Front end Clunk/Looseness?

Tiny
BRINGTHEHEAT04
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 FORD F-150
  • 4.6L
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 210,000 MILES
I've been having an issue with my front-end clunking and feeling "loose" every little bump I hit or even just driving on uneven pavement, the few times I've been able to drive on brand new pavement it does fine.

So far, I've replaced both front strut assemblies, brake bads, rotors/hub assemblies (they come as one unit) both inner and outer tie rods, both upper control arms/ball joints, both lower control arms/ball joints, one sway bar end link, the other one was in good shape so I just reinstalled it. I've bled my brakes and I have brand new tires all the way around but it's still there!

I took it to Firestone to have an alignment done and told them to check everything to make sure it was tight, granted I was the last customer of the day and they were still working on it after they closed. But either way everything feels tight, I jacked the truck back up to check for any play and both sides feel tight when checking side to side and top to bottom. I won't even drive on the highway anymore because it's so bad, this is my work truck and I'm a self-employed contractor so it's literally my livelihood, I depend on it to be able to provide for my family but lately I'm afraid of depending on it but I don't really have a choice so I've been taking back roads and driving slow. I'm going to try and take it back by Firestone during the day and see if I can get a different tech to check it out, I bought the "lifetime alignment".
Saturday, November 11th, 2023 AT 7:39 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,244 POSTS
Hi,

With the engine off and parked, if you turn the steering wheel back and forth, do you ever notice a clicking sound? Also, how much play is in the steering before the wheels begin to turn?

There is both a lower steering shaft and an intermediate steering shaft. The lower one has universal joints that can wear out and cause excessive play. See pic below.

Check the joints. Turn the steering wheel slowly to see if there is excessive play in any of the joints. Note that the lower one attaches to the steering gear, so you will need a helper to check those.

Based on everything that you have replaced and everything appearing to be tight, this is my first suspect.

Let me know.

Joe

See pic below.
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Saturday, November 11th, 2023 AT 10:44 PM
Tiny
BRINGTHEHEAT04
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
There is a little play in the steering wheel, I can turn it back and forth about 1/8 without the wheel moving, I also noticed that when I turn it sharp right or left that entire side of the front-end dips down and it makes kind of a "whirring" sound when it does it.
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Monday, November 13th, 2023 AT 8:50 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,244 POSTS
Hi,

I can understand why the front dips, but it shouldn't make a noise. Do you hear the noise when the vehicle is stopped or does it have to be moving? Also, check to make sure the steering shafts are not worn.

Let me know.
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Monday, November 13th, 2023 AT 9:36 PM
Tiny
BRINGTHEHEAT04
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
So, it actually was the sway bar links! Besides the steering shaft and rack and pinion that was about the only thing I hadn't replaced (I thought they were good) I replaced the driver side with a cheap Rockauto (truedrive) brand, and it had a torn boot right out of the box. I used Precision Tie Rods, upper and lower control arms and ball joints so I stopped back by O'rielly's and picked up two Sway bar links from the same brand and the clunking and Looseness is all gone! I really didn't think it was going to make a difference, but I went with a premium brand with everything else. I guess you get what you pay for!
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Tuesday, November 14th, 2023 AT 11:28 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,244 POSTS
Hi,

Thank you for the update. I'm glad to know you found and resolved the issue.

Take care of yourself and feel free to come back anytime in the future.

Joe
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Tuesday, November 14th, 2023 AT 2:55 PM

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