Has anyone out there experienced a pop, or thump noise while going up a fairly steep driveway at an angle? I have a 2100 mile 04' F250 ext. cab, long box 4x4 off road. The truck has done this since I picked it up, and a friend at work who purchased a new F250 two weeks after I did experiences the same noise, and his is a standard cab 4x4. The noise seems to be coming from the mid frame area, about where my cab and box meet. It's a low pop or thump from what sounds like down behind the drivers seat area. I notice it the most when I'm going up a fairly sharp driveway, at an angle, with some speed. Sample condition would be trying to beat traffic across lanes, and then going up a drive with the speed it took to turn. It seems to take a good amount of twist to the frame/body to get it to do it, but I know it when it happens. I may also happen on the passenger side during a left turn/incline but I've only noticed it on the drivers side turns.
Could this be a binding trans cross member, or something similar?
I remember a TSB for my 93 F150 that included something along the lines of loosening the trans cross member bolts, then starting the truck and turning the wheel lock to lock, in reverse, as well as drive, and then retightening them.
Any ideas? My buddies truck is at the dealer now, and one of the items is this noise. Any help would be great.

 

Here's what I'd recommend:

1. Try the loosening, turning the wheel in Park and Reverse, then
retightening the bolts thing;

2. Try slowing down! Cutting across lanes to make a turn and maintaining same speed thru turns and then up steep driveways is just plain wreckless;

3. If neither of these options work, wait and find out from your buddy what the dealership says, does, or how they remedy it (if they do?)... But definitely, in the meantime......... SLOW DOWN, you could be compounding the problem into a more costly repair than what you're looking at now.

Just my $.02

 

I had the same popping noise you describe. Would only happen when turning into a steep driveway. It was my body mounts, they seem to come loose, or are loose from the factory. This makes me think it's the source for your noise since you say it seems to be coming from the back lower cab, exactly where mine was loose. I've got to re-tighten (again!) mine today while I'm doing my oil change!