Intermittent popping sound when turning?

It could be a sway bar link, but to be sure disconnect one side and drive it to see if the noise is gone, this way you can tell for sure. I think you may have a strut that is going out. Can you please shoot a quick video with your phone so I can hear the noise? That way I can tell for sure what's going on. You can upload it here with your response. Here are the instructions on how to replace the sway bar links in case you need it. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

okay, i can try and take a video of the popping. i have a few things to rule out for this sound which happens when turning while accelerating and its coming from driver side and passenger side, front area of the vehicle.

The struts: during inspection i noticed that a previous mechanic didn't have the top strut bolts/nuts lined up over the holes where the studs pass through...so i fixed that, looked at the actual strut underneath and no visible damage or wear.

The tie rods: 1 outer tie rod. passenger side boot is damaged, torn and pulling away from the actual stud. bought the replacement part will be installing that tomorrow.

Engine Mounts. another area known for popping while driving. after a visual inspection they look slanted and not straight up. They have a heat shield sleeve wrapped around the majority of it so it's difficult to find any cracks. i am going to rule them out tonight by placing a flat head screwdriver on it while the engine is running to check vibrations. these could have been damaged when the engine cradle fell violently.

Rack and Pinon Assembly. This is unfortunately an expensive part, i am not sure to trust the cheaper refurbished assemblies. This could have been damaged when the engine cradle fell. i see no leaks and the inner tie rod boots are not torn or separated but this is another area that can do the popping. i am going to take the car to an empty parking lot and drive making figure 8's to try and see if i can reproduce the popping.

i have my work cut out for me and i am not up to taking it into a shop just yet. Apparently, my VIN has a recall on the airbags, so I'll need to bring it into the dealership soon after my list of To-Do's on this car are completed.

pics those mounts dont look right at all. yikes

strut top mount looks damaged and that's a better picture of the sway bar boots. in my attempt to change the outer tie rod i noticed that the inner tie rod might be broken. i am getting a lot of play so i will pull the boot and inspect that inner tie rod.

Thanks for the images and video. When you move the inner tie rod does it have play if you move it in or out? We need to get closer to where the noise is coming from. Please do a test drive with a passenger to help narrow down the location of the noise generation.

Yes, the inner tie rod had a lot of play and was loose so i went ahead and replaced it.

when i took the old tie rod off i noticed the travel limiter (plastic washer) thing was split.

i tried super glue, failed! when i went to tighten the new rod on, the plastic limiter thingy split open again.

I think that is the way it is supposed to be but I'm not sure. I don't think it will hurt anything. Did that fix the noise?

Nope, not fixed unfortunately, it's much louder and now it can be heard on video. i also have an inspection camera ill hook up under the car to record the engine mounts and the entire knuckle assembly while i drive.

The sound is a pop from the passenger side. it pops extremely loud when turning to the Right with acceleration. i can't reproduce the sound any other way. seems to only pop when i do some heavy turning but when i turn to the Left a small pop can be heard from the passenger side.

Hi,

I noticed we haven't been in touch with you for a couple of days. Have you been able to make any progress?

I made a copy of one of your pics from above. I circled two areas with white. What am I looking at in those locations? Being from PA, I'm used to seeing rust issues and want to confirm that this isn't the case.

Let us know.

Joe

popping solved, it turns out that both Engine Mounts are needing replacement, they must have got severely damaged/ bent when the engine cradle fell causing everything to be yanked. i ended up doing the Hard-Brake test to determine if the engine mounts were giving me the issue...sure enough the test showed how bad the mounts really are. Thank you all for the assistance. much appreciated.

Hi,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to know you found the issue and have resolved the noise.

Take care and feel free to come back anytime in the future. You are always welcome.

Joe