I'm getting an intermittant "rap" or "knock" from below the floor board/firewall when I'm backing out of my driveway and turning right, after my front wheel drops off the driveway curb onto the street. Having heard that Ford OEM ball joints are pretty poor, and having 50,000 miles on the truck, I think that may be it. But now I think it could be a worn body mount, instead.

My steering wheel "juggles" back and forth slightly (and intermittently). Mechanic said it was a worn trailing arm.

Cary from CT Performance says I should toss the crap OEM shocks and put on Bilsteins and a steering stabilizer.

I'm planning a trip to San Antonio, TX, in a few weeks and would like to get your opinion on the priority of repairs I should undertake (because I don't have the $$ to do them all before I leave).

Assumptions:

> I'll be towing a 10,000 lb RV.
> the Ball Joints are bad.
> the body mount(s) is/are bad.

Thoughts?

 

I might be having a little trouble following. It doesn't start until both rear wheel and the left front wheel drops off of the curb? And then it is intermittent and you feel it in the steering wheel?

It sounds like one of the front axle u-joints is froze up to me.

 

OEM shocks are junk in my opinion. I changed them on my first EX with 75k on them, they were toast. On my current EX, my front ones are toast with 91k on them. The back ones are still working, for now, but I will be changing them soon.

 

I Just went through the same thing with my ex, I would jack up the driver side and shake the wheel while feeling for play then move to the passenger side, It sounds also like a u joint is frozen but have you checked your swaybar links or for warped rotors? I had the same thing but I had a bad driverside hub bearing wich I doubt yours is bad. When were the tires last balanced? I would start with the simple things. You can also jack up the truck and shake and wiggle the dirverside wheel to listen for play or feel anything in the balljoints, tie rods etc.. depending on what part of Chicago your in you can swing on by me and Id be more than happy to help you take a look!

 

Thanks for the responses!

My X is a 2WD V10, so it wouldn't be related to the 4WD assemblies (if I understood you correctly).

Brake rotors and pads are only 5,000 miles old.

Tires were balanced recently.

"Rap" occurs when the driver-front wheel drops down off the driveway curb onto the street. Sounds like someone's rapped the butt-end of a screwdriver against the floor board/firewall.

Driving a truck that wanders a little at hwy speeds and juggles its steering wheel on deceleration is fatiguing -- especially on a 20 hour trip to Texas (from Chicago).

Should I fix the shocks and steering stabilizer first, then fix the ball joints (if needed)? Will that help make my journey less tiring/exhausting??

 

Well I guess that rules out axle joints then!

My 2WD didn't have a steering stabilizer, I don't think any did, but I'm not willing to argue.

Is the "Juggle" while braking, or just coasting? If while braking, then you would need to get the brakes checked for warped rotor, bad caliper slides, surface buildup, etc.

Ball Joints are a good possibility and they are easy to check. Jack the front end by the axle, just below the steering knuckle. Start with either the upper joint by getting a pry bar between the steering knuckle and the axle knuckle. Then do the same with the lower joint. It may be best to try with the steering turned at different angles. I think sometimes the ball joints can settle into a sweet spot from wear. That's when they feel best. As you move the wheel, hit bumps, etc. they move out of that sweet spot and that's when the steering will wander.

Shocks shouldn't have much to do with the situation, unless they aren't tight on top. If they were not tight, I do not think you would feel that in the floor. On a 2WD the top mounts are basically the bottom of the fender.

Another culprit could be tie rod ends. They look almost like a ball joint at the front of the steering knuckle. They should be able to pivot also, but are also know to seize up. To check, have someone turn the wheel side to side watch the joint, there should be no play between the steering arms and the knuckle. It would have to be pretty bad and loose to clunk, but if it is seized up it would cause some memory steering which might feel like wandering.

Only other culprit I can think of would be the radius arm bushings. The radius arm is the big triangular shape bracket that connects to the axle knuckle and runs reward and connects the frame. The rubber bushings on the frame end are what you are looking at. Check to see if they look dry, cracked, etc. If they are bad, you would definitely feel that in the floor. I don't know what year your truck is, but 50k miles seems real early for that.

 

"rap" as in a consistent noise or a one time bang?


Tim M

 

Had the same 'tap'on my 2wd when the front wheel dropped off the other side of a speed bump. Only problem diagnosing was that... everything was a problem. Ended up rebuilding the entire front end ($$$....) because so much was worn out after 120k of towing. (moog ball joints, bushings, tie rod ends, redhead steering box, input shaft, bearings tires, greased the slide pins on the brakes, billstein shocks, etc... I think the pittman arm is the only original part) It was a full weekends worth of work. Steering was as tight as a car for about a month with a perfect alignment, but since EVERYTHING got changed, I couldn't tell you which single part fixed the tap last time, although on the car... the same noise turned out to be the sway bar end link.

BTW, the billsteins are nice in CA because the expansion joints are just the right distance apart to cause a Superduty to bounce backwards and forwards in an unsafe manner... but were way too soft otherwise. They will likely be replaced with rancho 9k's this round.

Unfortunately, the highways in CA are so bad (I've ridden on lime rock fire roads that caused less damage that the 5 freeway) so what took 120k to wear out has been beaten soft in just over 40k of driving. Thanks CA. That 'tap' is back too. I put up with progressively sloppier steering and softer shocks knowing I'd be leaving CA - but now it's time to start over. There isn't room in the budget for another complete overhaul right now, so I'll take better notes when I get time to run through the whole front end again a piece at a time in case it helps anyone else out.

Tips: If the ball joints are bad - the dealership only suggests replacing one at a time. This is because they get paid to do the same job 2X if you have to come back in a few months when the other one goes. (If they do it under warranty, they'll definitely do them one at a time - because they can bill Ford each time.) It's a lot of work and time to take everything apart - while you're in there or paying someone else to dig into it, it makes a lot more sense do both top and bottom ball joints as well as the bearings (which are cheap on a 2wd) at the same time.

Also - Energy Suspension Bushings are worth the money. Nice snug fit, less play, last forever, relatively affordable... and easy to change out if you have the front end apart anyway.

Question: Moog seems to make a good product for greasable ball joint and tie rod ends for the 2wd superduties - are there any other comparable products out there, or is Moog pretty the best option in this case.

Detailed instructions for diagnosing the front end, and 'how to' for ball joints, steering, etc... are all avail here:

The SUPERDUTY TECH folder

Ball Joint replacement:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=354091

Red Head Steering gear box installed

 

The "rap" noise turned out to be when the steering stop came in contact with the (i dunno) rack? My tech lubed up the vertical edges of both stops and it cured it!