Dreaded thud in front end - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

ozzy1le · 02-11-2018, 12:57 PM

So I have a 2015 1le and in reverse when I turn the wheel I get a thud in the front. I have done the search and have found that about half say it's normal with the front upper strut design. Or is this something that can be fixed.

frankwjr · 02-11-2018, 01:18 PM

check all ur bolts first...look for any fluids leaking from struts, etc....do sum basic stuff and the solution may jump at ya...if not come on back...no lack of advice on this forum and since it's Sunday and football is over...may be a veritable deluge...lulz..good luck OP...peace out!

Overflow · 02-11-2018, 02:17 PM

Many strut designs cause a thumping noise when slowly turning.

My Civic does it as well.

Hellfighter · 02-11-2018, 02:46 PM

my Zl1 does it too every now and then it bugs me, idk what it is.

orange devil · 02-11-2018, 03:10 PM

Chevrolet Camaro 2010-2015: Suspension Issues Diagnostic Guide
Is your Camaro making some strange noises over bumps, or in corners? Have you lost that razor sharp modern handling you enjoyed right off the showroom floor? Read on and maybe you can pinpoint the problem in order to fix it yourself.

By Jeffrey Smith - March 4, 2016

This article applies to the Chevy Camaro (2010-2015).

The 5th gen Camaro is one awesome car to own and drive, but like just about any car on the road, there will be issues related to that particular model. Any noise coming from the suspension can be particularly troubling and difficult to track down. For any new noise or feeling that just isn't the norm, you should always give it your due diligence to try to learn what the cause is. Don't ignore it, as it could be the start of a bigger, more expensive issue. Some issues are normal, some are not normal but aren't cause for concern either, and some should be fixed ASAP. For the Camaro, one of the most common complaints is a front end clunking noise when the car is driven slowly over bumps or pot holes. This was a really annoying problem that perplexed owners, service writers, and GM alike. You can take your Camaro into a professional to do a diagnostic for you, but why spend the cash when you can learn to do it yourself with this guide as great start?

Chevrolet Camaro 2010-2015: Suspension Issues Diagnostic Guide
Materials Needed
Basic tools (sockets, ratchet, wrenches)
Impact gun
Torque wrench
Hydraulic floor jack
Jack stands
Step 1 – Check your front end, steering nuts and bolts
Loose bolts can cause noises and poor handling.

Probably the most common complaint among 5th gen Camaro owners is a mild to loud clunking noise from the front end as the car is traveling over uneven pavement. This problem was widespread and absolutely commonplace with the 2010 model year in particular. GM claimed that many new, unsold cars on the lot did the same thing, so it was normal and owners had to learn to live with it. If you are suffering with this issue, there are steps to take to resolve it.

Inspect your front upper spring insulator. If it is black rubber, these were replaced by GM for beige stamped metal and urethane. Replace yours with the updated part.
Do NOT lift your Camaro at this time. Keep all the weight on the wheels.
Pop the hood and remove the strut retaining nut and plate. (You need an impact gun for this, and you may need a pretty strong one.)
Put that gun on the strut assembly nut and wrench it hard, fast and strong.
Replace the plate as well as the retaining nut, and use the same gun to wrench the nut as tightly as possible.
Use the air gun on the strut clevis bolts as well as the endlink nuts.
For the rest of these parts, use a wrench to get them very tight, but don't use that air gun.
Tighten the three ball joint nuts, radius arm nut, and steering rack bolts.
Old rubber isolator (right) versus new design urethane and metal (left)
Figure 1. Old rubber isolator (right) versus new design urethane and metal (left).
Top of strut showing retaining nut and plate
Figure 2. Top of strut showing retaining nut and plate.
Step 2 – Check the sway bar mounting bolts
Loose sway bars can cause popping noises as well, but not limited to the front end.

Check the mounting bolts for the sway bars front and rear. Re-torque them to spec and the popping noise should go away. The brackets holding the bar to the chassis should be at 22 ft-lbs, while the end links need to be tightened to 33 ft-lbs.

Make sure that your sway bar mounting bolts and end links are properly torqued
Figure 3. Make sure that your sway bar mounting bolts and end links are properly torqued.
Do you have more of a creaking noise followed by a loud banging noise?

Step 3 – Check your ball joints
If your ball joints are going bad, they will creak and then pop into place with a loud bang.

