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Single knock when accelerating from a stop, sometimes

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by LegeetSheet, Sep 27, 2024.

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  1. LegeetSheet

    LegeetSheet Junior Member

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    I have a 2008 Prius with 230K miles. Recently, it has started making an inconsistent, single knock when accelerating from a stop. It sounds like it is coming from the front driver side wheel. This happens in both EV and regular modes. I brought it to Belle Tire for a free diagnosis, just to narrow things down, and they said they could not replicate the noise, but said the front end is solid.

    Both front wheel hubs were replaced within the past 10K miles, not sure if that has anything to do with it, but is probably worth mentioning.

    YouTube link (Google Drive if it works) with sound included. Ignore the turn signal.

    Note: I am not very mechanically inclined, nor do I have an access to an abundance of tools and equipment. This is simply putting my problem out there and seeing if I can further narrow it down.
     
    #1 LegeetSheet, Sep 27, 2024
  2. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    And what happens from running to a dead stop Do you get the same click possibly your sway bar end links or something like that certainly it's nothing very mission critical You can barely hear the mess so I guess in your car's been very quiet throughout its whole life you've heard no noises and this is alarming you would be my guess It's certainly not anything that I would run to worry about that's for sure Even if this sway bar and link was to break other than some mishandling it higher speeds which this car may never see. not really eventful.
     
    #2 Tombukt2, Sep 27, 2024
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  3. LegeetSheet

    LegeetSheet Junior Member

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    It does not make that same noise when coming to a dead stop. Only when moving from said stop. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t happen immediately after, but at around 2-3mph. I’m certainly due for front struts/sway bar links. I’ve had a clunk from the passenger side strut, will get to it eventually.

    Also worth mentioning that I replaced the passenger side sway bar link to see if I could get rid of the clunk, which I now now is the strut, so the passenger link is still “original.”

    Is there anything else I should look at to relay to my regular mechanic? He can’t get me in until next week, so I’m trying to make sure I cover my bases and don’t end up with a catastrophic failure between now and then.
     
    #3 LegeetSheet, Sep 27, 2024
  4. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Nope that little clique would take years or a long time to become a big disaster so that's probably not going to be a thing usually what you do is take a long iron bar called a digging bar take the front wheel off on the side you're messing with slide the bar under the lower control arm You have your friend pick up and down on the bar clunk a clunk a clunka while you've got your head in the wheel well looking at the end links and the pieces to see where the clonka is coming from pretty simple now move to the other side if needed a sway bar end link actually has two links one where it connects to the sway bar and the other connects to the hole on the strut Good luck.
     
    #4 Tombukt2, Sep 27, 2024
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  5. LegeetSheet

    LegeetSheet Junior Member

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    Update: still haven’t found the source of the noise, but it seems like it’s getting worse. There’s now an occasional double click in addition to the single click. Also investigated my lower ball joint, looks suspect but I don’t think that’s the culprit. New video of the noise here
     

    Attached Files:

    #5 LegeetSheet, Oct 7, 2024 at 1:27 PM
  6. saneesh8

    saneesh8 Junior Member

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    how is the sway bar links and bushings? Also can you press down on hood to check the strut?

    The regular 3-9 ad 6-12 checks ok?
     
    #6 saneesh8, Oct 7, 2024 at 4:30 PM
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  7. LegeetSheet

    LegeetSheet Junior Member

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    Sway bar link on the driver side has a torn lower boot, I replaced the passenger side to attempt to resolve a clunk. I need new front struts eventually, a different clunk is related to this. The driver side wheel has no play whatsoever
     
    #7 LegeetSheet, Oct 7, 2024 at 4:35 PM
  8. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Nope that lower ball joint looks fine looks like it's filled with grease properly and everything is good in the world with it If it wasn't you'd be able to pry between the rubber boot and the taper shaft where the nut bolts on up top and you'd be able to make the ball joint rock up and down and it's seat so it would no longer be seated properly it would be able to be almost pulled off of the joint itself so that the ball would no longer be in its seat and it would make a hell of a clunking noise so I doubt any of that's going on
     
    #8 Tombukt2, Oct 7, 2024 at 5:10 PM
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