Really weird "pop"
 

My car just stated making a really weird pop. It apparently occurs at low speeds (20-30mph), but not while turning and there is no clicking sound (so therefore probably not CVs). The best I can compare the sound to is the sound of someone cracking their nuckle, but lower pitched. The pop comes from the front, possibly the right side. It will occur randomly while driving on a flat road, and slightly more likely if I hit a bump. I just put on different struts that had been sitting around for a couple of months. Could the sound be from the strut moving after sitting for so long?

Did this happen right after putting the struts in?

Pretty much, put them in on Thursday, got the alignment on Friday, did a lot of driving Sunday, noticed it today.

I may have a similar noise. How often does this happen?

It only happened once today, but yesterday it was making the pop about every 5 minutes

I bet I have the same noise. Unfortunately my car is in need for a part so I'm not driving it this week. I'm driving my dad's SVX now and his doesn't make that noise.

Was doing it more often again today (it's colder out, maybe related?). I retorqued the wheels and put a lil more air in the tires, tomorrow I'm rechecking all the bolts. If you figure out what it is, let me know. :rolleyes:

Last time I had this problem it turned out to be broken strut mount. You can check the front ones easily... the rear ones not so easily but not too bad.

Ive heard the rear mounts are a *****!

whoa it automatically got censored....that was kinda cool..... i think....:rolleyes:

dude i hate to tell you but thats how my car was.......popping noise in turning and everything....now look at it in my sig :(

No, see the popping noise *isn't* while turning, its while driving straight.

I just put the struts in and the mounts looked fine, much better than the old ones. A broken strut mount will often only "pop" while going over a bump and will do it almost constantly. My old ones used to do it. My car now chooses to "pop" randomly, even on flat ground. Above 30mph or below 20, no pops.

try and compare this "popping" to something else. Like another sound or something. Maybe i have an idea of what it could be.

I did, I compared it to the sound of someone cracking their knuckle, but its lower pitched. I can't really come up with anything better than that. It does sound similar to the sound of a broken mount but is more of a "pop" and less of a "thud". So it sounds somewhere in between a broken mount and a cracking nuckle :rolleyes: