Rep Power: 251

Okay i have an issue and havent been able to solve it myself. Please give me some kind of assistance.

Car: 2002 Honda Civic Coupe
5Speed Manual
Stock Suspension
Everything suspension wise is stock(no aftermarket swaybars, strutbars etc)


Problem:
When ever the brakes are applied when attempting to come to a Complete stop there is a loud continous clunking/clanking noise coming from the front of the car. Im hearing it from the passengerside of the car. It begins at about 15/10mph to 0mph. The car does not shudder or shake when braking. You can feel the clank/clunk in the pedal somewhat. I checked and torqued all LCA bots(new bushings installed), endlinks, new lower ball joint dust boots intsalled aswell. I have checked the strut bolts, the struts for leaks etc. I took off the calipers inspected the brake pads (only about 2000 miles on them OEM HONDA pads) Inspected all dust boots under the car. Tie rods ends n boots are fine etc. The axle nut is tight. The Cv joint boots are not torn. No grease anywere under the car or anything.

I'll be very precise as to avoid confusion:

First let me explain. I got into an accident, front end collision. No engine damage just the: bumper, headlights, hood, reinforcement bar, radiator and condensor had to be changed. When i got the car back from the shop it drove the same, wheels were still aligned perfect. After a few days i got a loud clanking along with a ticking/clicking sound on the right side of the car(This occured when i was not on the brakes, it was at all times when driving), VERY LOUD. The left side of the car was simply ticking/clicking. mechanics said it most likely was the wheel bearing because of the impact. So i changed both wheel bearings on the car which got rid of the clunking/clanking on the right side.

I also noticed that the rotor screws were loose (the shitty advanced autoparts mechanics left them loose and had the strut bolts in backwards) and tightend them to spec on each side of the car (this got rid of the ticking/clicking). I returned strut bolts to original location. The noise went away for one day then came back. not as harsh or loud but only when i am trying to come to a complete stop or simply slow down to anything under 15/10mph NOW ON THE LEFT SIDE. I next changed all the LCA bushings on each side of the car because they were cracked and the sound still remains when i apply the brakes . But it seems to take time to occur now like after a while of driving.

I checked the rotors for warpage which and their is none. There is no brake buildup. The pads are perfect. I bedded them. I bled the brakes etc. When i spin the rotor i hear no noise. I think that it has to be under load for the noise to occur? im not sure. I think i have done everything i can think of so im making a thread. Thanks for helping if you can.

 
Rep Power: 0

i was gonna say the rotors but you said you checked them out right... either way i know what your talking about my buddy has the same exact problem on his jetta and its the rotor. its like this deep clunking sound right? he hasnt bothered getting it fixed but thats cuz hes a broke ***. im pretty sure you need to be bearing weight to see if theres a problem... now to do that you're on your own. sorry. my advice. check the rotors again.

 
Rep Power: 0

Bolts at the top of the strut are tight? What about that rubber bushing that surrounds the top strut bolt? Have you checked your PS pump mounting bolts? Condenser is securely mounted and so is the radiator? Anything else that could shift with gravity of stopping? Do you feel the clunking in your brake pedal or just hear it?

 
Rep Power: 251

Thanks for the replies. Yes its a deep clunking sound. The nuts on the struts are tight i checked them all and will recheck them again. Yes you can feel it in the brake pedal but only slightly (when the wheel bearings needed to change you felt it a great amount). Its like a notchy feeling in the brake pedal. Funny thing is while driving tonight the car never made the sound again. But i know it will comeback, it always does as soon as i think i've solved it. haha. thanks again guys.

Tomorrow morning i'll make sure to check the bolts on the power steering, condensor etc. I just have to stop this noise. Its damn near embarrassing at a stop light pulling up slowly with all this ruckus going on CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK

 
Rep Power: 237

Brakes:
- Brake linings too thin?
- Rotors out of round?

Suspension:
- Does it pull to one side or the other?
- Is steering hard?
- Does the car wonder or wobble?

 
Rep Power: 251

The steering isnt hard, the car is perfectly aligned, doesnt wonder or wobble, as a matter of fact its so aligned that if i let go of the wheel while driving it continues straight down the road haha. The brakelines are good i checked them all. The rotors appear fine. they are smooth and flat with no build up. I will hold a ruler against it again to be sure. thanks for the sugestions

 
Rep Power: 251

A question i have is...Since i changed both bushings on the LCA along with the dust boots etc. Do they need to "break in"? in a sense? There only about 2-3 days old. Remeber they were craked badly and a mechaninc friend of mine suggested it might be them. But the thing is they say to test the bushings you have to pull up on the fender and listen for noise. when i did that with the old bushings i heard none.

 
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Have you been able to solve this problem? I have a '99 EX that has the same issue. When brakes are applied at speeds higher than 20 MPH there is no problem. When applying the brakes from 15 mph to 0 there is a clunking semi-grinding noise coming from the front end. I had rotors turned and new pads. Car has no issues at higher speeds, only 15 mph-0. I've had several mechanics look at it and nobody has an answer. Help!

 
Rep Power: 273

Wild guess here:

When you got into the accident, did they do any pounding / pulling /etc? Maybe check to see if it is a busted motor mount? I'd think a busted motor mount would only clunk once, but I suppose you could break it in such a way that torque could cause the engine to move a bunch off and on.

Tranny mount misaligned? Stress on the axles causing something to go boom?

I'm probably completely off base, but since brakes + suspension seem to be working, I'm thinking something connected to them. Are you SURE the wheel bearing isn't going?

 
Rep Power: 0

Check your lower control arm bushings.

 
Rep Power: 251

Okay im sorry i never updated this thread...here it goes. I have fixed the problem it was the wheel bearings once again! WORD TO THE WISE DONT GO TO ADVANCE AUTO PARTS! why? because they will pound the bearings one when your not looking...Thus tearing the teflon seal on the bearings. Old wheel bearings used to be made out of pure steel but todays bearings contain the teflon. Wheel bearings should not be pounded in but pressed in by a machine shop. I did everything myself this time had a machine shop press the bearings in, reinstalled everything and finished in about 5 hours. It took that long because some motherF***** staked the damn axle nut like they never wanted it to get removed again! So all is wheel now. Thanks for all the replies etc. Hopefully this thread can help someone one day.

 
Rep Power: 251

Oh i fixed this months ago...In january i just never brought closure to the thread. i apologize. ^^^^^^^ALL IS WELL*** LOL NOT WHEEL! peace

 
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Hi everyone,

I am glad that this forum exists. I have a Civic 2006 EX. Two months ago I swapped my winter tires with rims for all-season tires with stock rims. Since that time I am hearing strange clunking noise when braking, mostly occurs when at lower speeds. There is no pull of steering, car has had no accidents. I assume that the noise is similar to the one described here. I recorded the noise and am attaching it here as a mp3 file inside zip file. Before I venture out to my dealer to have it looked at, I would like to seek your advice on what the noise could be and how to fix it.

Thanks

 
Rep Power: 313

I'm haven't listened to the noise. But if it happened after you installed different rims check your lugnuts, make sure they are tight. Scary.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks for the answer. I had the vehicle checked by a mechanic since and all the lognuts were checked at the time. He also could not find the cause of the noise-mind you he was not from Honda.