There is popcorn in my engine compartment!

[Eriol]

I've got a wierd problem I'm hoping you guys might help me diagnose.

When I turn left, my suspension makes a sound like popcorn popping coming from my engine compartment. I also can slightly feel it in the steering. It's totally quiet when I'm turning right, though.

A few months ago the sound was so faint that I thought it was just my imagination. (getting worked up from the millions of other creaks and pops my car makes)

Now it's much more pronounced though -- its even getting to the point where I think its making the sound when I'm going straight. And it's getting worse by the week.

I took my car to an tire/alignment shop to have it diagnosed, but the tech drove my car like a pansy and was not able to reproduce the problem. I'll take it to a real suspension shop when I have time, but that could be a week or two.

Any ideas?

 

[turbomk3]

i have the same prob. only when im reversing though...its wierd pm me when you figure that out.

 

[lagged]

wheel bearings?

 

[shaeff]

or, post it back here so you can help others with the same problem in the future!

-shaeff

 

[souprat]

ball joint? jack you car up, and rest it on a jackstand that is place on the lower controll arm. then grab the wheel(at 3 and 9 and then at 6 and 12) and see if you can wiggle the wheel. try both front wheels. if yu can wiggle it then go to napa and get a ball joint for like $40 i think.

 

[PunaMKlll]

$40! damm mine where like $90 each

 

[SupraMkiii24]

Could also be your Tierod ends. Im not sure I understand what your decribing but my steering poped a little when turning big due to the tierod ends.

 

[souprat]

$40 $90 whatever. i've never had to buy new ball joints. why dont you weigh in punamkiii? did your car make a poping noise before you replaced the ball joints?

 

[Bigdough666]

My suspension popped like that and it was the ball joints.

I payed like $45 each. Did both the fronts at the same time. Might as well, if one is giving out, the other will follow.

 

[Eriol]

At 3 and 9 there is a tiny bit of wiggle -- maybe a 2mm arc with the wheel on. At 12 and 6 there is no movement. With the wheel off, there was too little movement for me to isolate the cause.

The lower part of the seal on my upper ball joint appears to have dumped a lot of grease (and there's no grease-nipple, blah), but I could not detect any play in the ball joints.

Bearings? Rack?

(BTW, how do you guys jack your cars up? I can't fit the jack under my front lip without dragging on it - let alone actually jacking it up. That's going to be a problem when I replace the bumper cover/lip and actually care about them.

One time I used two jacks -- one on the seam on the side to get it a few inches off the ground, so I could fit the other under the front crossmember. I hate to damage that seam, though.)

EDIT: BTW, thanks for all the responses!

 

[jbsupra89t]

Hahahah! When I read your title I really thought you meant popcorn because oddly enough I found popcorn in the TRANSMISSION of my first supra. Very confusing to say the least...

 

[Eriol]

Hahahah! When I read your title I really thought you meant popcorn because oddly enough I found popcorn in the TRANSMISSION of my first supra. Very confusing to say the least...

LOL! That's ate up man.

 

[souprat]

cool man, were narrowing it down. now get you bum friends who have nothing better to do wiggle the tire for you while you crawl under the car and look at what components are loose. remember to put the jackstand under the lower contol arm, this unloads the ball joints. because there is movement at 3 and 9 i'd start with the steering linkage. maybe a joint on one of the tie rods is loose like SupraMkiii24 said. if one of the grease boots is ripped thats bad. that means that dirt can get in and grease can get out. japanese cars dont have servicable ball joints, no nipple. as for the jack, i have a low profile jack from costco, all aluminum, i love that thing. its still a paine because the cross member is way back there. let us know how it goes.

 

[Eriol]

Thanks man! Folks like you are exactly why I posted this question here, and not on that other Supra website.

I won't have a chance to try again until this weekend, but when I do I'll post back with the results.

cool man, were narrowing it down. now get you bum friends who have nothing better to do wiggle the tire for you while you crawl under the car and look at what components are loose. remember to put the jackstand under the lower contol arm, this unloads the ball joints. because there is movement at 3 and 9 i'd start with the steering linkage. maybe a joint on one of the tie rods is loose like SupraMkiii24 said. if one of the grease boots is ripped thats bad. that means that dirt can get in and grease can get out. japanese cars dont have servicable ball joints, no nipple. as for the jack, i have a low profile jack from costco, all aluminum, i love that thing. its still a paine because the cross member is way back there. let us know how it goes.

 

[soup]

Sounds like your turn knuckle stops are worn down. I can't find the picture on the online tsrm, but it's a plastic cap that goes on the lower caliper bolt. HTH

 

[Shawndude]

Sounds like your turn knuckle stops are worn down. I can't find the picture on the online tsrm, but it's a plastic cap that goes on the lower caliper bolt. HTH

That be my guess.

Make sure the steering bump stops are in place. They tend to fall off and make a nasty racket.

Part number 43212C:
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/EPC/MKIII_NATO/291410/4802_1.html

http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/gallery/frontwheel_back_h.jpg

 

[Eriol]

I am missing that end cap. Where would I go about getting replacements?

However, the car does it when I'm only turning slightly left. It also does it more the harder/faster I'm turning. I took it to Meineke today to get their opinion, and they were not able to reproduce the problem. From my description they said it sounded like strut-mounts, though. And my girlfriend -- surprisingly -- made a good point: if it were the strut mount on the passenger side binding, that would explain why it does it more the harder I turn left -- more pressure on that strut mount. (I say surprisingly because she's not very mechanically inclined... at all.)

It has been starting to worry me, though -- the other day I was parallel parking, and as I was turning the wheel there was a loud "pop" and the steering wheel jumped. :/

 

[Eriol]

Update -- I took the Supra for a spin recently (she hibernates in the winter), and it has progressed to a crunching sound -- wheel bearings.

Just an FYI for anyone else who might be trying to figure this problem out.

 

[92turbo4life]

ok i baught my car and it does this to
i hate it
i put new bearings,tierods,balljoints, got alignment
it still does it when i turn
damn thing.

 

[NDBoost]

ok i baught my car and it does this to
i hate it
i put new bearings,tierods,balljoints, got alignment
it still does it when i turn
damn thing.

you sure that turbo of yours isnt one of those electric popcorn poppers?