I thought you guys might be able to lead me in a direction. I have been under the car and cannot duplicate the noise only sitting still. The car has to be moving even if it is only a little movement.

Here is when it does the noise. Only when I turn the steering wheel to the right only not the left. It has to be a moderate turn and does not do it eveytime you move the car. The car seems to have to be rolling where the drivers side slightly dips as you turn the steering to the right. I had a new rack and pinion and outer tie rod ends installed and this is when it started. It really seems to do it when I have to cut into or out of a driveway, street, parking place etc... It is coming from the drivers side. I cannot find anything under the car that looks like it has moved and rubbed or hit anything. Everything is stock on the car. The car makes this clank every day I turn right out of my parking place at work but I cannot back up the car and duplicate the noise. You can't make it do the same noise over and over. It is like you have to turn the wheel to the left driving and then cut back right and it will do it then sometimes.

It is not a popping noise only a one time clank. The guy at the shop has a hard time because it won't do it sitting still in the shop. The car has to be moving. Car has 80,000 miles and is a 99 Z28 and has not been wrecked, no curbs or potholes.

 

Sway bar link or upper shock mount, maybe...

 

It does not make the noise going over bumps. I forgot to mention that so that makes me think it is not the shock mount. I checked the mounts and nothing feels loose or coming apart. The sway bar I jerked on and nothing moved but I don't know if maybe the endlinks. It sounds like something metal hitting metal. The steering wheel has to be turned right at least 3/4 of the way. Just a little doesn't make it happen.

 

Did you ever find a solution? My 2001 TA does almost exactly the same thing. If I turn right, I hear a clank noise. But I can replicate this repeatedly. It also clanks over bumps sometimes. It's easier to hear at slow speeds like under 25mph. I can hear it if I jerk the wheel right, or even turn it as slowly as possible.
Sway bar tight. New tie rod ends.
Posted 2010-03-26

 

Check the slack in the intermidiate sterring shaft. Those go bad about as fast as tierods. It's the shaft that runs from the end of the steering column in the engine bay and connects to the rack and pinion. It has a wearable joint down by the rack and if there is slack in it, you can replace it or I saw somewhere last week where someone found a solid replacement peice that you can put in there as long as the universals are good. I can't remember where I saw this though.

 

You should definatly try to remember