessing you got a suspension part somewhere on that corner with a little too much space to move around. You’d need a shop to inspect it with a visual check & using a pry bar to see how much play there is in the suspension components. Could be the strut too.

5

Re-torque the axle nuts, if an axle nut isn’t tight the shaft will move and click in the hub each time you change directions.

1 Like
6

Sorry, there is one other clue that I neglected to mention when I typed this up yesterday. If the car is wet from rain, snow, car wash, etc., it will not make the noise.