I have a 2002 Ranger 2.3L 5spd w/ 16,000 miles. Have noticed this problem for 6 months, been to dealer 3 times now. They say nothing is wrong. What I am "feeling" more than hearing, is a slight knock in the steering wheel, particularly when driving over dips and mild to moderate bumps. This is usually when moving in a fairly straight line, not much tension on the wheel. It reminds me of problems I had on much older cars/trucks when there was a loose shock/strut or play in a ball joint or tie rod. It is annoying because it feels like something is wrong. Dealer can't find anything. Anyone know if there is a known problem like this? Perhaps something not installed properly that loosens and bumps/knocks into other components thereby transferring vibrations through the steering column?

Thanks for your help.

 

have a mechanic drive your truck with you in it that way you can here it then he can get a better idea what it might be..to me it sounds like a ball joint gone bad.. just a guess but try have the guy drive it and go from there

 

Hi Hancockr,

Your description sounds a lot like mine and others I have read...a somewhat sharp knock in the suspension or a flat spot on a tire. Mine seemed to be on the front, so I rotated the tires. The sound/sensation changed. This helped to eliminate my suspension and seemed to isolate the issue to tires..as the sound would not have changed if the suspension was bad.

I am running Wrangler RT/S, 16in on my 02 Edge 4x4 with approximately 18 k on them. They came on the truck (used) from a Ford dealer and felt fine for the first 10k or so, and then the thump developed..nasty darn thing. It does feel as though something fairly serious is wrong with the truck. I have found other threads (on FTE) with the same symptoms, running the same tires, stating the problem was solved when the tires were changed. If you like, do a search, using keyword "Wrangler" and take a look at some of the messages.

I'm relieved that it seems to be a 'minor' problem, but wish I didn't have to trash a good set of tires early. I am going to take one last shot and rotate/substitute my spare around the truck to see if I can isolate the bad one. If it is a tire...this should reveal the culprit and then I will go after the manufacture. I have taken them into the tire shop and they cannot identify any problems.

This truck is already tops in my book, I can't wait to feel the ride without the damn thumping. I will let you know when I have any further info regarding the outcome.

Make it a great day!

 

I had a similar problem with my B2500 and the dealer originally changed the ball joints, to no avail. It turned out to be a bad steering gear. A major fix (fortunately, I got the extended warranty).

 

With as few miles as I have, I hadn't thought seriously about a steering gear, but why not? Any part can be defective from assembly time.

As for tires, I don't think so since it is quite sporadic AND I recently rotated tires with no change in symptoms.

This is a weird one, quite subtle, but annoying nonetheless. I don't think your typical dealer mechanic will take the time (or care enough) to find the problem. Will almost always feel it just as I pull away from the curb in the morning, but at other times as well. Steering gear makes sense as the problem does not appear when turning the steering wheel, but only when traveling in a straight line with no pressure placed on steering to the right or the left.

Although I guess I still can't rule out some suspension component yet either....

 

Hi
I have a 2013 Ranger 3.2 XLT with the same thing. Were you ever able to trace where knock is coming from?
Brett

 

Whew! That was a while ago. I sold the truck last year with 108,000 miles on it and it ran and looked great. I sure miss it, but it didn't work out so well as a regular cab with a wife and baby.

Anyway, if I recall correctly, after having it in to the dealer multiple times while it was still under warranty, they never found it. Two months AFTER the warranty expired, the power steering pump started making noise and I discovered it was WAY low on fluid. Weird thing is I never saw any drips or puddles on the ground. I filled it and a week later same thing. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the rack and pinion (under warranty, thankfully, since I had brought it in several times prior to it expiring). Problem went away and never came back.

Hope that helps. Not that I want you to have to replace your rack and pinion, but it was not a place I had thought to look.

Good luck!

 

Check front wheel bearing play!!!!

 

My 98 2 wheel drive did the same thing that you are describing. It ended up being play in the input shaft to the steering rack. The truck still passed the state safety inspection but I didn't like feeling the play in the steering wheel. I purchased an aftermarket steering rack for under $200.00 that came with a lifetime warranty. The repair job took a little over an hour. That was more or less 100,000 miles ago and I haven't felt the play since.

 

The rack was replaced, also the upper control arm, tie rod ends and some or other linkage. The bearings do make sense as you can also feel a slight knock when coming to a stop. Ford say they have checked that though. I need to find out what the links between the steering wheel and rack are and try and eliminate any coupling, drive element that could be causing this irritation. It is felt on the Freeway at 120 k/ph and also when crawling and turning and driving over a small kerb stone for example.
Brett

 

Ok, good feedback, so why was the steering rack replaced???? Was it faulty, or was it a shot the Dealer took in trying to diagnose/fix this problem???? Was the problem there Before the rack was replaced???? Did the problem come about suddenly, after some event???

As black wolf has suggested, have you taken, or gone with the Dealer Service Manager, or Tech for a test drive so they can feel/hear what you do when the problem happens???

 

Parts changed in an attempt to solve issue. Vehicle has only done 18000 km and problem has only recently manifested itself. Multiple times...........

 

OK, good feedback, so the Dealer threw a rack at it, hoping to get happy, so have you actually had the Dealer Service Manager, or Tech on board for a test drive, so your both singing from the same hymnal/in agreement on what your hearing/feeling????

Right now, it seems that everything except the power steering rack & its fastners still belong on your suspect list.

I know you said they told you they have checked the front wheel bearing play, but have you checked Both wheels yourself????? The reason I ask is that I had a similiar sounding problem on my well maintained Zypher & was told I needed everything from shocks, to struts, to tie rod ends, to a new steering rack, to....well you get the idea. I began to re-check the basics & found the problem myself, it turned out to be a faulty right front wheel bearing, replaced that puppy, no more intermittent thunk/clunk when going over washboard roads!!!! So, just because they say something has been checked, doesn't mean they were thorough enough, maybe they just checked one wheel, or looked at the mileage & decided that its not likely a wheel bearing with that low a mileage figure....who knows how well they've checked the basics.

All that said, if you can narrow down the location a little tighter, maybe that could shed some light on some suspects for your list.

Does the noise seem to be more on one side than the other & does it seem to be more toward the firewall, or radiator end of the engine compartment, high up, or low down???? Does it seem to be temperature sensitive, like worse when cold or warm under hood, or with outside temp changes, or worse after an overnight cool down, or after a short, or long drive????

Have you stood along side the road where the noise happens, while someone drives past while they can hear/feel it happening & you listen for it outside????

 

Checked wheel bearings myself this weekend - all good. I repair industrial gearboxes so I have a pretty good idea what to look for. It is more a knock (like when fishing) and not a noise, very subtle so almost impossible to detect except that I have noticed it is very pronounced if you put your foot onto the steering column whilst driving.

 

Check your mounting bolts for the rack to see if they are loose. Had to have my rack replaced as well and after a period of time noticed something similar to what you have posted and that's what it was on mine.