2001 fiesta has front end knock, ok on smooth roads and bends,,???

Question

When travelling along ,,Chattering knock from front lower middle ,But the knocking stops when steering around bends at any speed, seems to only knock when the power steering is not in effect,,

My fiesta has covered 238,000 miles --------------------Yes 238 Thousand miles,,,,,2001 model triangle headlights and Enduro E engine,,,full servive every 10,000 miles and still goes great,,,

Endura e engine,,,

I have checked anti roll bar bushes and they look good,,Also if i rock the front end of the car with my hands on the top of the struts from under bonnet i can hear the knocking as i rock left to right,,,

Do i need a new power steering rack????????????????

Answer 1

sounds like your shocks, i had an 02 fiesta and it sounds like your shocks have gone or one the fromt ones could of come loose.

Answer 2

Could be a bush on the antiroll bar, or an engine mount.

Lie under the car and have someone gently bounce it and listen.
also have then rock the steering wheel (with the engine off) and listen. This will help decide if it is antiroll bar or steering.
If this reveals nothing look at the drive shafts. Grab each one firmly and twist back and forth. This may reveal CV joint issues. the joints at gearbox and wheel end should be booted and the boots should be whole and not perished. a tear or missing boot will allow dirt into the CV joint and cause the bearings to fail.
To check the engine mounts is a little harder. You need a long, strong screwdriver or pry bar. Insert between the engine and the mount and lever gently. There should be some give, it is a rubber mount but should not clearly move.
Lastly it may be a wheel bearing but not likely. Grab the top of the wheel and rock it in and out. there should be no give. If you are not sure then jack the car up and carefully do the same.

Finally, with the mileage that you do, wait a week or so and get the mechaninc to look on the next service.

Good luck.

I am a qulified Moter Vehicle Engineer.

Answer 3

At that kind of mileage it sounds like the CV joints may be about shot. One other thing to look at is the shock towers and shocks thenselves. CV joints go no matter how well they are maintained, and it sounds like when you put a load on them they get quiet.

That's 'cause you got pressure on the joint, and it can't rattle like it will when it's not doing any work. Only thing that makes me think shock towers is some of them cars go through mounting bushings when they get into higher miles. I'd bet better than even money on the CV joints, and the shock tower(s) only if that ain't it since you say the sound is coming from down low. The towers would sound like they are right behind the cowl, unless it's the lower bushings.

And 10,000 miles is enough time for either problem to develope where a mechanic ain't gonna spot the trouble. And each of these problems developes pretty quickly, but never gets worse until it actually goes South on 'ya. Dropping a CV joint ain't as bad as popping a shock though. When you have one checked, have them look into the other also.

Just remembered one other item. Brakes! There is a clip on the caliper that keeps the caliper from making a knocking noise when it is not under load. Not dangerous, just a pain in the rear. (Or in this case, front!) If I knew what kind of feed-back you were getting from the steering I would have a better idea. And if the noise is a high pitched click, or a low pitched clunking sound. I'm still gonna put the big money on the CV joints though.

Good luck. Ciao!

Answer 4

If it's a like knock it may be the tie rod ends or the inner tie rod swivel joints.Jack the car up in the front and lightly shake the tires from left to right holding them at a 9:00 and 3:00 o'clock position. Look to see if there is play at the outer tie rod ends and also at the inner tie rods. The inner tie rod play ,if there, is inside the steering rack boots and you will see the tie rods move and feel the play while gently shaking the wheels without moving the wheels so far as to turn the steering wheel. You can also check the sway bar links while the car is jacked up. CV joints usually only make a knocking noise when doing tight turns and are quite when going straight.

Answer 5

Well try the spool valve in the steering Rack, But some of the Festuva's didnt have power steering.
So if it doesnt have power Steering.
Then You better look at the rack mountings and front sub frame bushings also :) LP
PS I am not a Ford Expert ok :) Smiles, LP

Answer 6

one thing no one has mentioned is the track rod ends just another thought. but them age of fiestas are common for rear strut top mounts (firstline number fsm5020) andfront springs (kyb number ra1059) also front strut tops but cant remember thempart numbers. Give any auto shop these numbers and they might have them in stock but can also cross them over to other suppliers they use

Answer 7

There are a couple of things to check, its possible that the top mountings for the shock absorbers have failed. Its also possible that the inside (Engine side) CV joints have failed.
Ja.

Answer 8

Sway bar links or bushings.

If you grab the car from the side of the roof above the door and rock the car vigorously from side to side you should hear them go clunk bump, clunk bump, clunk bump...

I you have someone look at the sway bar links and bushings you should be able to pinpoint the problem while rocking the car.

Answer 9

it will probably be the lower suspension bushes are worn out need to replace the lower arms ,not that expensive and relatively easy to replace very common ford fault

Answer 10

its the anti roll bar drop link