2004 pilot knock noise over small bumps

[ediez79]

My 2004 Pilot makes a klunk/knock noise every time I go over a small bump directly (don't think speed bumps, think abrupt changes in road height due to a newly paved rd. vs. a paved road that was just torn up to lay new asphalt---these are sharp but small bumps). It sounds like as if I were to knock on a countertop with my knuckle. It just doesn't sound right. I lifted it to change the oil yesterday and noticed some rubber "things" leaking grease in the suspension so I thought that might have something to do with it. I think they are called bushings, but I am not sure so I will keep calling them "rubber things". I brought it in hoping it would be covered by my aftermarket warranty and luckily everything was. They said the sway bar links were bad, and the control arm bushings were going to be bad very soon so they replaced all of that. However, on my way home, it still made the same annoying klunk sound!

Soon as I got home, I lifted it up again for a closer inspection. I found that more "rubber things" in both the front and rear!! Not just the ones they replaced in front. Some have grease all over them from tearing open, some don't but are still torn in half. I have attached pictures with obvious arrows pointing to the suspect rubber things.

My questions are, are they a big deal? Or is it inevitable that they all fail and are not important enough to spend time replacing? They look awfully fragile considering the debris they are subjected to. Also, I can live with small noises and creaks as the car ages, as long as it's still safe to drive. I would however like to get all of them fixed since they covered this first set under the warranty, but am extremely annoyed they didn't check all of them. If 2 failed, shouldn't they check all the others too? (stupid me, I should have inspected more too when I found the first two failed, but I am not a pro, or even an amateur mechanic!) I don't have as much confidence in their abilities now since 1) the noise is still there, and 2) i have found more failed parts of the same type on my own with very little effort.

Lastly, let's say they replace all the rubber things, and the klunking noise still remains. What else could it be? Thanks!!!

[humanoid]

The accordion looking things are your CV (constant velocity) boots and they're starting to leak, not good, so get them replaced. The others are called your bushings, they look dried and cracked and I would get them replaced as well. Your handling should be well improved once you get the bushings replaced.

[3rdrow]

1ST, 2ND & 3RD pics=sway bar end link. 4th pic-not sure but it looks like the ball joint. 5th pic-looks like a tie rod end. 6th pic-cv axle as humanoid states. 7th pic-looks like a ball joint again. 8th pic-looks like tie rod end. they should have replaced both sway bar links at once, thats usually pretty standard procedure. tie rod ends should be replaced soon, although they will be ok for a while unless you can wiggle it and it pops out. but they need to be addressed in the near future. those should also be replaced in pairs so you dont have to get the alignment done multiple times-same with the ball joints(if thats what im seeing in the 4th & 7th pics). i was getting a clunk and an annoying steering vibration in my last SUV so i replaced the ball joints, struts, tie rod ends & sway bar links all at once and got an alignment. if grease is leaking, as it looks like from the cv axle boots and the ball joints, that means dirt and other crap is getting in, not good. those, especially the cv boot, need quick attention so as to not cause further issues down the road. the sway bar links arent a huge deal but if they are worn, you should notice a little handling improvement after replacement.

[rocky]

Lots more fixin to be done.

I'd also question whether the shocks are worn out. They also come with bushings.

[mclairmo]

A trained mechanic will be able to determine which suspension part has failed and could be causing the noise. Just replacing parts that look bad is not necessarily going to solve the noise issue. However, I agree that most of the rubber in your pics look bad and likely need replacement. Rubber deteriorates from exposure to UV, ozone, oil, grease, dirt, salt, solvents, etc. As such, mileage is not the only factor. The environment that the rubber lives in is a huge factor, too.

[3rdrow]

yea i should have clarified in my last post-not all the stuff i replaced was worn, i just did it all at once because i wanted to get the handling back as best as i could, plus i was under that part of the car anyway with stuff torn apart so i figured what the heck. and i really wasnt too thrilled about having to take it in to the alignment shop(at around $60 bucks per trip) after i did each individual repair. what i did was kind of overkill at the time but it made a huge noticeable improvement in ride quality and saved me some time and money in the long run. all those components are likely to fail at some point or another and need replacing.in your case-i feel like, from the looks of your pics, they should have addressed some of the worn pieces a little more and road tested it to verify that their work corrected the problem.

[ediez79]

Thank you all for identifying the parts and the advice. I will be bringing it back. I have also thought about paying a third party to do one of those 150 point checks to identify anything that might be broken / need replacing that is still covered by the warranty. Since I am not able to pick stuff out like that, or even name the parts properly, do you think this would be a good idea? If it costs $100 to get the inspection, maybe it would save me $1000 or more in repairs later on?

[mclairmo]

I would only do that if I knew a mechanic well and could trust him to really do a complete, honest and accurate inspection. I don't know any right now.

[HokieBill]

First, the 6th pic is your steering rack boot not a CV joint. The bad news is, if the steering rack boot has a hole you're into BIG bucks for a new rack. The good news is it could be something leaking onto the boot from above.

Second, IMHO it is not acceptable for a shop to let a car go that has klunking from the front end. This could be something really important ready to break (like ball joints or tierod ends) and if that happens at 60mph it'll ruin your entire day. On the bright side, you or your survivors will meet a bunch of new the doctors or a mortician. I would drive it slowly to someone to track down that noise. It's probably not serious, but you never know.

Good luck. Be careful.