Knocking noise front right suspension
 

A single knock usually occurs when braking, and sometimes a pretty big knock/crack happens when steering at low speed. A knock can also happen over sizeable bumps.

Top mount bearing for steering knock? What else should I be looking at?

On a side note, I get a silly amount of wheel "hop" at one of the front wheels when turning a tight radius at low speeds. Probably due to a variety of things. Just wondering if anyone else experiences this? It's a bit unpleasant, kinda like having a welded diff!

I think i would be looking towards the bottom ball joints. Jack the car up and check for play using a pry bar.

I agree with bottom ball joints but also have a look at the track rod ends and also check the suspension bushes.

Alasdair

Changed bottom ball joints, no improvement.
Changed drop links and anti-roll bar bushes (needed to be done anyway), but still getting the knocking noises.

It does kinda sound like it's coming from the top mounts, but I'm not sure how a top mount can create such a noise. Any thoughts?

Not sure if the top mounts would make the noise you have unless they were completely shot. Mine used to knock a bit over small bumps and thats was down to the original rubber compressing slightly allowing some free play. I have found a way to take up the movemement but it's only OK to do this if the bushes haven't already split at all.

From what you say about the tyre scrubbing I would suggest looking at the drag strut bushes, espicially the bigger ones at the lower arm end.
Another possibility is that the shock absorber is worn.

Cheers Steve.

Sorry, it's probably obvious, but which ones are the drag strut bushes? Honestly hadn't heard of that term until now.
And when you say the bigger ones, are they the most rearwards ones?

Thanks

Sorry should have explained better. The lower suspension arms (as I call them) run across from the center of the car to the bottom of the suspension strut. The drag strut (as I call it ) attaches to the lower suspension arm and points back towards the gearbox.

The bushes I was on about as where the two arms meet. Genuine ones will now be old and if they have been replaced with aftermarket ones they might be old and a bit soft now. The bushes on the other end of the drag strut can get old but don't seem to suffer as much.

Had a good root around. All seems to be in order, so I think you were right to mention the shocks Steve. According to google, billies are well known for their knocking! Not sure whether to try and fix the Bilsteins or move on to something else.

I guess there's still a possibility that there's something weird going on with the top mount.
Might have to ask a garage to confirm my suspicions.

I have the very same problem on my 940, sometimes what seems like a knock, sometimes as though the R/H front wheel skips, I've had this a while now, but its not constant, it completely goes away then a few weeks later its back again, it mainly happens when reversing off the drive and put full L/H lock on, if it was bushes or ball joints I would have thought my local Volvo garage would have picked something up on its MOT a couple of month ago, please let me know what you come up with, Regards David.

I had a problem years ago with an old van I had. It clonked when turning full lock and it was the bearing in the top mount that had failed. It also on a random basis didn't return to straight ahead when turning full right.
The front wheel skipping may be related to the front suspension bushes. Mine did the same and also wore unevenly. It past the MOT but I reckon it was the rust that was holding them in place. When I removed them the large ones that attach to the chassis had separated from the steel core. As said it was the rust that made them seem solid. My MOT centre has a vibrating unit on their ramp that moves the car from side to side to check play but they didn't pick the worn bushes up.
Theres also bushes I think called top hat that were really bad on mine as well. I did the lot and it made a huge difference to handling etc.
If your doing them yourself you may have to take the arms into your local garage to have them pressed out and the new ones pressed in. I managed with a hydraulic puller set and a big vice but it was some job.

Alasdair