I need some help. My 2001 Escape has a front suspension clunking noise when going over small bumps. I jacked it up and tugged on the wheels and all seem tight. I removed the fron right wheel and noticed the rubber cover over the lower pivot joint is slightly torn. Could this be where my noise is coming? Are these joints hard to replace, do you need special tools? I read a previous thread stating tie rod ends could be worn, but mine look to be good and tight.

I am also curious about the terminology, am i describing the ball joint or pv joint, or what is it called? The lower pivot ball of the wheel.

Thanks

 

You are describing the lower ball joint. It could be worn and making a noise, and if its cover is torn it must be fixed. But other parts could also be making the noise.


Unfortunately, the lower ball joint cannot be replaced as a single piece. You have to replace the entire lower control arm (the wishbone-type metal frame the ball joint rides in). You can do this yourself, but you need to know what you are doing, and you may need a ball joint separator to get it off. Also, you must jack the car and then the arm separately. This can be dangerous.

If the lower ball joint is ok, and its cover is simply torn, sometimes a replacement cover is available. I would check with the dealer, and with an auto parts store. But if this is the case, then your noise is coming from somewhere else, and you have two problems: a clunk and a torn ball joint boot (cover). You can test the ball joint yourself. Jack the car and place it securely on a jack stand. Remove the wheel. Make certain the wheel hub is not loose (loose bearings) by rocking it left-right, and in-out. If it is ok, put the wheel back on. Then try to rock the wheel/tire by grasping the edges of the tire and pushing in-out, and left-right. You should have no play whatsoever. (Putting the tire back on gives you more leverage when rocking. You really need to put some oomph into it).

The CV joint (Constant Velocity Joint) is a special type of U-joint that connects the front drive axle (from the transmission) to the front hub, so the front wheel can be turned by the engine. Standard U-joints speed up-slow down their spinning components when flexed, even when the speed of the axle shaft stays constant. The CV joint prevents this.

 

Thanks for the info. I will jack it up again and really try to put more muscle into trying to find some play. Earlier, everything felt tight and secure, so I am wondering if my noise might be coming from the strut. Do you have some ideas of some other tests to find this noise. It really sounds like rattling and clunking coming from the lower suspension, but when the vehicle is loaded with four people, the noise isn't as noticable as it is when just one person is in the vehicle.

 

It can be the dickens finding these noises. Sometimes it helps to get two strong individuals and one brave one. Have the brave one lay down flat on his back near the front end area in question, very close to, but not directly under, the frame. Leave the wheels on. Have two individuals rapidly pull up on the bumper or fender lip as hard as they can, pulling the suspension into full extension (or as far as they can make it go). Then have them push down as hard as they can to compress the suspension. Do this over and over trying to replicate the noise. Note that they need to try to do it both quickly and slowly, since some noises represent "snaps" that occur only when suspension components are abruptly stressed or rapidly change position. Repeat these cycles with the wheels straight ahead, and swung far left and right. (Leave the ignition key on so the steering is not locked. But have the engine off, of course). You need two strong helpers - one person cannot move the suspension far enough or quick enough.

The observer needs to get as close as possible - to both see and hear the noise, but be extremely careful to be sure he does not get punched in the nose or the chest by the frame as the car is coming down. Even though the wheels stay on throughout this test, you can really injure someone severely if they get squished, even though they don't get crushed. Under no circumstances should anyone stick his head under the wheelwell itself.

And be careful especially when pushing on sheet metal or bumper covers. If you push or pull hard against any area with some flex to it, you can damage the fender or bumper. You don't want to add a dent to your list of problems. In general, you can lift up on fender lips but you should never push down on fenders.

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Another diagnostic approach is to place the side in question on a jack stand (jackable area of frame), raised enough to have the wheel off the ground. Then use a jack under the lower control arm to raise the wheel an inch or two at a time. Each time you raise the wheel (compress the suspension a bit) rock the wheel vigorously to see if you can reproduce the noise. If you can, at that point inspect carefully for the source. At some point, you will jack high enough to lift the frame off its jack stand. You will then have reached the point of maximum compression achievable by using body weight. The suspension will not have been fully compressed, however. That is why you have to use another method (see above) to get the suspension in as close to full compression as possible (as occurs when hitting a big dip at speed).

 

I have heard of Escapes making clunking noises due to worn sway bar links. You may want to check those for play.

 

I am not sure what the sway bar links are, could you help me identify them and how to check them.

Thanks

 

The sway bar (aka stabilizer bar or horizontal stabilizer bar or anti-sway bar) is a horizontially mounted tube of steel that directly connects the up-down components of the left and right front suspension pieces to each other. Movement of one side up or down is transmitted through this bar to the other side, which is forced to try to move up or down in sync with the side undergoing movement. This action (really a reaction) lessens the likelihood that one suspension piece will be moving down while another one is moving up - which is what must happen if the car is to lean or "roll", usually occuring while taking a curve at speed.

On some cars the stabilizer bar bolts directly to a suspension piece - often the lower control arm. On the Escape, the bar is bolted horizontally to the frame (the bar runs sideways across the front of the car) via large rubber bushings mounted in clamps, like it nearly aways is. But rather than bolting directly to the lower control arm, on Escapes the bar is indirectly connected to the front struts (the large vertical shock absorber tubes around which the spring coils are wound). This connection is accomplished via a short (five inches or so) round vertically positioned metal bar, each end of which has a "mini tie rod end" type of swivel joint on it. These short round steel bars are the stabilizer links. One joint on the link bolts to outboard end of the stabilizer bar. The joint on the other end of the link bolts to a bracket on the corresponding upright strut. These link joints are what can make noise.

If you are able to reproduce the noise (see my earlier email), you can then simply unbolt both stabilizer links from the struts by undoing one link joint on each side (at the stabilizer bar or at the strut - it does not matter which). With the horizontal stabilizer bar now uncoupled from the struts, move the suspension up and down. If the noise is gone, then your problem is a stabilzer link joint.

It is safe to unbolt these links, since they do not carry any weight of the car. But both struts have to be compressed to the same degree to get the joint bolt studs to line up with their mounting holes, or you can have a devil of a time getting things back in. The best way is to leave the car on level ground, turn the wheels in or out, and unbolt the joints. If you cannot reach them this way, you may need to place one side on a jack stand, then put a jack under the lower control arm and jack the strut into compression to match the strut on the opposide side (still on the ground). Then the holes should line up.

 

These small sway bar link connectors are a common source of noise with slow speed bumps on Escapes when worn. You can see them on each end of the bar that goes across the front with the small rods that drop down. These small drop down connectors on the rods get loose and make the noise...Mojave

 

Thanks for all the information, it is great to be able to get this kind of help! I will check the sway bar linkages and see what i find.

 

i had the same problem on my f150 the clunking was only in the rear. i brought it in and found out that the u joint seals or something were bad and had to be replaced. it was kind of spendy though.

 

I was unable to duplicate my noise by physically pushing up and down of the vehicle, but when i grabbed each stabilizer extension rod and yanked back and forth on them i found the noise. I ordered two replacements ($20 ea.) and will replace them today. Will post the results.

 

Sway bar links replaced and noise is gone

Thanks for all the help

 

Hooray for search capability in the forum!

Had the same noise and found this thread, but I don't know whether to be grateful or not (just kidding!). What I thought would be a one-hour job morphed into a 4-hour marathon, mainly because the old nuts were so hard to remove. Plus, the parts man at the Ford dealer neglected to remind me to buy new nuts and I had a hard time finding any while the Escape was on the jackstands. Oh well...

But the noise is gone now, and I much appreciate the help from this group.