I have a noise that sounds like it's coming from the right front wheel . It is noticeable especially when turning the steering wheel.

sharkface

sharkface

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It sounds like the ball joints or tie rods are bad. I had the front end checked and the mechanic said everything is tight. The problem might be a loose caliper, he claimed. I ordered new caliper mounting bolts, rubber and metal washers, and any other caliper mounting hardware I can find. Was going to work on my c4 this winter, but I'd rather wait for a nice spring day and work on it outdoors in the sunlight. I'd like to thank Canadian Corvette for always staying in touch with me. Your web site and the members are awesome.
 

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sharkface said:
It sounds like the ball joints or tie rods are bad. I had the front end checked and the mechanic said everything is tight. The problem might be a loose caliper, he claimed. I ordered new caliper mounting bolts, rubber and metal washers, and any other caliper mounting hardware I can find. Was going to work on my c4 this winter, but I'd rather wait for a nice spring day and work on it outdoors in the sunlight. I'd like to thank Canadian Corvette for always staying in touch with me. Your web site and the members are awesome.
Click to expand...

Have a good look at the both front and rear drag/end links. They start to wear out and get internally pitted. if you hear a mild clunk... especially stopped or going slow when you begin to turn the steering... that's the front.... May or may not be the problem but would be my shot in the dark guess
 
Thanks Don. The caliper on that wheel is loose. You can grab it and move it slightly back and forth. I had a similar sound on a Saab Aero and the left ball joint let go on a highway.
Luckily the steel girders ended and I was able to veer into the grass. I'd hate to think what would happen driving a Corvette and having the same thing happen.
I don't have the motivation to look at it now. Can't wait for a 70 degree Spring day. It is so iced over here and cold now.
 
sharkface said:
great, Thank You for the reply. Was your whole caliper moving back and forth?
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No the cover was slightly bent so it was scrapping the wheel rim. Only happened when I was turning. I noticed that there were a few minor scratches on the rim. Bent the cover a bit and problem solved. The caliper was not loose.
 
How did you bend the caliper cover back? You are saying that the brake caliper cover was touching the wheel when turning the steering wheel? Did you need to take off the wheel and tire? Then you just pushed the caliper cover back toward the rotor? I guess I can't visualize the caliper cover? Is it the metal piece that says Corvette on it?
 
OK the googling of caliper cover shows after market jobs you slip over the original caliper cover. I hate to sound like a novice wrench turner, but if I could fix the issue without jacking up the car I would be thrilled. I never look forward to jacking my C4 up, especially this winter when there's a fuel tank and metal barriers about six inches from the nose of the car in my garage. This noise is worth chasing either way because it is too similar to the way the front end of the Saab Aero sounded when you turned the steering wheel.
I was told that the ball joints on the Saab were good. Come to find out later, the mechanic who diagnosed it didn't know enough to compress the springs first, then test for loose ball joints. After I brought that Saab back to the shop, they felt so badly, they put in a new rack n' pinion, brakes, rotors, etc. at no charge.

It's scary enough to have a car go out of control on you even if you have a chance of correcting your skid, but when you have a ball joint or two brake at 55mph, you're really on a magic carpet ride.

By the way, I've been told that Corvettes float at speeds above 110mph when you go to deaccelerate and that downshifting without braking, makes the car float, really like a magic carpet ride, LOL.


Happy Holidays to All
 
sharkface said:
How did you bend the caliper cover back? You are saying that the brake caliper cover was touching the wheel when turning the steering wheel? Did you need to take off the wheel and tire? Then you just pushed the caliper cover back toward the rotor? I guess I can't visualize the caliper cover? Is it the metal piece that says Corvette on it?
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It is the metal piece that says corvette. Just pushed it back towards the rotor. My tire guys said that if that does not work, grind the ends down a bit. Not going to happen. No noise since I bent it back in
Good luck
 
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