Clunking noise leading to laundry list of repairs

1719 Views 13 Replies 7 Participants Last post by rbarrios, 10 mo ago

DoubleH

Discussion Starter · 10 mo ago

Alcon, we took in our Traverse (2011, LT, AWD, 133K miles) yesterday to investigate a clunking noise in the left front area of the car and they came back with a laundry list of issues. They said the control arm bushings need to be replaced and the control arms (did not specify upper or lower or both), the sway bar needs replaced and all of the shocks and struts. The car has been throwing P0420 and P0430 codes for awhile. I think it is is the cats going out because we replaced all of the O2 sensors. They said those codes mean it needs to go to a Chevy dealer and have the pcm flashed. They quoted me 2900.00 to fix everything. Does this sound reasonable? I took it to a auto repair chain (Jensen Tire). Are these repairs something I can do by myself? I have some experience wrenching on cars, but have never done anything suspension related. We are on the fence if we should do the repairs or get rid of the car and get something newer with less miles. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Doug.

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Ed999

· #2 · 10 mo ago

I'm no suspension expert, but my $ .02 worth. I've never heard of a worn-out sway bar. I've upgraded to larger diameter sway bars in the past for improved handling, but unless the bushing housing wore into the sway bar, I would question a replacement suggestion. The other items sound more like high wear items, probably legit. I'm a DIY'er of the highest order. The usual issue I have is in the diagnosing of the problem. I'd attempt your list myself, not that it's something everyone would/should do. Good luck on getting your issues corrected.

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greentraverse

· #3 · 10 mo ago

See rbarrio's pics in this thread on control arms.

Front Forward Control Arm Bushing Replacement?

Fellow Traverser's, The front end low speed rattle has gotten worse on my Traverse (2012) and I've decided to go ahead and replace the Front (forward) CAB's as these seem to be a separate part that goes bad sooner on the Front Lower Control arms. My suspension looks good, very tight, ball...

www.traverseforum.com

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rbarrios

· #4 · 10 mo ago

There is only 1 control arm. Lower.
Ive done tbis work.
I recommend you buy ready struts. No swapping coils.
Go to rockauto and order acdelco/gm lower control arms.
Comes with new ball joint.
Order new bushing.
Get new sway bar bushings.
Look around, you may need endlinks, and other parts. Brake pads?
Many of the parts have to be removed to do 1 job, so may as well knock out a bunch.
I said ac delco, because i ordered control arms off ebay, and they didnt last long. Maybe 1 yr. Lesson learned.
I reconmend you look up videos on youtube to give you an idea.

To give you an example, this was my most recent job, on our 2013 equinox at 100,000.
Plugs, o2 sensors, brakes, suspension etc.... all set for another 100k.

See less See more

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Reactions: 2

g8a550

· #5 · 10 mo ago

rbarrios said:
There is only 1 control arm. Lower.
Ive done tbis work.
I recommend you buy ready struts. No swapping coils.
Go to rockauto and order acdelco/gm lower control arms.
Comes with new ball joint.
Order new bushing.
Get new sway bar bushings.
Look around, you may need endlinks, and other parts. Brake pads?
Many of the parts have to be removed to do 1 job, so may as well knock out a bunch.
I said ac delco, because i ordered control arms off ebay, and they didnt last long. Maybe 1 yr. Lesson learned.
I reconmend you look up videos on youtube to give you an idea.

To give you an example, this was my most recent job, on our 2013 equinox at 100,000.
Plugs, o2 sensors, brakes, suspension etc.... all set for another 100k.

Quick struts are a godsend. Just remember that any front end suspension work done will require an alignment afterwards.

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rbarrios

· #6 · 10 mo ago

Correct, once done, straight to shop to get alignment.

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David B.

· #7 · 10 mo ago

Personally, I would tackle this project. I'm doing that and more on my '99 GMC as we speak, but when I'm done, the Traverse (Like yours, around 130,000) is next. If you can do it yourself, it's absolutely no reason to get rid of an otherwise good vehicle. I plan to drive my traverse as long as possible, I expect several more good years out of it. I've had my GMC for 19 years now.

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DoubleH

Discussion Starter · #8 · 10 mo ago

I bought the control arms, shock/strut assemblies and shocks to replace everything. I am going to rent a bay with a frame lift and do the repairs at the Offutt AFB auto hobby shop. They have all the tools and everything I should need. Wish me luck!

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Lumpy

· #9 · 10 mo ago

Just replaced my shocks and struts at 91k with original AC Delco’s. Compressing the strut spring was easy. I didn’t want to chance changing my ride height. The struts didn’t have any camber adjustment. I took it to get aligned and it was dead on.

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David B.

· #10 · 10 mo ago

Good luck on the project!

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DoubleH

Discussion Starter · #11 · 10 mo ago

Update: the project went ok, but not great and we are not done. We were able to remove and replace the rear shocks without too much hassle (we did have the passenger rear shock stuck and had to remove the brackets that held it in and put the shock in a vice to remove the bolt). We removed and replaced the passenger control arm and shock/strut without much hassle as well. The driver side control arm is the one giving us some grief. Somehow, the rear pivot bolt on the rear bushing will not come out. We tried heating it, hitting it with a hammer, pulling on it, tightening it, etc... and nothing will work. Because of time constraints at the auto hobby shop, we had to button it back up and figure out a plan for next Saturday. I think we are going to cut the stuck bolt and then we will be able to remove the control arm. I am scouring the 'net but have not found the bolt. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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DoubleH

Discussion Starter · #12 · 10 mo ago

Update to the update: We ended up finishing the job on 8/13/2022. I was able to find the correct bolt on GPartsgiant.com. We had to hit the stuck bolt out as far as possible and then cut it off. Overall, the job costed about $715.00 as opposed to the $2700.00+tax that Jensen Tire was quoting me. The clunking noise and other issues are history, we are hoping to get another year or two out of the car!!

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