Fiesta rattling noise

[andyj941]

Hi I have a 2001 N reg 1.3 Fiesta, and over the last few days it's developed a rattling noise that can be quite loud at times but seems to be coming from around the passenger side front wheel underneath the car and only at low speeds i.e. 25mph and below. Any idea what it could be? I'm dreading paying out for more car repairs. I've attached a couple of photos of a crack I can see in a pipe near the wheel, I don't know what this is or if it would be making the noise? Thanks

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• andyj941
• 1 Mar 2011
• 2

Untitled

• andyj941
• 1 Mar 2011
• 1

Untitled

• andyj941
• 1 Mar 2011
• 1

 

[Stivino]

That pipe looks more like your anti-roll bar. It's solid steel and the crack is just the coating spliting, so don't worry about that.
Have you tried the link bars that are connected to it? These things http://tinyurl.com/4em4ymh

 

[Crickleymal]

Drop links as Stivino says. Is the rattle high pitched like a piece of tin or more of a knock?

 

[Burnerman]

Indeed, ye goode olde favourite drop links - or 'stabilisers' as the trade calls them.
Nice and cheap at around £15 a side from a factors. Usually I cut the nut off though as its a problem stopping them from spinning with the spanner.
John

 

[Crickleymal]

I had to do some on one of my cars about a year back. Usually you can get one end off relatively easily, the other nut will spin round. My neighbour (car mechanic) advised me to get the easy end off. Then using the length of the drop link as a lever break it off the other ball joint i.e. the other joint of the drop link can be levered apart, leaving the ball joint still attached to the suspension. Then you can get a pair of Mole Grips on the ball joint and just use a spanner on the nut.

Easier to do than to explain