GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Recently purchase a Pontiac vibe. When I looked at the car I was told by a mechanic that it needed a stabilizer link so I replaced both of them with Moog brand ones. The clunking sound still is there. I'm not sure where the could is actually coming from as I wear hearing adds but my Grandson said it;s down in the wheel area. I know the struts/shock absorber needs a boot and maybe is shot?? The vibe has 250,000 miles on it.

I should mention that sometimes the wheels will shimmy at the same time after hitting a bump.

Is there a good way to isolate the sound? I'd either have a shop do the work or if easy enough I would do it myself. 72 years old and counting.

I would appreciate you help.

Regards

There are many parts that could have worn out. And at 250K it may be that a bunch of them are done.
Replacing the struts with quick struts is not too hard. However it would not guarantee that that fixes it. It could also be the lower ball joints and the tie rod end links.
I think I would have a shop give me an estimate.

I'd agree with Vibrologist. By 297k, the ball joints on mine were gone, and that was the constant rattling for me. I replaced rather than repaired because I couldn't leave the car sitting for a week while I rebuilt the front end between jobs. $4026, out the door, and I had an 07 with 135k.

Thanks for the replies but I'm going to have to take this project on myself. Or I hope to if it doesn't require a lot of new tools. What would be the best way to verify the ball joint wear? What else should I check for?

Regards

pontiacvibe2003 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 29, 2019 9:56 am Thanks for the replies but I'm going to have to take this project on myself. Or I hope to if it doesn't require a lot of new tools. What would be the best way to verify the ball joint wear? What else should I check for?

Regards

You'll need a ball joint separator, but that's borrowable from an auto parts store. Other than that, nothing major. Tie rod tool if you want to do that. There's a Moog front end kit that includes pretty much everything. The only reason I didn't do it is that the job requires uninterrupted time in the air.
Being self-employed, I couldn't guarantee that I'd be uninterrupted, and with the front end dismantled, I wouldn't be going anywhere.

One quick check, jack the car up, grab the tire, and yank on each side, and then push. Then top. You shouldn't hear a clunk. Also check motor mounts.

Did you ever figure out/repair what was wrong?