Clunking sound?
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Clunking sound?
1999 F250, 7.3L, 240,000 miles, 4x4, supercrew, long-bed.
Drives fine and no noticible noise while on pavement but I notice something on rough gravel roads. It is a clunking or thud sound that I think is coming from the front of the truck. It sounds somewhat solid but I'm having trouble pin-pointing it.
I'm new to the big truck thing and not sure where to start. If this is a common problem and someone has some experience with it could you point me into the right direction. Or give me a list of things to check, maybe from most likely to least likely.
Thanks a ton!
Drives fine and no noticible noise while on pavement but I notice something on rough gravel roads. It is a clunking or thud sound that I think is coming from the front of the truck. It sounds somewhat solid but I'm having trouble pin-pointing it.
I'm new to the big truck thing and not sure where to start. If this is a common problem and someone has some experience with it could you point me into the right direction. Or give me a list of things to check, maybe from most likely to least likely.
Thanks a ton!
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Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Preston co. WV
check the bushings on your sway bar and end links they give off a nice clunking noise when bad. then check out your wheel bearings and ball joints.
Jack up the front a couple inches to where you can get a bar under your tire then lift up on it a couple times while watching your ball joints, if there's any movement they're bad.
If there's no movement in ball joints feel for movement in the bearing, then while it's still up wiggle the tire side to side and check for movement.
Checking the sway bar and end links are as easy as crawling under the truck and start pushing and pulling the bar and endlinks that up to the frame.
good luck
Jack up the front a couple inches to where you can get a bar under your tire then lift up on it a couple times while watching your ball joints, if there's any movement they're bad.
If there's no movement in ball joints feel for movement in the bearing, then while it's still up wiggle the tire side to side and check for movement.
Checking the sway bar and end links are as easy as crawling under the truck and start pushing and pulling the bar and endlinks that up to the frame.
good luck
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Finally got the chance to mess with the truck last night. I jacked each front tire up (one at a time) and used a pry-bar to; lift, push, pull, etc... I couldn't get any movement from the ball-joints. But... I also looked at the sway-bar bushings and pushed/pulled and beat on with a deadblow with no luck there either. The bushings "looked" ok and I couldn't any movement with the bar or end links.
Do I need to check these a different way or should I move on to something else? I can kind-of feel the clunk in the floor...
Thanks for the help!
Do I need to check these a different way or should I move on to something else? I can kind-of feel the clunk in the floor...
Thanks for the help!
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Nothing more than grabbing it and shaking it looking for slack. I will get under there with a grease gun next...
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Senior User
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Preston co. WV
With all that checking out ok, check for a broken or loose shock.
Also check out the motor mounts.
Also check out the motor mounts.
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I “may” have found the problem. When I had it jacked up I tried to find side-to-side slack in the front wheels but they were tight. I have watched to tie rod ends while some else turned the wheel and they appeared to have no slack in them… but last night I grabbed the front tie rods and they twisted easily. They took several squirts of grease for each of them so I hope that is it. Is it normal to have an easy twisting in them or do they need replaced?
I looked at the sway-bar and links again with no luck at finding anything loose. I grabbed the shocks and pushed/pulled real hard and didn’t make any noise (but they are obviously old with lots of rust on them). I forgot to check the driveshaft slip, do that tonight…
Do you guys think I’m on the right track? Any more suggestions?
Thanks again!
I looked at the sway-bar and links again with no luck at finding anything loose. I grabbed the shocks and pushed/pulled real hard and didn’t make any noise (but they are obviously old with lots of rust on them). I forgot to check the driveshaft slip, do that tonight…
Do you guys think I’m on the right track? Any more suggestions?
Thanks again!
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2010
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From: Preston co. WV
Well it sounds like your checking it over pretty good.
Something else you can look at, is there any free play on your front axle, maybe the u-joints?
I've got a " clunking noise too but fixed it by turning up the radio...lol
No really my sway bar bushings are worn and I'm hoping that's it.
I'll go over it all before the snow starts.
Something else you can look at, is there any free play on your front axle, maybe the u-joints?
I've got a " clunking noise too but fixed it by turning up the radio...lol
No really my sway bar bushings are worn and I'm hoping that's it.
I'll go over it all before the snow starts.
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Lol, I have a decent radio also. But this is bugging me so I turn it down to listen and feel for the clunk. I really want it to be the sway bar bushings (I know, that isn’t how I should go about this). Is there any preload on it or something making them so that I can’t get movement but they are bad anyway? Can I take it off and drive it to see if the clunk goes away? Would it be a problem do that???
I really am wondering if I found it with the tie-rods. Any other tests I should do. Will them twisting make the clunk on rough roads? Any way to test them without replacing them?
Thanks again for the help guys.
I really am wondering if I found it with the tie-rods. Any other tests I should do. Will them twisting make the clunk on rough roads? Any way to test them without replacing them?
Thanks again for the help guys.
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