What is the clunking noise when corrnering in our Subaru Liberty Station wagon?

Answer 1

There are a number of possible reasons for the noise described. Far and away the most likely cause is that it is being generated by a worn constant velocity joint. This vehicle is a front wheel drive. And the front wheels have to turn to steer the car. So power has to be delivered to the wheels via a flexible drive shaft. That flexible drive shaft is the CV or constant velocity joint. CV joints need to be properly lubricated and need to be sealed, and when the car is put together, the CVs are packed with grease and a closed boot is used to seal in the grease and seal out dirt. If the boot fails, if it cracks or gets torn, nothing happens right away. But after time, the lubrication thins and dirt enters, and the combination acts to wear the joint out. Then the noise begins. The only solution to shutting the thing up at this point is to replace the CV. A worn CV will still work; the car can still be driven safely for a while. But the CV is worn and will eventually have to be replaced. There is a way to test the car to see if the CV is, in fact, making the noise. Get in and drive the car (safely) into a turn and push in the clutch as the vehicle enters the turn. If it's an automatic, enter the turn at a modest speed and take the turn without changing the accelerator position. The objective of the test is to go through a turn 1) without speeding up and applying power to the wheel or 2) decelerating so the wheel applies torque to the differential. No power should be transferred either way between the wheel and the differential. That way no load will be transferred through the CV. An unloaded CV will "coast" through the turn. Even if the CV is worn, with no force being transferred, it should be quiet. That's the common test. Call a shop and run the symptoms by them (after your "drive test") to see what they say might be the cause. And if they say it's the CV, ask for a "ball park estimate" on replacement. On the other hand, replacing a CV is not terribly hard. It is just wrenching. No super-special tools are required. A modest repair shop could do it. Almost any shop that does brakes could do it. Lots of folks do it themselves. But they have to think about it and work safely. It may not be the CV, but that's the most common cause of the problem. Good luck.