For the past week I notice a slight knocking while I am decelerating. At first I thought it must be a tire (stone in it or something) since it was very slight. Today I was driving and it was quite pronounced. I notice it knocks at the speed of wheel rotation while declerating straight. If I take a curve, the sound goes away and comes again when I go straight. It doesn't seem to matter if I am in gear or not. It also goes away if I accelerate.

Any ideas? Since it goes away with acceleration and curves, I have ruled out tire. I think it must be in the drivetrain (CV joint?)

 

Could be the CV, or a hub bearing

Since Motor City MINI Service folks are dumber than door-nails, wait until it's already broken or so obnoxious they can still hear it over them cranking up your stereo during a "test drive"

 

good advice Ryan. It's pretty bad, though. It just occured to me that after about a month after I took custody of Graham that I would get a clunk (knock) going from reverse to forward. At first I thought it was the steering clunk I've read about, but I always thought it felt more like the drivetrain clunking. Welly well, it may be time for Graham to get his first checkup . I hear it over the radio which is always loud since I lost my hearing from too many raves so the guys at MCM should hear it just fine.

 

Well, I feel like a real moron, now. So I head off to see the guys at MCM for a checkup when I get this idea, "check the lugbolts you fool." I pull into a gas station and check the right front wheel (where the sound seemed to come from). All nice and snug. Now I'm really thinking I'll have to drop it off for a whole battery of exams . Then I check half-heartedly the left front wheel. D&*mmit !!!! 2 bolts are looooooose. like realllly loose. One took three full turns to get snug again. So I tighten the rest and do the rears as well. The rear right was also a little loose .

I fill with gas, as a courtesy for using their gas station for a repair shop and I was on empty and change course for the local Sears and buy a torque wrench.

Good side is Graham is still well, but I feel like a bad parent for going 3000 miles since the rotation before checking the bolts again and only using the ol' "That feels tight enough" torque wrench at that time.

Moral of the story. Check your nuts :smile:

 

Checking the wheel bolts is very important. I've gotten in the habit of checking prior to any Track, Auto-x, or Dragon runs - and twice after I rotate the tires for the street. The bolts are what keep you a-rollin', so they are absolutely critical.

I'm glad you figured it out!