Rattling clunk from front driver's side wheel

[Mad Cow]

Lately my car has been making a weird noise from the driver's side front wheel. It's like a rattling noise but it's not a light rattle like from loose interior panels, it's like a few clunks in succession and I can feel it through the floor. It happens pretty randomly, sometimes while going over bumps, sometimes while turning. Doesn't matter if it's just a tiny bump and I'm going slowly or if it's a tight or slow turn. I just want some opinions of what it could be before going out and buying new parts. Also, I'm not sure if it's related, but the car kinda shakes when it's near the limit of traction, like if I'm taking a really sharp turn going quickly, it happens alot when I'm on a highway on/off ramp. It also likes to swerve from side to side under hard acceleration in 3rd or 4th gear.

[Inodoro Pereyra]

There are many things that can cause that kind of sound.
Pu your car on a flat surface, hand brake off, and in neutral. Put both your hands on the hood edge, right on top of the shock, and push down as hard as you can, and when it goes down, release and look. The nose should go back up, and stay there. If it bounces up and down, you need a new shock.
If the shock is good, raise that wheel, put one hand on each side of the wheel (horizontal to the hub) and try to shake it side to side, like trying to make a turn. If you feel it loose, you need a new tie rod end.
If that's also good, grab the wheel from underneath and try to shake it. If you feel it loose, it's the ball joint.
About the car shaking at the limit of traction, all cars do that. That's because they are...well...at the limit of traction...

About the swerving...you probably need better tires.

[Mad Cow]

I've never been in a car that shakes like that at the limit of traction, the whole car pretty much just vibrates. The shocks are fine, and the swerving isn't the tires, I don't get any wheelspin, and I don't think that even the turbo guys can get it in 4th gear. It's like really, really bad torque steer, but it doesn't just pull in one direction. But I'll try raising it up and doing just that, but for the balljoint, do I tilt it or move it up and down?

[Inodoro Pereyra]

For the ball joint, shake it side to side (of the car).
But if you say the "swerving" is really like bad torque steer, my money is on the tie rod end.

[Mad Cow]

Ok, and how badly do you think it'll be rusted? You think I'll be able to get away with just a breaker bar?

[Inodoro Pereyra]

You should be ok with a breaker bar. But just in case, get some PB Blaster.

[ganue]

My suggestion is to check VERY carefully for a cracked spring near the top perch. It may be hard to see, believe it or not....

[Mad Cow]

I tried bleeding the brakes today (useless because both bleeder screws on the rear calipers were snapped right off ), but I did noticed that the driver's said trailing arm bushing was shot, the arm could move freely side to side, and the driver's side bushing wasn't too far off from that condition. That could be the clunking I hear from the rear every once in a while. Are there any places I can get the bushings other than from mazda? Also, I hear the the GS and RS had different size bushings over the years. Since my car has brakes form a '92 GS, is it safe to assume that the bushings are for that year and model? Or is it possible that they're the original '94 RS bushings?

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Ask Wytbishop about them:

http://www.mx-3.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68774

I'm pretty sure he's gonna be able to answer any question you may have.