Front end grunts over speedbumps... struts??

That's a hard cookie to swallow, I can't believe that the problem was not isolated before throwing money at it hoping for a solution. Let us know the fix when you find it.

 

It is possible that the rubber bushings on the sway bar need to be replaced.

Although the strut replacement did not help the grunt noise problem, I hope that you find the car's handling and ride has improved.

 

One good way to look at it is you likely needed new ones anyway and now the car is safer for the next 80k+ miles.

 

hm studio i think i have the same problem as you but really notice the "CROAK OR CREEK" when reversing or travelling uphill with a bump.

say if you have a driveway that travels upwards that has a jounce effect before you hit the driveway is most likely when I'll hear it.

but doing the jouce test on the front and back i don't hear the sound :S

 

im totally new but ive read somewhere that sway bars can cause noise? have you looked into these?

 

Because there are no grease fittings on anything under the front end. All new cars are like that.

 

hm i notice my croak or creek is happening when i do some hard braking (where a lot of weight is shifted towards the front due to weight transfer)

and the car feels more whobbly it seems... but could be my imagination :S

any luck studio? or we both got to live with the croak it seems but it sounds like your noise is louder than mine, its noticeable but not annoying

i can attest for sure driving other priuses does not have this problem

 

I'm having a similar problem in my 2009 Prius with 54,900 miles. It happens when I make right turns or go over bumps. Any type of weather hot or cold. But not when I'm driving in a straight line, smooth road or on the freeway. Twice the dealership (City Toyota Daly City) "could not hear it" either.

Finally went on a test drive and he heard it. Said it's probably the chassis. Next time I brought it in for service they found the bump stop was too tight because there was debris inside. They loosened it and the sound completely went away!!! Following day... Grinding noise came back. Took it back to the dealership they said struts had to be replaced. $159 for both front left and right. Labor to take off struts and put back on is 4 hours. $540 for labor. Total cost with tax $937!! Ouch!!!

So I called up Luscious Garage in SF today. 1 hour to remove both struts and $96 each if they have to replace both struts. $220 total labor and $60 for a test drive. Hopefully that will be waived after they figure out what's really wrong. But it's a lot better price than the dealership!! Toyotas really should come with a standard 10 year 100,000 mile warranty instead of a 50,000 mile warranty. Weaksauce... Then again something like this probably wouldn't be covered.

 

I've also heard it in the 2006 dealership shuttle Prius which has over 300,000 miles on it. I'm sure they've replaced the struts at some point but maybe not. Yes the sound is irritating but it's NOT a safety issue they said. So basically I'm paying to have a noise go away. If I turn my radio up really loud I don't hear it. But I don't wanna go deaf....

 

It wouldn't. If you read the fine print on most 100,000 mile warranties you will find they only cover drivetrain and not wear items like struts.

 

Wow that's really cheap at Luscious. There the best. They must have a machine that removes the springs off the struts. That's mighty scary to do by hand. I hear some Auto parts stores are doing strut spring swap overs with there machine.
Strut assy's are easy to take out just hard to swap the springs over. Have to take them off the old and then install on the new. If done by hand the spring is compressed while your handling them and have the energy of a damn cannon if the compressor tool breaks. It will easily kill you.

But bad struts do not make a "grinding" noise. They make a clunking noise.

At 55,000 miles even though the stock struts are not the best quality hard to imagine there so bad there making that kind of noise. I have never been to SF but I hear its tough on a car.

Just take it to Luscious they'll do a 100% better inspection than the dealer. It may just be something loose.

Keep after the trans fluid as that car see's alot of heavy duty use just going up and down those huge hills. My car has never seen a hill. Never heard the battery cooling fan come on. I bet your fan comes on alot. Have Luscious service the trans while your there. They do ALOT of that there. Money very well spent.

But 75% off all noise under the front is cured by lubrication. Easy spray on lube designed for that purpose.
Oh and tighten periodically the 3 nuts that hold the top of the strut to the car. If there loose the strut is wiggling around and banging on the chassis every time you turn the wheel. Makes a nice clunk.

 

Well I'm in the same boat as studiopeg if that person still has the Prius. I currently have 105,000 miles on the car, but have heard this "crunching" noise ever since I've owned it 2 years ago when it had 80k. When I go over speedbumps with the wheel usually turned such as in a parking garage as well as when I pull into my driveway at an angle the noise makes it's ugly appearance. I've completed the following so far in hopes to have remedied the noise, but it's still freaking there!

• Front and Rear sway bars replaced to include new bushings. (Upgraded to Touring Model bars)

• Replaced the front two shocks and top mounts yesterday (free under extended warranty) What can I check next?

 

Cayman thanks for the like. You may have alot better luck if you start a new post. Your kind of buried at the end of a long and old thread here. Start up a new thread.

Who replaced the struts? Having the struts off is a prime time to check the play of the bushings in the lower control arm and more importantly the health of the ball joint. There's not much left.

The lca is the only thing left really suspension wise. But the lower control arm usually clunks not crunches.

"With the wheel turned" has me concerned the steering rack may have an issue. Seen a few posts about that over the years here. That's very expensive. But not much left that moves under the front there..Time to find a real good front end guy. Hopefully not the dealer.

Start a new thread and see what the other guys think.

Thanks.

 

Would this crunching sound just be something simple like the plastic wind deflector under the bumper rubbing on the ground? I get this all the time on certain bumps and turns. Check it out, and I bet you will find it is all scuffed up.

 

edthefox5, at this point I'm not sure I'll need to start a new thread because I think your recommendation in post #10 of this thread may have done the trick! With the new front shocks and sway bar the only thing left in the front suspension was a closer look at the LCA bushings. I stopped off at Home Depot and picked up a can of that Corrosion Stop and sprayed a good bit on and around the LCA bushings. So far so good! I also took the time while under the car and lightly sprayed all the areas that seem rust prone.

 

There you go! Its amazing what a little lube will do under the front. The CSP is awesome.
Keep that lca bushing area lubricated. It will help repel water. Once that bushing drys out it will clunk.

Your bushing is dried out so will require a periodic spray.

Door hinges-door locks-hood hinge & lock. Any electrical connector anywhere in the car.

Under the car on the transmission on the side the 2 smaller coolant hoses enter and leave right above that is an electrical connector. Thats the transmission resolver and is a known issue with it rotting out as its subjected to water spray from the road. Spray that connector real good to weatherproof it and help it repel water.

If that connector rots out the trans will need to be replaced.

Lubricate the front end and no more rust, squeaks or clunks or rattles.