Got this nice car two days ago...actually yesterday...but when I test drove it on dry pavement, all was good.

Last night I was driving it home in snow and when I would turn right, i can hear and feel clunk clunk clunk from passenger side...nephew also said he felt it under his feet (passenger).

Before I start digging in and checking things, anyone know where I should start?

Usually does it when Im in first gear (5 speed manual) and turning corner...

Thanks for the help =)

 

Well, in addition to what I said about the motor mounts, you may want to check you lower control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, struts and cv joints. It could be any one of those or something else entirely. I'm not a mechanic, so don't take my word for it. See what some of the other guys say first.

 

There are a lot of sources for clunking noises on Front Wheel Drive, East West mounting of engines in high mileage cars.
But with the symptom of;
Turning and clunking
it has generally been on my cars, a CV joint. It might help to get some one give you a second opinion who can also hear and feel it. I usually take care of that by replacing a half shaft with a rebuilt one from a reputable parts house such as NAPA or CarQuest. If you have the tools and the knowledge to do it yourself it is just a dirty miserable job that is doable.
It is not hard.

 

Sorry for posting this here and there but since I already had people commenting on my first post "never had a saturn before', I thought id put this problem there.

I have done axles on my 1988 Audi Quattro 5000 S, 1993 Chevy Cavalier (z24), and the 89 Honda Accord I ended up junking. Once you change one, you pretty much can do them all...(better not say that, as all cars are different)

But yes I have the tools if needed.

 

Hello to Choover82 ...

First off, I'm not there with you, so I may be totally off base - but from what you describe you lead me first to the CV joints, and secondly to the top and bottom motor mounts on the passenger side of the car. Since you have done CV axles before on other cars, you know what that entails ....

 

Ill replace the top mount..appears to be worn out.

 

Let us know if that takes care of it, okay?

 

Actually havent done this yet. The mount has good rubber on the sides, but theres a gap in the top area...not sure if thats a sign of worn out or not.

Also havent felt it since the snow is off the road...

 

Maybe you just had snow accumulating under the car and it was hitting the drive pulleys and belt.

 

My personal comment on motor mounts, having changed them my self when I have deemed it required, on a front wheel drive car with East West Engine orientation there are usually a hand full of mounts stategically located in the damndest places you can imagin. Generally only one of them is visible when you open the hood.
When I have had to change them, they were BROKEN. And easy to diagnose. And believe me getting to some mounts was an excersize in frustration. And in a few cases, the BROKEN mount did in deed cause some form of knocking noise but not always.
However when backed into a corner into changing a mount BECAUSE the damned transmission was a piece of crap the transmission shop invariably pointed to the only VISIBLE mount which usually after many miles (and I have driven front wheel drive cars up to 300,000 miles) they appear stretched. They have stated that the ONLY VISIBLE mount needed to be changed and gave some cobbed up reason for it thus trapping you into changing it, I found no particular change in the way the car performed or ran. Other than the transmission which was broken now worked. Sometimes up to almost the end of the warentee interval.
I alway found it fascinating and more than irritating that it was funny out of all the mounts in the engine and transmission area, the only one needed changing was the VISIBLE one.
But like I said. When I personally changed a motor mount? It was broken! And believe me, it was the hard to get to and impossible to see ones that were generally broken. The visible ones lasted the life of the car. (Unless I had a transmission go bad and I don't do front wheel drive transmissions)