Help me solve my symptom. Wheel clunking.

[fillupamerica]

I posted this specifically in the SportWagen forum page but I realize that it falls under general automotive as well.

I'm having some clunk clunking sounds when slowing down, whether I'm coasting or braking. At the right front wheel area. Thought it was the ball joints, tie rod ends, control arms, so I replaced those (their time was definitely due). Took it for a test spin and still getting a clunk clunking sound around 25mph and less. It's not really a grinding sound, more like a clunk clunk. Hard to explain. Is this a symptom of a wheel bearing going bad or the CV Axle? Have around 180k miles and I'm assuming neither have ever been done. Looking more into it, it seems like if I do one may as well do the other since I'm right in there.

Any ideas or anyone had some wheel bearing issues they could describe for me. Thanks all!

 

[JDSwan87]

Check your wheel lugs.

 

[fillupamerica]

Check your wheel lugs.

What exactly should I be checking for? I did take all the wheels off when I did the front end job. Now they're all back on and they're all tight.

 

[JDSwan87]

Make SURE the wheels are squarely on the rotor face and torqued properly. I made this mistake once, had a thunk.... it was a loose wheel... even though I torqued them all with a torque wrench in a cross cross pattern...

 

[fillupamerica]

Make SURE the wheels are squarely on the rotor face and torqued properly. I made this mistake once, had a thunk.... it was a loose wheel... even though I torqued them all with a torque wrench in a cross cross pattern...

Thanks for the detailed response. I'll give it a look. I don't think that's it though. thanks!