The ball joints should not have much play in them at all when you are checking them over. If they do, then they are likely bad and need to be replaced. Unfortunately, the ball joints are not replaceable, but the two separate control arms are not overly expensive, and include new ball joints and bushings in the ends.

Check your ball joints and replace if you find any play in them
Figure 4. Each control arm has a ball joint at the end (white arrows) check both for play, as well as the bushings at the other end.
(Related Article - How to Replace Ball Joints - LS1Tech.com)

If your noises is more of a thumping or knocking and your car drifts from a straight line, it may be a steering rack issue.

Step 4 – Inspect your steering rack
If the steering rack is going bad, your car may wander or make some thumping sounds and vibrations.

Some 5th gen Camaro owners have found themselves with a bad steering rack. While these are not very common, they can be quite serious. If you find yourself having to constantly correct your steering while traveling straight down the highway, it is a good sign that your rack is going bad. It also may make a constant thumping noise during turns and may also have a lot of vibration while driving. Replacing the rack is your only option and this is a moderately difficult job.

Figure 5. Checking your steering rack if your Camaro is constantly drifting.
If your issue is that your rear end is losing grip, read on to solve that problem.

Step 5 – Stiffen up your rear end
The stock rear end components can cause the dreaded "wheel hop" under acceleration.

Congratulations, you bought a Camaro SS with a powerful V8 motor and spinning the rear wheels is just a sign that you got what you paid for. During your normal day to day travels, the Camaro is a wonderful street rod with a very comfortable ride. Try to launch hard, and break the rear free, and you may get the dreaded "wheel hop." You may experience major slippage with the rear wheels when the tires stop biting and slip, then catch up and bite, but loses grip again. This cycle will continue until you get off the gas and stabilize the car. Unfortunately, there is nothing to "fix" for this in regards to stock components. You'll need to do a little upgrading, and luckily for you, these are relatively easy DIY jobs that you can get done in one weekend day.

Upgrade the very flexible rubber rear cradle subframe bushings with urethane or solid bushings. These work extremely well with the Camaro, and they are very inexpensive.
Upgrade to stiffer aftermarket trailing arms with high performance polyurethane bushings.
Upgrade the rear differential bushing (optional). This will transmit more horsepower directly to the tires at the expense of vibration and noise; and for the daily driver, this should not be necessary to eliminate most wheel hop.

ozzy1le · 02-11-2018, 03:19 PM

Yeah mine is the black upper spring isolator. I don't get the clunk except is reverse after the car sittingfor a while and I turn.

orange devil · 02-11-2018, 03:23 PM

Hopefully the article helps man and that's all it is should be a quick easy fix

SS PANTHER · 02-11-2018, 03:35 PM

Good info Elvis. Thanks for posting.

orange devil · 02-11-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS PANTHER

Good info Elvis. Thanks for posting.

For sure!!!

Hellfighter · 02-11-2018, 05:08 PM

How much are these new isolators?

I might just take mine to the dealership and print that little guide of yours out to show them, let them search and see what they find.

Thanks for the info though.

Olddudesrule · 02-11-2018, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozzy1le

Yeah mine is the black upper spring isolator. I don't get the clunk except is reverse after the car sittingfor a while and I turn.

Being a 2015, you should have the yellow isolator, probably just can't see the yellow portion, since it's up against the underside of the strut tower. I've had that "clunk" since I've owned the car, and it continues from time to time even after I installed the BC Racing CO's. I've been under the car countless times, and have checked everything that's connected to front suspension parts. Everything is tight as it should be, which leads me to believe it's a harmless noise emanating from the isolator design as the suspension loads and unloads. Mine almost always happens in a slow right hand turn into my neighborhood, where the road I'm turning onto raises slightly. Doesn't happen every time, just here and there, and actually since completing the SC install where I had the car up on a lift for a month or so, it hasn't happened since....

My .02......

ozzy1le · 02-11-2018, 07:41 PM

Thanks guys I will do some more looking at the isolators

Brybry68 · 09-20-2018, 01:05 AM

I have a 2010 2SS, and I replaced the sway arm bushings about a year ago, the noise went away, now I have the noise again. The noise is similar to the noise i had when I replaced the sway arm bushings but only does it now when the front wheels turn, It sounds like only the driver side is making the noise, I took it to the dealership, and my luck the damn thing would not make the noise. I just hit 50,000 miles. It is garage kept. Any suggestions??

