Clunking front driver side

[454cid]

my bad , meant end links.

The OP specifically mentioned turning left, which to me, signals it may be something besides just normal front end wear. No guarantees, of course, but it was my experience. The end that connected to the lower control arm snapped, but the rest was rust seized to the bar, so whenever I turned left and that side compressed the link would impact the control arm, and I could hear it. I don't recall if I could feel it or not. It was years ago.

 

[Nordin]

There's a lot more than sway bar bushings and hubs that can be clunking. Control arm bushings , ball joints, steering linkage etc. Like said a thorough inspection is needed and if you can't find it take it to someone who is familiar with suspension work.

You need some one to turn the steering wheel back and forth while looking for play. Rap on stuff with a hammer,, Pry on control arm bushings and the like.. Check the hubs like said.

Checking a hub doesn't matter if it a Volvo or a Gm your response indicates you have little to no experience. Don't play with suspension or brakes. When those fail, loss of control is what can happen. Get this sorted before sending your girl back out in it.

Well theres quite some difference between a volvo and a suburban. But you are right, i havent got that much experience in hubs.

I have owned and maintained Volvos for 15 something years, everything from old ones to new ones and not ever have I changed a hub before, that part just never needed to be replaced.

 

[alpinecrick]

When I had a clunk in the front it was the alignment shop that forgot to sufficiently tighten the upper control arm bolts on the driver's side. I actually jacked the truck up three times searching before I figured it out and with a BIG pry bar was able to slide the upper control arm back and forth in the brackets attached to the frame.

 

[Hipster]

Well theres quite some difference between a volvo and a suburban. But you are right, i havent got that much experience in hubs.

I have owned and maintained Volvos for 15 something years, everything from old ones to new ones and not ever have I changed a hub before, that part just never needed to be replaced.

The basics for diagnosing worn out suspension/steering parts is the same whether, short alrm-long arm, macpherson strut, double wishbone, etc.

These trucks are pretty simple. It's either a control arm bushing, a ball joint, the hub or somewhere in the steering linkage. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt you didn't miss a sway bar end link doing the visual as it's easy to spot. It may be a loose bolt you never know.

 

[Nordin]

So I spent some hours on the back with a crow bar, went over everything and found no abnormal play in any joint but these where greasy and not so good looking. although no play at all, so I dont know.
Couldnt feel that the hub where bad either, same on both sides

tried both with the wheels on the ground and lifted

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[HotWheelsBurban]

So I spent some hours on the back with a crow bar, went over everything and found no abnormal play in any joint but these where greasy and not so good looking. although no play at all, so I dont know.
Couldnt feel that the hub where bad either, same on both sides

tried both with the wheels on the ground and lifted

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These trucks ( and to be fair, the generation before them too) usually need ball joints once they get to 100,000 miles. I suspect the prior owner of my Burb had the lower ball joints replaced not long before they got rid of the truck. I replaced the upper ball joints in 2018; original ones and worn out. Now I need to replace the upper control arm bushings ( easiest quickest way to do this is replace the complete control arms). I'll keep the old UBJs if they're still good. The bushings are original ones, and have cracks and a couple missing chunks. The roads in Houston are generally rough unless just recently repaved, so that doesn't help.
The way you describe the noise it was making, still seems to me like bad bearings. If you can raise the truck up ( jacking under the lower control arm) and get the wheel off the ground, spin it slowly and listen carefully, also see what it feels like ( is there any noticeable play or thumps). There should be very little play, side to side or up and down.
On my truck, as you drove it forward, there was a noticeable clunk,and you could feel it in the steering wheel and the floorboard. We had been going to drive it that week since it had working air conditioning, but not when it was making those noises.

 

[Coveman]

Have you greased the front end recently? I get some thunks going over bumps when the front end needs grease. Also, the pitman arm goes bad on these trucks around 100k miles, and it needs grease like everything else at least yearly