Making popping noises in the front end

sqhschief

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Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
2000 Jetta TDI. So it's been doing this for awhile now. When I am turning in either direction onto another road or an intersection for example, I hear these loud pops coming from the front end, somewhere near the tires. It also makes these sounds when driving straight/slow over a bumpy road or over speed bumps.

I'm pretty good with these engines, but everything else baffles me. Any help is appreciated.
 

2005TDI_1994IDI

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Aug 20, 2005
Location
South Texas
TDI
Golf, 2005, Indigo blue
It is most likely in the struts, and usually the washer looking thing that is on top of the strut. These washers crack often. Also, the bushings on top of the struts are a wear item. I went with Bilstiens HD with shine springs. This setup will give you about a 1 inch lift. If you change the struts and springs, be careful. The springs are not under much pressure, and you don't need a spring compressor to re-assemble.
 

sqhschief

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Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
It is most likely in the struts, and usually the washer looking thing that is on top of the strut. These washers crack often. Also, the bushings on top of the struts are a wear item. I went with Bilstiens HD with shine springs. This setup will give you about a 1 inch lift. If you change the struts and springs, be careful. The springs are not under much pressure, and you don't need a spring compressor to re-assemble.
How would I check this?

Balljoints, LCA bushings, swaybar bushings, etc.
Could you elaborate? Thanks.

EDIT: Would any of these things be something major that I have to get fixed immediately?
 

2005TDI_1994IDI

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South Texas
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Golf, 2005, Indigo blue
No easy way to check that I know of. I would check the struts for any oil residue, if so they are gone and need replacement.

Does the car have any tracking issues? or steering wheel play? If so, then most likely balljoints or bushings.

With that many miles on the car you might need to refresh the entire front end including the struts. I got mine from Kermi, he has a good selection, but the web page is no so good. If you order from Kermi, call Paul and he will make sure you get what you need. I have also ordered from idparts, there web page is much better.
 

sqhschief

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Location
Tennessee
TDI
2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
No easy way to check that I know of. I would check the struts for any oil residue, if so they are gone and need replacement.

Does the car have any tracking issues? or steering wheel play? If so, then most likely balljoints or bushings.

With that many miles on the car you might need to refresh the entire front end including the struts. I got mine from Kermi, he has a good selection, but the web page is no so good. If you order from Kermi, call Paul and he will make sure you get what you need. I have also ordered from idparts, there web page is much better.
No tracking issues or any play in the steering wheel. I wonder if there's any other way to check the struts.
 

rackaracka

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Joined
Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
Jack the car up and look at the back of the lower control arm. You should be able to see if its the rear bushing (It will be ripped). Most likely it is your rear lower control ar bushing or the sway bar bushing.
 

respond2us

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Joined
Nov 5, 2004
Location
Tulsa, Oklahoma
TDI
Jetta, 99.5, Custom - Funky Green. 99 NB TDI, 06 Jetta TDI
My Jetta does the same thing. I notice it more often when I'm backing out of my driveway and turning the wheel sharply to the right. One loud "pop". I've had my suspension done with the bilstien tc's and it still does it. It doesn't seem to be getting worse, so I just try to not turn so sharp while backing up.
 

shuswap

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Dec 12, 2010
Location
British Columbia
TDI
05 Golf TDI BEW auto
Mine does this, has for a long time. I had a look while the wheel was turned side to side and it is the spring going *boing* when the strut-top bearing doesn't turn smoothly.

Much worse when turning the wheel while parking
 

JettaJoy

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Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Location
Mt. Airy, NC
I had similar symptoms about two weeks ago from the front end. If I turned the wheels either while stopped or running, I had popping noises. Driving along a bumpy road at slow speeds. I could also push down above the Front Left fender well and it appeared worse on this side.

After reading many different versions of this from searching on the forum, I figured it was the strut bearing. I jacked the car up by the frame, removed the left front tire, and then used another jack to raise the spindle and put pressure back on the strut. I could reproduce the popping sound then.

Turned out that all of this "loud" noise was coming from that "little" ball joint....

While having someone turn the wheels back and forth, you could "feel" the binding in the joint. I happened to have a "needle" adapter for my grease gun and injected the rubber boot with about 5 pumps on the gun. Worked the suspension up and down and the sound changed. Drove it to work and back the next day (80 miles) and the popping was gone.

I will replace it in another week or two as my timing belt is approaching it's change time..

Good Luck!
 

Powder Hound

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Oct 25, 1999
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Under a Bridge, Crestview, FL, USA
TDI
'00 Golf 4dr White 5sp, '02 Jettachero 5sp, Wife's '03 NB Platinum Gray auto(!)
My 2-dr was doing this on occasion and it was the roll bar bushings.

