Ball joints replaced - new clicking noise

[mtoll24]

I have a '95 Subaru Legacy Outback, and yesterday I spent 8 hours at the garage getting my front ball joints replaced. After an adventurous job (a screw broke in the spindle and that had to be replaced, and then when the mechanics were heating up the old ball joint to get it off the spindle it exploded, hitting one guy in the arm and sending him to the hospital!)...as I was driving home I noticed a rather audible clicking noise coming from under the front passenger side. The guy at the garage tried to convince me that it was due to a rusty sheet of metal rubbing on the rotor, but the noise is getting louder and is consistent with the rotation of the tires, stays the same when I turn either direction. Any ideas?

 

[Jim Stewart]

I have a '95 Subaru Legacy Outback, and yesterday I spent 8 hours at the garage getting my front ball joints replaced. After an adventurous job (a screw broke in the spindle and that had to be replaced, and then when the mechanics were heating up the old ball joint to get it off the spindle it exploded, hitting one guy in the arm and sending him to the hospital!)...as I was driving home I noticed a rather audible clicking noise coming from under the front passenger side. The guy at the garage tried to convince me that it was due to a rusty sheet of metal rubbing on the rotor, but the noise is getting louder and is consistent with the rotation of the tires, stays the same when I turn either direction. Any ideas?

I'd say there's a fair chance that
the mechanic is right. The sheetmetal
shield over the rotor is pretty easy
to bend and considering your story,
certainly could have been bent.

Take it back and have them fix it.

 

[AS]

I would never take the car back to the same shop. Using a torch to loosen a ball joint is not in my books.

You can try and see if the shield can be put back in the right position.

Good luck

 

[mtoll24]

Thanks for your feedback. My only issue is that I've had to fix the shield over the rotor before (just bent it back) but the two noises are completely different - the rotor noise was more of a constant grinding (moreso when I turned), whereas this is a clicking/popping noise. I'll check it out...

 

[k. ote]

I have a '95 Subaru Legacy Outback, and yesterday I spent 8 hours at the garage getting my front ball joints replaced. After an adventurous job (a screw broke in the spindle and that had to be replaced, and then when the mechanics were heating up the old ball joint to get it off the spindle it exploded, hitting one guy in the arm and sending him to the hospital!)...as I was driving home I noticed a rather audible clicking noise coming from under the front passenger side. The guy at the garage tried to convince me that it was due to a rusty sheet of metal rubbing on the rotor, but the noise is getting louder and is consistent with the rotation of the tires, stays the same when I turn either direction. Any ideas?

Bet it is the rotor shield. I had all kinds of weird noises from my '02 WRX that were traced to one of those damn things bent up, and bending them back fixed them all immediately. Each noise was distinctly different. On the other hand, I never had clicky noises. Mine were all grinding or similar.