What the noise is telling you
Suspension parts rarely fail in silence, and the sound narrows things down before the car is even in a bay. A dull clunk from one front corner over speed bumps, or over the rough patches on St. Laurent Boulevard, usually points to a sway bar link or a ball joint. A knock you feel through the steering wheel while turning slowly in a parking lot is often a strut mount or a tie rod end with play in it.
A clicking that only shows up on tight turns is a different problem. That is usually a constant velocity joint on a front axle, and it almost always starts with a torn rubber boot that let the grease out and salty water in. A hum or growl that rises with speed, and changes pitch when you weave gently left and right, is the classic sound of a wheel bearing.
Potholes, freeze thaw and broken springs
Ottawa roads do a particular kind of damage. Water gets into cracks in the asphalt, freezes, expands and lifts it, and by March the holes on the 417 ramps and the side streets are deep enough to bend a control arm or crack a rim. A hard hit can also bend a tie rod, which you notice as a steering wheel that sits off centre when the car is going straight.
Salt does the slower damage. Coil springs leave the factory coated, but once a stone chip breaks that coating, rust works into the steel. Then on a cold morning the spring snaps. You hear a bang, the corner sits lower, and sometimes the broken end rests against the tire. A broken spring can cut into the tire sidewall, so stop driving if you hear rubbing from that corner. Rubber bushings in the control arms also crack and go soft after enough winters, which shows up as vague steering and a clunk when you brake.
How we check it
The car goes up on one of the red two post lifts so the wheels hang free and the suspension is unloaded. That matters, because a worn ball joint can feel tight with the weight of the car on it. Each wheel gets rocked top to bottom to find play in the bearings and ball joints, then side to side to find it in the tie rods. Boots are checked for tears, struts for oil running down the body, and springs for cracks at the ends.
We drive the car as well, before and after, since some noises only appear under load or over a particular bump. Inspection time is $120 an hour before tax. You get a call with what is worn enough to replace now, what can wait a season, and a price for each. When you pick the car up, the old parts are there for you to look at, and nothing is replaced without your yes.
Steering that wanders, pulls or feels heavy
A car that drifts in its lane on the 174 and needs constant small corrections usually has play somewhere between the steering wheel and the tires. Inner and outer tie rod ends, the rack mounts and soft control arm bushings are the usual causes. Uneven tire pressure can feel the same, so that gets checked first.
Heavy steering that gets worse in the cold points at the power steering itself. On hydraulic systems it can be old or low fluid, a tired pump or a leaking rack, and a groan when you turn the wheel at a standstill often means the pump is running short of fluid. Many newer cars use electric power steering with a motor on the column or the rack. A fault there usually sets a warning light, and the scan tool can read it.
Parts we repair and replace
- Struts, shocks and strut mounts
- Coil springs, including broken ones
- Ball joints, control arms and their bushings
- Inner and outer tie rod ends
- Sway bar links and bushings
- Wheel bearings and hub assemblies
- Front axles, CV joints and boots
- Steering racks, power steering pumps and hoses
Rusted hardware is part of the job in this city. Sway bar link nuts and strut bolts often have to be cut off rather than undone, and we tell you up front if a seized part will add time.
Suspension, tires and brakes are connected
Worn suspension eats tires. A tired strut lets the tire bounce off the road, which leaves a scalloped pattern you can feel by running your hand around the tread. Booking the suspension check together with your seasonal tire change makes sense, since the wheels come off for both.
A loose control arm bushing can make the car pull or clunk when you stop, which feels like a brake problem but is not. And loose ball joints or tie rods will keep a car from passing an Ontario safety inspection, so a car being sold often needs front end work first.
Dropping the car off in Cyrville
2 and 1/2 Mechanics is at 1345 Marchand Street in Cyrville, Ottawa, ON, about 300 m from Cyrville O-Train station. Drop the car off by 9am and you can take the train to work and walk back for it later. We are also open Saturdays until 3pm. Book a suspension check online, say which corner the noise seems to come from, and whether it happens over bumps, while turning or when braking.
Questions
What does a clunk over bumps usually mean?
On most cars a clunk from one front corner over bumps comes from a worn sway bar link, a loose ball joint or a tired strut mount. A broken coil spring can make a single loud clunk and leave that corner sitting lower. The part has to be checked with the wheel hanging free on a lift to know which one it is.
How do I know if my struts are worn?
Signs of worn struts are a car that keeps bouncing after a dip, a nose that dives hard under braking, oil weeping down the strut body and cupped wear on the tires. Struts wear slowly, so many drivers only notice the difference once new ones are fitted. A visual check and a road test usually settle it.
Is it safe to drive with a bad ball joint?
A ball joint with a little play is a wear item to plan for, but one that is badly worn can separate, and then the wheel folds under the car. If you hear a knock from the front that is getting louder, or the steering suddenly feels loose, have it looked at before driving any distance. Worn ball joints also fail an Ontario safety inspection.
Why do coil springs break in Ottawa?
Road salt gets under the spring coating wherever a stone has chipped it, and the steel rusts until it cracks, usually at the bottom coil. Breaks often happen on very cold mornings or over a pothole. A broken spring can rub on the tire, so have it replaced soon.
How much does a suspension inspection cost in Ottawa?
At 2 and 1/2 Mechanics in Cyrville a suspension inspection is billed as inspection time at $120 an hour before tax. Parts and labour for any repair are quoted once the worn part is found, and nothing is replaced until you approve it.