Basically, there's lots of things that can do it. Good luck sorting it out.
 

sqhschief

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2008
Location
Tennessee
TDI
2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
My 2-dr was doing this on occasion and it was the roll bar bushings.
Basically, there's lots of things that can do it. Good luck sorting it out.
So when I check these bushings or joints or whatever, do I just grab on either side of the joint and see how much it moves around? I'm just not understanding what I should check here. Also, how might I test the CV joints? Thanks.

EDIT: Oh and to comment on your signature Powder_Hound, it's not called dope because it makes you dumb. Dope is short for Dopamine which is a chemical known as neurotransmitter that is involved in reward system of the brain. Stimulants such as Methamphetamine, Cocaine, or Nicotine act as agonist's increasing Dopamine levels much higher than normal, thereby increasing sensed pleasure by the user. That's why it's called "dope". I just felt compelled to clear that up lol.
 
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rackaracka

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Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
when you have the cars weight lifted off of the ground you can visually see if the rear lca bushing is ripped. Checking the ball joint and sway bar bushing are more difficult. You may be able to feel the movement of the ball joint by grabbing the tire and trying to rock it fore and aft, but it may not show its play when it is loaded by having the suspension pinned in its fully extended position... This is where it gets tricky / dangerous because you may have to distribute some weight back onto that lifted suspension without knocking the car off of the jack stands. Don't do anything risky. I would just do a visual inspection of the rear lca bushing and the sway bar bushing. Look for a ripped boot on the ball joint.

You can buy a suspension refresh kit that includes new lca's, sway bar bushings (both sizes), sway bar end links, inner and outer tie rods and new ball joints for $280.00 from metalmanparts. If you've got 150k miles or more on your 2000mk4, its not a waste of time or money to do that type of refresh.

Let us know what you find.
 

PDJetta

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Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Location
Northern Virginia
TDI
'04 Jetta GLS TDI Pumpe Duce Platinum Grey w/ Leather
Not rhythmic, just a loud clunk/pop. It does it mainly when I am turning in somewhere.
A siezed strut bearing will cause a kind of spring popping sound when turning. The big coil spring rotationally binds as the strut rotates (when turning the steering wheel), but due to the strut bearing binding, the top spring seat does not rotate with the strut and lower part of the spring and the spring winds up and then lets loose after tension builds up and quickly rotates with a bang or pop.

This happened to me and upon strut disassembly I found the strut bearing to be completely seized with rust. New strut mounts cured the issue. Unfortunately, if this is the problem, the struts have to be removed and disassembled to fix. You might want to consider new struts since they have to come out if you think this is the problem.

--Nate
 
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sqhschief

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Tennessee
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2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
I had it up on the lift today and while changing the oil I noticed both ball joint bushings were ripped and torn apart. I'm not sure which ones they are or what they are called. And unfortunately wasn't thinking or I would've taken a picture to show you guys. Could this be what is causing it? I'll try to get a picture of it soon.
 

rackaracka

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Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
I'll be you're talking about the rear lower control arm bushings, and Yes, they can be causing drivability issues, popping when you hit bumps, and vibration in the steering wheel when stopping.

If its the ball joint boots, they should be replaced as well. I recommend buying the refresh kit I recommended earlier.

If you can get a picture that would be great. You can look at this thread for some ideas.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=154137

I find it easy to press the old ones out and press new ones in rather than cutting the old ones out. I have a simple c-clamp style ball joint press kit. Buying the complete LCA saves lots of time.
 

mlemorie

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Joined
Aug 15, 2009
Location
Romulus Michigan
TDI
2004 Jetta
It could be your tierod ends that have the torn boots. Mine are dry rotted, but I still dont have any play in them yet. More often than not, a popping while turning the wheel side to side will be the strut mounts as has been mentioned. Clunking while hitting bumps is most usually the sway bar bushings worn out. You can visually check the sway bar bushings. if the edges of the bushing are pulling away from the bar, and you can see any kind of rust up in there then the bushings need replacing. Those are the most common points of noise, the other bushings and balljoints will cause these as well but I did far more sway bar bushings and strut mounts than control arm bushings or ball joints at the dealership
 

sqhschief

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2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
I'm thinking it's the tie rods that have torn boots. I think I'm going to replace my strut top mount bushings and bearings. Any special tools I will need for the job?
 

mlemorie

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Romulus Michigan
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2004 Jetta
Metalnerd has a special tool for counterholding the strut shaft while removing the nuts for the cap and mount. That makes things easier but it can also be done with an impact, although that is not on the top of the recommended list.
 

rackaracka

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Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
I'm thinking it's the tie rods that have torn boots. I think I'm going to replace my strut top mount bushings and bearings. Any special tools I will need for the job?
if you are just changing the outer tie rod you'll need a 13MM open end wrench to hold the inner tie rod and a 21MM(13/16") to loosen the jam nut. Then a 19MM(3/4) open end wrench to loosen the outer tie rod. You also need a good hammer to wack the outside of the casting after you've loosened the tie rod end ball joint to pop it out of the taper. You don't hit the ball joint stud, but just give the casting a couple of good wacks and it will pop free. You need a 6MM Allen key and a 19MM box wrench to remove the nut from the tie rod ball joint stud.

