1968 Ford F-250 mysterious rattle

NICK48

MEMBER
1968 FORD F-250
5.9L
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
175,000 MILES

When the truck is in motion at lower speeds there is a rattling or grinding from underneath seems to be on the passenger side in the front and doesn't happen when the brakes are applied or at higher speeds. Also when brakes are applied the truck tends to veer off to the right a bit took it to a shop and they suspected the drive shaft was the source of the rattle and it was caused by some part between the trans and the drive shaft. But I think its the front brakes bearings. The front brakes also squeal at times.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,737 POSTS

The place to start is with a brake system inspection. That's a maintenance item that should be done every year or two anyway. If you have disc brakes on the front, the pads can work loose and rattle. That alone is not a safety issue and it will stop anytime light pressure is applied to the brake pedal.

The people at tire and alignment shops are experts at locating the source of rattles and other noises. There's a number of things that can cause noises, but when you couple that with steering problems, a good suspect is worn radius arm bushings. Those, along with anything else that will allow the alignment to change, will cause darting in different directions unexpectedly. The drive shaft and universal joints won't cause steering problems.

It IS possible to have a steering problem due to binding front universal joints by the wheels, (not on the drive shaft), but that only applies to four-wheel-drive trucks, and the symptom will be different.