[Petey2788]

Hi all, I have a 2019 Murano SV with 20K miles. It has a slight clunk when turning the wheel left and right under 20 MPH, and also sometimes when going over bumps.

It sounds identical as if the sway bar end links were out or if the bushings are worn but with the car being so new, multiple dealers say it all looks fine and they cant find what the problem is. Some have even said it is normal operation of the vehicle. One replaced my left front strut, mount, and bearing

This vehicle did not make this noise before, and is not normal operation.. Today, I was advised it is due to the power steering as it is "fuel injected". I looked at the service advisor and I wasn't sure if I should get mad or just laugh in their face. I cannot believe they have techs that actually think the power steering is fuel injected.....

Anyways, are there any techs here on the forum that can chime in? I know pathfinders had an issue with the sway bar bushings and I figured it may be related as they may use the same suppliers. As of now I doubt any of the 5 techs/dealers actually tried to inspect it even though they said so.

here is the R.O. mentioning the power steering being fuel injected.. feel free to laugh.

 

[VStar650CL]

Check the bar to make sure a locator ring hasn't slipped. The Muranos have press-fitted ones, like most late model Nissans. Even 1/4" of slop can let the bar move side-to-side in the bushings and cause a noise. The rings should be tucked close to the bushings on both sides. Also check that the subframe bolts and the bolts on the gussets to the rear of the subframe are tight.

 

[Petey2788]

Check the bar to make sure a locator ring hasn't slipped. The Muranos have press-fitted ones, like most late model Nissans. Even 1/4" of slop can let the bar move side-to-side in the bushings and cause a noise. The rings should be tucked close to the bushings on both sides. Also check that the subframe bolts and the bolts on the gussets to the rear of the subframe are tight.

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply! I will see if I can get a dealer to look at those.. it will have to be one where the employees have more common sense, however.

We need more techs like you at the dealers in the Phoenix, AZ area.

Here is a video of the issue, forward it to 1:25 to hear it clearer.

 

[VStar650CL]

That sounds more like rack bushings than sway bar, or possibly it's a "tight" chassis. I'd recommend you try you try what the engineers call "chassis relaxation", since re-torqueing the rack bushings would be part of it. Cars these days are built and aligned "wheels up" on the assembly line, and when they go wheels down coming off the line, the entire frame becomes "pulled" outboard and stressed by the attached hardware. This is usually fine, but sometimes tiny misalignments can result in bizarre noises that are hard to find. The solution is to put the car wheels down on an alignment rack (not a lift, since that would be the same "wheels up" position that caused the problem) and loosen the rack bolts, subframe bolts, gusset bolts, and control arm bolts with the weight of the car on them. This allows the chassis to "relax" to a minimum-stress state when loaded. You then re-torque everything and do an alignment. I've seen this resolve any number of "mystery noises" over the years.

 

[Petey2788]

That sounds more like rack bushings than sway bar, or possibly it's a "tight" chassis. I'd recommend you try you try what the engineers call "chassis relaxation", since re-torqueing the rack bushings would be part of it. Cars these days are built and aligned "wheels up" on the assembly line, and when they go wheels down coming off the line, the entire frame becomes "pulled" outboard and stressed by the attached hardware. This is usually fine, but sometimes tiny misalignments can result in bizarre noises that are hard to find. The solution is to put the car wheels down on an alignment rack (not a lift, since that would be the same "wheels up" position that caused the problem) and loosen the rack bolts, subframe bolts, gusset bolts, and control arm bolts with the weight of the car on them. This allows the chassis to "relax" to a minimum-stress state when loaded. You then re-torque everything and do an alignment. I've seen this resolve any number of "mystery noises" over the years.

Thank you very much

 

[VStar650CL]

You're most welcome!