On 9 Feb 2003 at 22:13, Ronald D Maxseiner wrote:

> I have a 1985 with 180,000 miles.  The front suspension is making
> a rattling noise when I go small bumps.  The front suspension has
> always made loud thumping noises when I went over large bumps
> (e.g. speed bumps).  I have looked for loose items in the front
> suspension but it all seems tight.  Steering is also tight.
>
> Is there a known process for determining the source of the rattling?
> What are the likely problems?
>
> I have owned the van for a little more than a year so I don't know
> of any work done on the front suspension.

My '88 Westy (369k) has similar noises from the front end, and here are the things I
have replaced so far which have failed to eliminate the noise:

-front shocks
-sway bar bushings
-right front A-arm bushings (fixed an awful squeak)

The noise has become quite loud now, but does not seem to affect the front end feel
- it is still quite tight. Since much of my driving is on rough to very rough gravel roads,
I haven't worried about it too much, since the van handles *large* bumps quite well...
;-)

Shawn Wright, I.T. Manager
Shawnigan Lake School
swright@SLS.bc.ca
http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright
http://www.sls.bc.ca