diagnose my steering thump/clunk

[MasterofDisaster]

So on 2aug24 near Ann Arbor, a semi from
Skyline Prime, Inc.
6111 Harrison St Ste 301
Merrillville, IN 46410
ran me off the road and onto the shoulder of US 23. I had no choice but to hit a massive pothole at about 75mph. Afterwards held a straight line, and there was no unusual vibration. I pulled the left wheels off, and the tires weren't bubbled, and the rims weren't bent. I didn't see anything that looked bent on the stabilizer bar links or the control arms.

Yesterday I noticed a clunk or thump when I turned the steering wheel. The problem seems to go away when the car is completely warm. When I turn the wheel clockwise from 12 to 2, there is a soft clunk or thump. Doesn't matter if I'm reversing or driving forward. When I turn the wheel counterclockwise, the clunk is there when I go from 12 to 6.

I assume I'm going to have to put the car on a lift, but what parts exactly should I examine? What should I look for when examining these parts?

Thanks-

MoD

 

[JC SSP]

Good to hear that you kept it on the road. I would call high highway patrol and report the truck.

I hate to guess but ball joints do make a clunk.

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

I'm glad you're OK and that the car didn't suffer more serious damage. The steering ball joint or the tie rod end are the most likely sources of the clunk but you might want to check other suspension components such as the strut mount, the strut itself, and the sway bar end link.
I'd also recommend taking the car to a tire shop to have that front tire removed from the rim for a more thorough inspection. It might look fine on the outside but such a hard impact could have damaged it internally.

 

[DieHarder]

Get it to an alignment shop. They should be able to determine the source fairly quickly and whether/what was damaged. Otherwise, if you can get both front wheels off of the ground and have someone turn the wheels lock to lock anything obviously bent or damaged should stand out.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

Thanks, JC/Dino/DieHard.

The GT500 control arms are only about 18mo old. I think Ima have to take it to a shop here. I'll keep you posted.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

If you said it was broken strut mounts, come forward and claim your prize.

A good local shop diagnosed it by 1100 today, and I had the car again by 1500 with new Monroe/Moog strut units and sway bar links. Barely even cost $1k. [Sigh.]

 

[Autokyrios]

Good. Now go find yourself a brick to keep in the car.