Mach 1 Club

I'm trying to diagnose a loud clicking sound in my front end when I make a left turn. It's sort of a metal-on-metal snap. I had the car on a lift and was looking at the steering components as I turn the wheels.

There's a long pin that goes through the pitman arm and a bushing that has a castle-nut on it. This pin moves up and down when the wheels are turned (as shown in this photo)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4m1x5dmwo7tb1o...ighted.jpg

My question is whether this is normal.

The castle-nut is tightened, but there's a sleeve on the pin that keeps it from tightening any further (and crushing the bushing). The movement is about 1/8" in both directions indicated by the red arrows on the photo.

The picture that is posted shows the idler arm. I am not sure if there is a second picture in the link. The pitman arm is off the steering box. Anyways, there should be no play in (either) it and it would certainly make a clicking noise if there were.

Based on the picture, the idler arm and bracket look in relatively good condition. Have they already been replaced or are they original? Or possibly was the bushing just replaced?

Ah, Ok. Guess I have my terminology wrong. Thanks for the correction. It's about 5 years old, but he car's garage kept and doesn't see winters, so it still looks pretty good. Also, I just scrubbed everything up when I recently had the engine out.

I didn't think the movement looked right. It moves up before the wheels actually start to turn one way and down before they start to turn the other. I'll try replacing the bushing.

Thanks,
Hutch

The part is not that old so it kind of makes me scratch my head. But clicking is typically the sign that its time to replace. I know you mentioned the sleeve is preventing it from tightening down all the way but when you did attempt to tighten where you able to torque the bolt to factory specs including the ones on the frame rail?

I would also check your upper and lower ball joints to make sure there is no problem with them.

I've had a lower control arm bushing break loose from the arm, and behave like that.

Thanks for the suggestions. In the meantime, the stroker I just had installed seems to have broken something in the new 9" rear-end, so the third-member's out of it and back with the rear-end guy. (no pieces in the rear-end housing, but it was screaming at me when under throttle after the 5th or 6th burnout). I won't get a chance to look at the front-end again until sometime later this week. I'll let you know what I find.

Hutch

Well that could mean one of two things, either you have one helluva of a stroker motor or possibly something was not set right in the initial set-up of the ring and pinion. However, you mentioned it was a new rear end....I am hoping you gave it a proper break in period before all the burnouts? Typically, if the problem was in the set up (back lash/pinion depth) you probably would have heard a winding (screaming) noise in the break in period, under NORMAL operating driving conditions, around highway speed, and the differential would be much warmer than usual at touch.

Be optimistic... we all have set backs and the good thing is everything can be fixed! Hopefully the guy who built the rear end will warranty the work BUT most places don't on performance/racing parts because for obvious reasons (i.e. excessive burnouts) or they would be out of business. Please continue to keep us updated on the diagnosis of the rear end. I would be interested in knowing.

Quote:Well that could mean one of two things, either you have one helluva of a stroker motor or possibly something was not set right in the initial set-up of the ring and pinion. However, you mentioned it was a new rear end....I am hoping you gave it a proper break in period before all the burnouts? Typically, if the problem was in the set up (back lash/pinion depth) you probably would have heard a winding (screaming) noise in the break in period, under NORMAL operating driving conditions, around highway speed, and the differential would be much warmer than usual at touch.

Be optimistic... we all have set backs and the good thing is everything can be fixed! Hopefully the guy who built the rear end will warranty the work BUT most places don't on performance/racing parts because for obvious reasons (i.e. excessive burnouts) or they would be out of business. Please continue to keep us updated on the diagnosis of the rear end. I would be interested in knowing.

My rear-end guy found the problem. He inked the gears and upon spinning them it was readily apparent that the setup had changed drastically. He said the early-built units were recalled to correct a problem with coil bind (the clutch springs fully collapsing until the coils touched). He buys his units from Randy's Ring & Piston and apparently missed returning this one in the recall. So I got a whole new setup free of charge and it's now back in the car. I'm taking this opportunity to replace the power steering pump, which has started to leak like a sieve.

I fully expect this type of tweaking, so I'm not discouraged at all. This only heightens the anticipation of getting this back on the road! I'll post a video or two on YouTube and copy the link here once all is done and it quits raining. The engine is downright amazing. Here's a quick look at it installed...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/set1j0bbn8tsif...-00692.jpg

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajcu9ovfuo0ok6...-00693.jpg

<edited to get rid of huge pics and post links instead>

Glad to hear the rear end is fixed and back in the car! The motor looks really good too. I look forward to hearing it run when you post a video!