Knocking sound on sharp turns

[TB2]

I took my BX for a spin yesterday on some twisty roads and for the first time I heard some knocking/clanking sound whenever I steered to the other direction. Coming from a left turn, going to a right turn there was a short knock and vice versa.

Anything I should be worried about? Is it a known problem or could it just be some lose screw or something dangling around? I read something about the steering wheel joint which sometimes needs replacement but I'm not sure what it is...

[velosolex50]

Anti roll bar drop links? lower ball joints? steering rack joint? something loose in the scuttle? loose roadwheel? wheel bearing? rear arm bearing? Lots of possibilites, need to jack it up and wobble things. USE AXLE STANDS, don't depend on the hydraulics to keep you alive.

[paul001]

Could be a CV joint quitting they make a knocking noise on turning

[DLM]

Could be a CV joint quitting

Diagnostic: find an empty car park and put the steering on full lock in the "noisy" direction. Open windows help you identify the side that the noise is coming from. As you drive slowly round in a curve, a knackered CV joint typically makes a repeating clicking noise.

Driving either up or down one of those tight spirals on a some multi-storey car parks can also provoke that repeated clicking, if an empty car space isn't available to you.

If it's a single knock on changing direction, then it's something else. Is the steering still precise?

[Jaba]

Doesn't sound like a CV joint. One clunk in either direction is something worn or loose...................steering rack, ball joints, steering joint or a.n.other.
Have a good look around underneath.

[DLM]

If the checks mentioned fail to show up the problem, include a look at the rubber bushes either end of the lower suspension arm.

On my last-BX-but-one I had the rubber detach itself from the inner metal tube of the arm bushes, allowing front to rear movement of the suspension arm. The knock I experienced was then the sound of the arm hitting the washers and nut at the ends of the threaded rod running through the arm.

Tom helped me diagnose this by one of us sitting in the car moving the steering back and forth while the other felt the suspension components in turn to identify where the knock was coming from. Two people are also handy if checking the Hardy disc where the steering column links to the rack - one to waggle the wheel , the other to observe the disc.

[mike st gilles]

Just a thought.........if its only one knock at the beginning of any directional change are you sure that there's nothing 'floating about' in the car? Either in the engine dept, in the boot, glove box or any where else as it could just be something loose moving and then coming to an abrupt stop when constrained by bodywork or the like. Always best to check the simple things so I would have a good ferret around in the car and remove anything thats loose and then give it a drive at least that way you can eliminate that Doh! moment...

[mat_fenwick]

I would have a good ferret around in the car

Ed...?

[DLM]

Good point - had an appalling knocking once which I traced to an old sphere that I'd taken off and put into the front scuttle next to the washer bottle - God knows why. When rolling around it made some VERY alarming noises.

[mike st gilles]

Isn't that a meerkat, taking a sojourn from his very popular website? Come to think of it though, there really is nothing like a good ferret is there? Unless you happen to be a rabbit

[mountainmanUK]

Another cause could be some play in the steering rack mounting bolts. I had this on a previous BX, and it took a while to locate, but seconds to fix, by tightening up the guilty bolts!

[TB2]

Thanks for all the input! I'll try and diagnose the problem thoroughly next week.