If you find the tie rod end impossibly seized with rust to the inner tie rod end you'll need to replace the inner. This will require a new inner tie rod and and clench type metal clamps as well as an installation tool. Let me warn you that the boot installation and clamp installation is a very arduous task with the subframe installed and in your way. Some may just say to use plastic tie straps but if they fail and the boot pops off you'll be replacing the entire rack in short order.

The inner tie rod can be removed with a 1 5/16" open end wrench, large crescent wrench or 34MM open end.

I believe you will need a special strut socket to get down in the strut top cup to turn the nut while holding the inner strut tube with the correct allen key. You may have difficulty doing this, but you don't want the strut tube to spin free too much. If you have access to an impact wrench it would be ideal, but if it is very frozen, it can spin the strut shaft quickly and ruin the internal seal. You will need to purchase or make a spreader tool to spread the casting where the strut is installed to remove the assemble. You will also need a spring compressor in order to remove and replace the strut top.

Good luck!
 

sqhschief

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Sep 28, 2008
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2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
Metalnerd has a special tool for counterholding the strut shaft while removing the nuts for the cap and mount. That makes things easier but it can also be done with an impact, although that is not on the top of the recommended list.
I'll check it out, thanks.

if you are just changing the outer tie rod you'll need a 13MM open end wrench to hold the inner tie rod and a 21MM(13/16") to loosen the jam nut. Then a 19MM(3/4) open end wrench to loosen the outer tie rod. You also need a good hammer to wack the outside of the casting after you've loosened the tie rod end ball joint to pop it out of the taper. You don't hit the ball joint stud, but just give the casting a couple of good wacks and it will pop free. You need a 6MM Allen key and a 19MM box wrench to remove the nut from the tie rod ball joint stud.

If you find the tie rod end impossibly seized with rust to the inner tie rod end you'll need to replace the inner. This will require a new inner tie rod and and clench type metal clamps as well as an installation tool. Let me warn you that the boot installation and clamp installation is a very arduous task with the subframe installed and in your way. Some may just say to use plastic tie straps but if they fail and the boot pops off you'll be replacing the entire rack in short order.

The inner tie rod can be removed with a 1 5/16" open end wrench, large crescent wrench or 34MM open end.

I believe you will need a special strut socket to get down in the strut top cup to turn the nut while holding the inner strut tube with the correct allen key. You may have difficulty doing this, but you don't want the strut tube to spin free too much. If you have access to an impact wrench it would be ideal, but if it is very frozen, it can spin the strut shaft quickly and ruin the internal seal. You will need to purchase or make a spreader tool to spread the casting where the strut is installed to remove the assemble. You will also need a spring compressor in order to remove and replace the strut top.

Good luck!
Wow, thanks for all that good info. One question, what do you mean by a spreader tool? Thanks again for all the help rackaracka.
 

sqhschief

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Sep 28, 2008
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Tennessee
TDI
2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
Well does anyone have the metalnerd strut wrench that they could let me borrow? I just found it for $46 on idparts. That's pretty crazy for something I will only use twice. But if anyone has one they could ship me that would be great because I'm running low on money right now due to me having to purchase a new oil pan. I would put some money in there when I ship it back to cover everything. Thanks.
 

sqhschief

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Tennessee
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2000 Jetta TDi, 1981 Chevrolet LUV Diesel! Non-turbo :(
So I noticed some people were able to tell how bad the strut mount bushings were by looking at the top of the strut. So here are pics of mine if anyone can tell anything by this.





Also, how significant is the risk of messing up something if I use an impact vs using the tool?
 
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rackaracka

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Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
They look like similar to that new... In terms of not being seated tight. You'll find the rubber strut mount quite compressed, and the new one will make that gap look tighter for about a month.
 

JB05

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Oct 20, 2005
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Il.USA
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Golf,2005,anthracite blue
I used a 13/16 spark plug socket, 3/8 drive and a 3/4 inch open end wrench to turn the socket while holding the strut shaft with an allen wrench. This was to remove the top nut.
 
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