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Stagea Clunks Loud In The Front End

oscillo hero

By oscillo hero,
in Four Door Family & Wagoneers

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oscillo hero Contributor

oscillo hero

Posted
Posted

hi im new the site so please bare with me as i cant find any info on the topic yet. i got a 97 rs4 stagea and when i do a slow u turn the front of the car clunks and shudders in sync with one rotation of the tyre. im new to mechanics and dont know where to start. the clunk is worse in 4wd or when reversing. it shakes the whole car a bit and can be felt through the steering wheel. while driving straight or doing a standard corner its fine and is quiet as a mouse.

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chook Mentor

chook

Posted
Posted

Welcome Patrick,

Probably best to have someone look at it if you are not used to playing down below, could be a few things, CV, tie rods etc. Maybe go for one of those free 'safety checks', then get back to us with results.

danwatt Collaborator

danwatt

Posted
Posted
Welcome Patrick,

Probably best to have someone look at it if you are not used to playing down below, could be a few things, CV, tie rods etc. Maybe go for one of those free 'safety checks', then get back to us with results.

I agree safety check is the way to go, but don't let them do the work unless your cashed up :(

STAGE1 Collaborator

STAGE1

Posted
Posted

Hi and welcome

If it is a heavy metal clunk and only there when on full lock I would put money on it being a CV joint. If you are not any good with spanners and things mechanical then it might be best left up to a mechanic to replace.

Phil

burkey22 Community Regular

burkey22

Posted
Posted

Mine used to do that too.

But only if I was in 50:50 mode. And only when I turned sharply slowly.

I dunno why but for some reason I thought it was normal.

Maybe someone told me it was. It was a few years ago so I cant really remember.

chook Mentor

chook

Posted
Posted

How often are you you using your 4wd lock button ? unless you have some serious slip situations, such as its snowing there or you live on the side of a grass mountain, not wise to use it. It will quickly destroy itself on hard surfaces.

oscillo hero Contributor

oscillo hero

Posted
  • Author
Posted

sorry i havnt been able to reply in a while cos i was outta town. i might put it in for a safety check ike yous suggested. the tie rods/ends should be fine as i replaced them about six months ago. the problem was still there before and after. i also had the cvs cleaned up about the same time, apparently the boots were split but the cvs were fine so he cleaned them out and put some new boots on them. ive also checked tyre pressure and its fine. i also recently replaced the front stabilzer bar linkages which were worn. as for the 4wd use i rarely use it. maybe for 5 min or so every 2 months just so it gets some use. ill book it in for a safety check and let you guys know. thanks

kidafa Veteran

kidafa

Posted
Posted
are your tyres all good? Also, might be a good idea to have the Attessa fluid changed (you'll find the reservoir in the rhs hatch in the boot).

To change the attessa fluid can you just suck all the old stuff out of the boot compartment with an syringe. fill it to top turn car on and crack the bleed nipple under the car and then keep filling it?

oscillo hero Contributor

oscillo hero

Posted
  • Author
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i did the safety check and was told that the cvs were fine and so was the tie rods. he seems to think the rear difff locks and causes the clunk. as burkey said his used to do it so is this a standard thing or are we just special. i might change the attessa fluid to as most of the mechanics would probably miss it. i asked one and he couldnt tell me what the oil was for.

  • 2 months later...
oscillo hero Contributor

oscillo hero

Posted
  • Author
Posted

i have tracked down the cause of the problem. the fluid in the transfer case was badly burnt and past its prime. the fluid in the rear near the hatch only activates the awd and it was fine. the oil i changed was in the centre diff off the side of the transmission. i used castrol transmax z and the shudder is all but gone. reading the manual a little bit of a braking effect is normal but the amount i had was pretty severe. thanks for your help guys

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