02-11-2018, 12:57 PM	#1
ozzy1le Drives: 2015 camaro 1le Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: pasco wa Posts: 233	Dreaded thud in front end So I have a 2015 1le and in reverse when I turn the wheel I get a thud in the front. I have done the search and have found that about half say it's normal with the front upper strut design. Or is this something that can be fixed.

02-11-2018, 01:18 PM	#2
frankwjr Drives: 2010 SS 2SS M6 Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Smithsburg, Md. Posts: 2,445	check all ur bolts first...look for any fluids leaking from struts, etc....do sum basic stuff and the solution may jump at ya...if not come on back...no lack of advice on this forum and since it's Sunday and football is over...may be a veritable deluge...lulz..good luck OP...peace out! __________________ 2010 SS 2SS M6 - Tune by RDP dynoSteve!(Woot) - Daily Driver - *150K!* - All work by me...

02-11-2018, 02:17 PM	#3
Overflow Space Shuttle Aficionado Drives: 2016 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 30,899 View My Garage	Many strut designs cause a thumping noise when slowly turning. My Civic does it as well. __________________

02-11-2018, 02:46 PM	#4
Hellfighter Drives: 2013 Black ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Sugar Land/Texas Posts: 2,354 View My Garage	my Zl1 does it too every now and then it bugs me, idk what it is. __________________

02-11-2018, 03:10 PM	#5
orange devil Account Suspended Drives: 2019 SS 2019 mustang GT Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: California Posts: 1,694	Chevrolet Camaro 2010-2015: Suspension Issues Diagnostic Guide Is your Camaro making some strange noises over bumps, or in corners? Have you lost that razor sharp modern handling you enjoyed right off the showroom floor? Read on and maybe you can pinpoint the problem in order to fix it yourself. By Jeffrey Smith - March 4, 2016 This article applies to the Chevy Camaro (2010-2015). The 5th gen Camaro is one awesome car to own and drive, but like just about any car on the road, there will be issues related to that particular model. Any noise coming from the suspension can be particularly troubling and difficult to track down. For any new noise or feeling that just isn't the norm, you should always give it your due diligence to try to learn what the cause is. Don't ignore it, as it could be the start of a bigger, more expensive issue. Some issues are normal, some are not normal but aren't cause for concern either, and some should be fixed ASAP. For the Camaro, one of the most common complaints is a front end clunking noise when the car is driven slowly over bumps or pot holes. This was a really annoying problem that perplexed owners, service writers, and GM alike. You can take your Camaro into a professional to do a diagnostic for you, but why spend the cash when you can learn to do it yourself with this guide as great start? Chevrolet Camaro 2010-2015: Suspension Issues Diagnostic Guide Materials Needed Basic tools (sockets, ratchet, wrenches) Impact gun Torque wrench Hydraulic floor jack Jack stands Step 1 – Check your front end, steering nuts and bolts Loose bolts can cause noises and poor handling. Probably the most common complaint among 5th gen Camaro owners is a mild to loud clunking noise from the front end as the car is traveling over uneven pavement. This problem was widespread and absolutely commonplace with the 2010 model year in particular. GM claimed that many new, unsold cars on the lot did the same thing, so it was normal and owners had to learn to live with it. If you are suffering with this issue, there are steps to take to resolve it. Inspect your front upper spring insulator. If it is black rubber, these were replaced by GM for beige stamped metal and urethane. Replace yours with the updated part. Do NOT lift your Camaro at this time. Keep all the weight on the wheels. Pop the hood and remove the strut retaining nut and plate. (You need an impact gun for this, and you may need a pretty strong one.) Put that gun on the strut assembly nut and wrench it hard, fast and strong. Replace the plate as well as the retaining nut, and use the same gun to wrench the nut as tightly as possible. Use the air gun on the strut clevis bolts as well as the endlink nuts. For the rest of these parts, use a wrench to get them very tight, but don't use that air gun. Tighten the three ball joint nuts, radius arm nut, and steering rack bolts. Old rubber isolator (right) versus new design urethane and metal (left) Figure 1. Old rubber isolator (right) versus new design urethane and metal (left). Top of strut showing retaining nut and plate Figure 2. Top of strut showing retaining nut and plate. Step 2 – Check the sway bar mounting bolts Loose sway bars can cause popping noises as well, but not limited to the front end. Check the mounting bolts for the sway bars front and rear. Re-torque them to spec and the popping noise should go away. The brackets holding the bar to the chassis should be at 22 ft-lbs, while the end links need to be tightened to 33 ft-lbs. Make sure that your sway bar mounting bolts and end links are properly torqued Figure 3. Make sure that your sway bar mounting bolts and end links are properly torqued. Do you have more of a creaking noise followed by a loud banging noise? Step 3 – Check your ball joints If your ball joints are going bad, they will creak and then pop into place with a loud bang. The ball joints should not have much play in them at all when you are checking them over. If they do, then they are likely bad and need to be replaced. Unfortunately, the ball joints are not replaceable, but the two separate control arms are not overly expensive, and include new ball joints and bushings in the ends. Check your ball joints and replace if you find any play in them Figure 4. Each control arm has a ball joint at the end (white arrows) check both for play, as well as the bushings at the other end. (Related Article - How to Replace Ball Joints - LS1Tech.com) If your noises is more of a thumping or knocking and your car drifts from a straight line, it may be a steering rack issue. Step 4 – Inspect your steering rack If the steering rack is going bad, your car may wander or make some thumping sounds and vibrations. Some 5th gen Camaro owners have found themselves with a bad steering rack. While these are not very common, they can be quite serious. If you find yourself having to constantly correct your steering while traveling straight down the highway, it is a good sign that your rack is going bad. It also may make a constant thumping noise during turns and may also have a lot of vibration while driving. Replacing the rack is your only option and this is a moderately difficult job. Figure 5. Checking your steering rack if your Camaro is constantly drifting. If your issue is that your rear end is losing grip, read on to solve that problem. Step 5 – Stiffen up your rear end The stock rear end components can cause the dreaded "wheel hop" under acceleration. Congratulations, you bought a Camaro SS with a powerful V8 motor and spinning the rear wheels is just a sign that you got what you paid for. During your normal day to day travels, the Camaro is a wonderful street rod with a very comfortable ride. Try to launch hard, and break the rear free, and you may get the dreaded "wheel hop." You may experience major slippage with the rear wheels when the tires stop biting and slip, then catch up and bite, but loses grip again. This cycle will continue until you get off the gas and stabilize the car. Unfortunately, there is nothing to "fix" for this in regards to stock components. You'll need to do a little upgrading, and luckily for you, these are relatively easy DIY jobs that you can get done in one weekend day. Upgrade the very flexible rubber rear cradle subframe bushings with urethane or solid bushings. These work extremely well with the Camaro, and they are very inexpensive. Upgrade to stiffer aftermarket trailing arms with high performance polyurethane bushings. Upgrade the rear differential bushing (optional). This will transmit more horsepower directly to the tires at the expense of vibration and noise; and for the daily driver, this should not be necessary to eliminate most wheel hop. Attached Images

