jayjak

1985 with a 12a all stock other then rb springs

just the other day after i got off work i hopped in my rx7 and drive off, while pulling out i can hear an odd clunking or rattling that matches the tire rotation, if i slow down to around 5-10 mph you cant hear it but anything faster the rattling picks up and gets louder. one thing i notice is if i go over a large bump the rattling will stop for a moment then pick back up. i have taken off the wheels looked around the wells and cannot seem to find whats causing this sound. has anyone else had this happen?

DarrenTRS

iTrader: (1)

Is it coming from the rear or front, both?
Does it make more noise if you turn either way?
Does it make more or less noise during acceleration/deceleration?
If you roll in neutral or with the car off, does it still make the noise?
You say the noise matches tire rotation, is it a consistent "tempo" rattle that follows the tire rotation as if something was stuck in the tire tread or do you mean it just gets worse in direct relation to speed.

Next time you jack up the car, grab the front wheels at 3&9 o'clock and give it a good jostle, the same with 6&12, then push and pull (as if you were putting the wheel on and taking it off) to see if you can hear any clunking or noticeable "lash".
3&9 movement generally means tie rods
6&12 movement generally means ball joints
Movement straight in and out is the wheel bearing.

You can also do the same thing with the rear, but it'll point out if an axle is somehow "loose" or something isn't seated correctly.

Could be struts/shocks, they tend to rattle when they go bad but also generally cause a noticeable bounce when going over speed bumps or during the ole "hop on the bumper" test.

When my rear Tokico blues went toast (they would compress under their own weight) they would rattle like a can of marbles that increased with speed, I figured it out when I managed to put my hand on one of the top shock bolts while going down the road (I'm tall and the car is stripped) so I could feel the vibration matching the noise.

jayjak

Definitely coming from the front and matches the tempo as if something is stuck in the tread, once i get home i will follow the steps you had and see what i come out with. Thanks!

pinoyremix

Take your front wheels off and check your tie rod ends, I have a similar tick and my left outer tie rod end is toast, it ticks because my boot on the tie rod end is split

jsieve

Check for something in the tread like you said. If it matches the tempo of the spinning wheel then the tire could have a bad spot in it or a wheel bearings need to be replaced or repacked.

Follow Darren's advice about checking for loose components. They are general guidelines so even if you have play in one direction or another, it'll still involve some watching/grabbing parts and feeling for movement as someone else rocks the wheel.

Remember to use jack stands too.