Q: Clunking over bumps on a 2005 Pathfinder

asked by on May 18, 2016

My dad's 2005 Nissan Pathfinder LE makes a clunking sound whenever he goes over bumps. I've checked the suspension and steering but none of them has any play. What could it be?

Clunking, if you don’t see any play, is either bushing or a strut mount. So you’ve got to check them all. It’s not that easy to check them unless you had experience with this. You don’t know how to load them up or pull on them so maybe have a professional, such as one from YourMechanic, inspect your suspension for you.

Personally, when I’m working on those cars, I have a sound machine and it has a receiver and a transmitter. I stick the transmitters all over the vehicle and I listen under the receiver with headphones. If I can hear where it’s coming from by clicking back and forth, and if I know number one has the biggest noise. Then I look at that area for worn bushings.

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