Ford Excursion :: Clunking From Front End?
Apr 10, 2013
I recently ran into the "clunking from the front end" problem with my Excursion. It is 2WD but this might apply to all. I had the clunk under my left foot while driving over a series of small bumps. It was a rapid clunking. One big bump, or things like speed bumps did not produce the noise or feel in my feet. Only rapid irregularities in the road at 35 mph or greater made it happen.
It made me crazy trying to figure it out. I tried everything. Both sets of swaybar links, shock mounts, track bar mounts, made sure brake calipers were tight, you name it. It showed its ugly head every time I hit small bumps in succession at speed. Even tried to re-seat the coil springs but that didn't work! My front bearings made NO noise. There was NO play in them by hand while up on jacks. I had taken them out and repacked them while replacing front brakes. At my wits' end, I went for a "hail mary" shot. I purchased new bearings. Took it all apart, packed the new bearings and replaced.
Low and behold! The damn "clunking" is now gone! So, in short, IF you have a clunking that nothing else seems to fix, just try replacing the bearings even IF you feel NO play in them. I couldn't believe that bearings that felt so tight by hand would be causing such clunking.
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I've had a front end clunk best felt on the floorboards at very slow speeds on uneven ground. I've read for a month on this site on this issue and have replaced the ball joints and sway bar end links with Moog parts. New shocks also. Well I've improved but its still there. I cannot budge the trac bar bolts with breaker bar. The axle u bolts seemed loose so I tightened them but I'm not sure of the torque specs on them. What are the torque specs on the u bolts and where to go from here?
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So I can clearly see the track bar clunk in and out about 1/4 inch when the wheel is turned in either direction...guessing its time for new bushings.
What's the latest and greatest on these? or is "whatever they have on sale at summet from moog" is fine?
OEM only? Truck has a 4" lift, stock bar attached to the drop bracket.
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When accelerating from a stop, I get a clunking sound from the front end. I took some pics of the sway bar and I think it maybe loose. There is a gap between the bolt between the bar. Is this normal, or can I tighten it with the X on the ground or does it have to be up on a lift to properly tighten?
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I plan on replacing as I have a clunk happening. Thought I'd try here first.
Is there a brand that's better? 1Aauto has OEM. Is there a brand that's better or makes a difference?
Or is a front sway bar end link a front sway bar end link?
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I have the CaryT V/ modded B 33" kit installed, and re-torqued after 200 miles. But since the install the EX pulls to the left and I have a clunking in the front end. The alignment shop said they have my alignment "dead nuts", and it must be my tires. Well I replaced my tires and wheels and I still have the pulling problem.
The clunking I believe is coming from the adjustable track bar, the torque wrench only goes to 250 ft/lbs so went to 250 and then tightened a little more. I have no way to measure the 396 ft/lbs in the specs.
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I need to replace the rubber axle bumper guards. I have a clunking noise from the left front going over bumps. Troubleshooting I found the left front axle bumper guard is missing, right side is missing chunks and dry rotted. I had a question about how they attach. The one that is missing looks like a rusted bolt snapped off. Is it safe to assume a bolt goes right thru the center of the bumper guard into the frame? Couldn't tell on the right side it is in bad shape. Right front bolt may have sheared off on the bottom and just held in on the top by what is left.
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I have a noise in the front end that is only happening during suspension travel. It is really bad on bumpy roads. I thought it was my sway-bar end links but they are a year old and tight. I have checked the shocks and they are tight. It sounds like a clunking noise. Could the front drive axles be making this noise while not locked in?
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I have a 2000 ford excursion limited when i drive a loud clunking noise comes from the front end, so i pulled the front passenger tire off and realized what looks like the axle bearing behind the hub assembly is rattling around. What part is that. I am going to post a picture tomorrow in the day light.
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When my ex shifts from 1st to 2nd I get a clunk. If I let off the gas right when it shifts then it shifts normally. Also if I can get the rpms to 2000 or higher then it shifts fine.
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Bought the EX from my sister 2 years ago, I know that she's had the ball joints replaced several times and have read on here how some people have only gotten 20K miles out of a set. Anyway, I have the same clunk and I spent one Saturday changing them out ( as well as new brakes and rotors ) I still have the same cluck sound. I've just read a thread on the hubs rattling and its related to the needle bearings wearing out. I'll lock it in 4WD to see if the clunk goes away but I don't think that's going to work.
Would bad / incorrectly adjusted wheel bearings make this same sound? When doing the ball joints, I saw one set must have been rebuilt since the locknut looked brand new and the other side showed its been there a while.
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Locked my hubs and used the 4WD for the first time this winter, every this was fine until I started hearing a thump thump thump on drivers side. It continued after shutting off the 4wd until I unlocked the hubs. Have not been able to get under it yet..
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Replaced front leaf springs to procomp, now i got a clunking noise from right leaf spring rear eye(and a little bit from the left).
Can it be that:
I've tighten them to much? Wrong way (big eye is in front)? Got about 4" lift in front and haven't received rear leveling kit yet so the angel is wrong?
