2004 Ford F-150 rattling

Tiny
BIGCHIEF247200
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 FORD F-150
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 88,000 MILES
I just changed my front struts and in the process I had to disconnect my tie rod and upper control arm to get the shock/coil assembly out. Now after putting it back together I drove the truck and immediatly noticed a rattling noise coming from aroud the front passenger side wheel. It only does it in 2wd, going forward, and pressing the accelerator. If I let off the gas or put it in 4wd or reverse there is no noise. The noise increases with speed and if I slam on the brake and keep my foot on the gas it gets louder and finally grinds a little and quits. It sounds to me like its tryin to engage in 4wd for some reason. The only explanation I can come up with is something caused by the spindle pulling against the drive axle when I had the upper control arm off of the steering knuckle. Im no mechanic though so I wanted to hear what u guys think it could be. Thanks for the help.
Sunday, May 25th, 2008 AT 4:24 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
THIS IS MIKE
  • MECHANIC
  • 686 POSTS
It sounds like your automatic locking hubs are worn out and need to be replaced. The repairs you did may have disturbed them enough to start making noise. I suggest replacing both with 2 new ones from the Ford dealer, they are easy to install and aren't that expensive.
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Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 AT 12:11 PM
Tiny
BIGCHIEF247200
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Yea I looked around on here and read a few similar posts and thats what I was leaning towards so I called the dealer to order em and they told me that my truck doesnt have auto locking hubs, it has some sort of vacuum operated actuator. So I got under there and looked and sure enough the vacuum line had been knocked loose. Well I hooked it back up and problem solved, hopefully nothing was damaged. Thanks for the quick response and you definitly headed me in the right direction anyway
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Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 AT 9:11 PM
Tiny
THIS IS MIKE
  • MECHANIC
  • 686 POSTS
I am glad you were able to find the problem. It is incredible the number of systems that require vacuum to operate properly.
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Monday, June 2nd, 2008 AT 1:19 PM

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