Lets go over our suspension anatomy, to get some terms laid down so we're all on the same page, then some trouble shooting.
Front Suspension
Front Strut Assembly
The purpose of this assembly is to bear the entire weight of the vehicle, as well as absorb road imperfections etc.
Strut mount - This is the rubber part you can see from the engine bay, its that rubber isolator type thing with the nut in the middle. This thing helps the strut absorb the lateral forces induced by the moment caused by the force between the wheel and ground, pivoting around the lower ball joint. Also, it helps quell vibrations through the strut assembly. As well, rotating this (in the 90º positions) is how you adjust camber.
If this thing goes bad, your strut will blow out the top and make a dent in your hood or break your rear hatch glass. This doesn't really happen, as most neglected suspension systems have dead struts that won't expand on their own any more, hence the isolator does not carry much load.
Thrust bearing - This is a very important part. Since your front strut assemblies turn with the tires, this allows the strut to turn against the strut mount. It is a little bearing pack that holds ALL of the weight of your car.
If this goes bad, your steering may make a popping/popple/crunch/grinding noise when you turn the steering wheel at any speed, even stopped.
Coil spring - This holds the weight of your car and absorbs the impacts caused by bumps.
If this breaks, your car will sit slightly lower, you may puncture a tire, and it will pretty much just ride like crap. There is a recall on the front springs.
Recall – ID# 19979
thread link
Strut - This stops the spring from oscilating, causing irritating vibrations in the cabin, and making it ride like crap and bouncing uncontrollably all over the road.
If this blows... you'll notice a lot of stuff. The hard thing is, they usually go slowly, so you won't just realize it one day. When you hit shorter little bumps in the road that jar the steering wheel, in your feet you'll feel the vibrations that take just a moment to taper off. You'll also notice the car doing big bounces when you hit larger deeper holes. This is always easy to spot in the car infront of you.
If you have a strut loose, its still good if you compress it with your body weight and it comes back up under its own power.
Knuckle
This is the part that the wheel is bolted to. The wheel bearing is what allows the wheel to turn independently of the knuckle, it is pressed in. The axle comes through the centre of the wheel bearing. The hub is the part that holds the wheel studs.
The caliper bolts to the knuckle, and grips the brake disc, which is sandwiched between the hub and the wheel, held together by the wheel nuts.
The tie rod end is the part that connects the steering rack to the wheel, so you can turn.
The ball joint is the thing right on the bottom that holds the lower control arm to the knuckle.
The Control Arm
This part absorbs 99% of the lateral forces caused by cornering. Its connected to the body via bushings, and the knuckle via the ball joint.
If this breaks, you will have noticed, because you probably hit a massive pothole or a curb and now your car shimmies horribly and probably doesn't drive straight any more.
The Axle
This transfers the power from the transaxle to the wheel.
If it goes bad, you'll notice a clicking at low speeds when you have the wheel turned pretty far. Just go to a parking lot and drive in a tight figure 8 and listen out the windows, you can't miss it.
You may also notice a slight noise when just switching from forward to reverse, loading the axle in the other direction.
If the boot is cracked/leaking grease, the CV is going to die very soon unless you repair the boot. Don't re-boot a dead axle though.
The Sway Bar (stabilizer bar)
This connects the right and left side of the suspension to help reduce body roll, which is generally a bad thing. The end link holds the bar to the control arm.
When the end link goes bad, you probably can't feel it as they usually go slowly, but you will notice more body roll. They also sometimes go with a bang in a hard corner.
You need the end links to pass safety inspections. If they are loose at all, you'll fail. Grab it at each joint and jerk it in all directions and twist. Any looseness at all -> cooked.
Our endlinks suck. If you have a good relationship with your parts store, try to find an equivalent shape from another model... I hear some Altima ones work. Or Wytendlinks.
Upgrading the sway bar in the rear will help the car be more neutral in corners. -> good.
The Caliper
This is your brake. It presses the brake pads against the rotor, making friction making you stop.
The calipers usually seize. You may notice your brake pads wearing much fasther than usual, glowing rotors, poor milage, and maybe brake noise.
Mazda's troubleshooting guide: link
Okay, general questions I see:
Q-"My car makes a whirring noise at highway speed"
A-Wheel bearing!
Q-"Car makes a clunking noise over bumps"
A- Strut, thrust bearing, end links, ball joint, broken spring
Q-"Car makes single clicking noise going from reverse to 1st or from a stop"
A- thrust bearing, broken spring, strut, end links, CV
Q-
A- Do you have an aftermarket intake at all? The throttle plate is a sharp edge, and air moving past a sharp edge will cause a whisling noise. Bottoming your car out won't make your car make throttle-dependent noises.Patass wrote:Whistling only while gas pedal pressed in certain ways. Usually just lightly when maintaining speed. I bottom out a lot because the roads around me are crap. Lately a grinding noise has appeared along side it, under the same conditions. If i take my foot off the pedal the noises stop. Turning has no effect on it.