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When I turn the wheels to full lock, either right or left, I hear a clunking sound. Usually pulling into parking spots, into the driveway, etc.....but only going forward, not in reverse. Where do I start?
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I have a clunking sound coming from the rear of my X when I stop and take off. The sound does not happen until the vehicle has been driven for a few miles. After it has been driven, I will get one clunk when I stop. When I take off I will get one clunk as the vehicle starts to accelerate, and another clunk as I give it a little more gas. What could be the cause of this? I do not get the sound when I shift from park to drive, or drive to reverse.
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I cannot figure out where the noise is coming from. I cannot duplicate the noise just by shaking the truck even with two guys on each side. It's not a squeak, but more of a clunk or a pop. I can feel it in the floor with my left foot if I press it against the fire wall where it meets the floorboard.
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The vehicle is a 2000 Excursion 7.3 Diesel. I have never owned a diesel before....
First issue is that I have developed a hard start. It started last Saturday, and went from sporadically starting hard, to starting hard every time. I have 146,000 miles on her. She cranks strong, but will not turn over the first time, sometimes takes 2, 3, or 4 times. (Foot on gas pedal) I don't know if it's an issue of not getting enough fuel or what. Occasionally, even after she starts, it's very rough (shaking the whole vehicle, and acting like she wants to die) until I rev the engine and she smoothes out. After she smoothes out, there is no problem with wanting to drive, she's strong. If I kill the ignition, and start up immediately, she starts the first time, it's only after 10 minutes or so of being off.
My next issue is a clunking noise when I press the gas pedal. I don't know if it's the tranny, because she shifts pretty smooth for the most part, doesn't miss gears, etc. I could be travelling say 50MPH, press the gas pedal very little, and I can hear the clunking, and actually feel it every time I press it. (Don't have to be mashing the pedal, happens on very light presses as well).
I have the TS Performance 6 position chip, otherwise she's stock. I tow roughly a 7000 travel trailer every couple of weeks, never any problems before this.
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I've got a clunk in the front end....replaced all the ball joints......checked the sway bar......checked the tie rods......can't find anything wrong...... Shocks go bad and clunk???
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I have had a clunk in the front end that started out as a light clunk that was sometimes noticeable. It has now turned into a clunk that can be heard very often. It sounds like a hollow clunk. I'll try to explain it so it makes sense...If I'm going over a bump or speed bump or something like that it doesn't really do it noticeably. If I'm driving a get to a place where the road is uneven or there is a hole or pothole and the front end seems to "fall into the hole", then the sound is very audible, and I can feel it slightly in the steering wheel and under my feet in the drivers floorboard. So, I've had the front end checked out 4 times and between what they said to do and what I've read on here...here is what I've done so far......
Changed end links with moog end links
Changed sway bar bushings with moog bushings
Undid the bushing mounts from the front frame and wired the sway bar up to keep from flopping around. No change in sounds
Didn't get rid of the clunk....
Had front end shop check out truck... They said ball joints were ok, no play in them. They did say that they could feel some "clicking in the pitman arm pivot" when turning the wheel. Like something was loose in box.
I've changed shocks and bearings.
I can grab a hold of the passenger outer tie rod at the adjustment sleeve and rotate the tir rod and it will rotate around in the socket and hitting on the insertion point and make a metal thud sound.
Again, took into shop and they said that would be normal b/c the tie rods have to have that to keep from binding up in front end.
My thinking is that if the tie rod rotates that much, then it is rotating the drag link which in turn puts stress on the pitman arm which in turn has either broken or sheared the pinion shaft inside the box and then when I go over a hole, it moves and all of the above is put into motion.
Shop (Ford) basically called me an idiot and that wouldn't be the cause.
So, now onto my thoughts and questions....
Radius arm bushings
Axle bushings (????? how many and where are they all located)
tie rods and drag links..
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I have a 2001 AWD Mountaineer with 5.0 engine and 183,000 miles. A little over a year ago a harsh clunking noise started coming from the front. It was obvious that it was coming from one of the drive component because the noise and harshness changed with speed. At slow speeds it was clunking with every revolution of the wheels. The intensity seemed to change with the direction of the wheels also. I figured it might be a CV joint and proceeded to check them out. None appeared to be bad, but with the mileage on the car I figured it wouldn't hurt to replace the axle shafts, so I started with the left (driver's) side which is where I felt the noise was coming from. The noise went away and I was happy. To my surprise about 6 months ago the same noise came back. This time I replaced the right side axle shaft. Again the noise went away.
Unfortunately the problem hasn't gone away though. A couple of days or a couple of weeks may pass with no problem, but then suddenly it starts again. I took it to a trusted mechanic when it was making the noise. It was so loud when I pulled into his driveway that he stopped what he was doing to look. But, when he took it for a drive it was as quiet as the day I bought it in 2001. I also talked to the service people at the local Ford dealer and they told me that there was basically nothing they were aware of that could cause this problem, but to bring it in the next time it did it and they would check it out. At this point I almost want something to fall out of it. At least then we'll know where the problem is.
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I got a horrible clunking/knocking in the front end of my pickup this morning, jerking the steering wheel like a flat tire, and after a couple miles it stopped..... bearing ???
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