02-11-2018, 03:19 PM	#6
ozzy1le Drives: 2015 camaro 1le Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: pasco wa Posts: 233	Yeah mine is the black upper spring isolator. I don't get the clunk except is reverse after the car sittingfor a while and I turn.

02-11-2018, 03:23 PM	#7
orange devil Account Suspended Drives: 2019 SS 2019 mustang GT Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: California Posts: 1,694	Hopefully the article helps man and that's all it is should be a quick easy fix

02-11-2018, 03:35 PM	#8
SS PANTHER Drives: 2013 SS Supercharged Convertible Join Date: May 2013 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,714	Good info Elvis. Thanks for posting.

02-11-2018, 05:08 PM	#10
Hellfighter Drives: 2013 Black ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Sugar Land/Texas Posts: 2,354 View My Garage	How much are these new isolators? I might just take mine to the dealership and print that little guide of yours out to show them, let them search and see what they find. Thanks for the info though. __________________

02-11-2018, 07:41 PM	#12
ozzy1le Drives: 2015 camaro 1le Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: pasco wa Posts: 233	Thanks guys I will do some more looking at the isolators

09-20-2018, 01:05 AM	#13
Brybry68 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Mesquite,TX. Posts: 1	I have a 2010 2SS, and I replaced the sway arm bushings about a year ago, the noise went away, now I have the noise again. The noise is similar to the noise i had when I replaced the sway arm bushings but only does it now when the front wheels turn, It sounds like only the driver side is making the noise, I took it to the dealership, and my luck the damn thing would not make the noise. I just hit 50,000 miles. It is garage kept. Any suggestions??