Hi all, this has got me a bit confused and it is anoying me so if anyone can tell me what it is and how to fix it I would be greatful.

I just bought a 92 F150 4x4 with an M5OD & 31x10.5 tires, not that any other than the year and body should matter but it might. I am noticing a few strange noises that make me wonder about the durability of the truck. There is some light rust on the cab corners and bed wheel wells but the truck is really clean for its age. There is also a small dent on the drives door/fender just enought to make it pop when I open the door and the door is mis aligned so air leaks. But that isn't what I'm here about.

First off is a POP that happens rather frequently. It isn't always the same volume but loud enought hear over the radio and air leak in the door. Sometimes it is really loud and sometimes not so much but it sounds like a rock hitting the window. The first time or two that it was really loud I thought it was but it happens a lot so I am sure that it is not. I checked the spring and shocks steering componats and nothing seems to be broken although the frount U-joints should be replaced since they have a small amount of slop in them. I think I need to to ball joints too but I don't notice it driving just from checking the parts with the wheels off. I don't think any of that is related to what I am hearing though becuase one, it can be really loud in the cab and its not a cluck noise. Plus no diffrence driving it.

The second noise that i hear, but only when the radio is off, is a tick tick coming from the passenger side. and it happens very steady about every 5 seconds.

Thanks,
Ethan

 

I have that EXACT same pop/rock hitting the windshield sound you have. From what I've gathered, it's caused by a broken bracket holding your dash. Apparently, Ford used a plastic L-bracket to attach the dash to the firewall around the glovebox area. It commonly cracks/breaks, and when the dash shifts you get that sound. Several other people on this site have this problem with their trucks; some people fabbed up a replacement metal bracket, I've personally come to live with it (figure I've got enough to worry about with my truck to deal with a minor inconvience like that).

 

The tick, tick, tick, if unreleated to vehicle speed typically is the blower motor. Even in the "off" position, its still spinning at a very slow speed. Turn the blower to a faster speed, and see if the tick tick tick goes away.

Air leaks in the door are often due to misalignment, which as you pointed out could be dent/damage related but also possibly worn hinge pins. They do wear out as the doors on the F-series are fairly heavy. As you drive over road imperfections the doors may move up and down, squeeking and rattling a bit.

Sometimes headrests rattle, all four in my crewcab do that on fairly rough roads, and its most annoying since the headrests are right behind your ears.

cab corner rust might also be contributing to this, since the mounts are right there, maybe the mounting area of the cab is "soft" but not broken through yet, so the cab can move slightly causing varying misalignment around the various glass and body parts. Its not all that uncommon, actually, for any of the full size trucks regardless of brand.

Metal doesn't need to flex that much in order to make a lot of noise, especially in a vehicle where a lot of the metal is large, reasonably flat surfaces. The doors are large, the front and rear firewalls are large, etc. This amplifies noises and often relocates them to strange places making it a little difficult to troubleshoot.

Another thing to check is the tightness of the many, many bolts and screws holding the dashboard and dashboard duct/support, as even the slightest bit of looseness allows the large, plastic dashboard to flex, also making a racket.

 

Check your dash on the far right by the glove box, next to the door. If the plastic bracket broke then that could be the cause of the noise. On my 95 F150 the bracket broken and my dash sagged on that side. I made a steel L shaped bracket that took about 20 minutes to make. Just remove the kick panel and you can get to it. I get noises with my 95 as well. Like the one when you turn the wheel fully and it sounds like the frame pops. I've lived to learn with them. These are still tough trucks.

 

thanks, I am going to be pulling my dash appart to mount a CB and some switches so I will check that out. Speaking of which, next to the headlamp switch in my truck is a blank pannel; however there is wireing block that plugs into the back of it which seems to have no real perpose. What is this and is it ok to leave unpluged/jump and remove the pannel/ get rid of it alltogether? I want to make it so I have indipendet switch for the dome and bed lights and wanted to put the switches there.

 

my 1993 ford f150 has a pop tin can sound also. My noise comes when the seat is adjusted all the way back and then the floor tin cans.

 

Few more questions about my truck,
Idicator lights for the 4wd don't work, I didn't know I had them till I took that face off and noticed where they are. I have BW 18-56 transfer and the 4wd works, although in my opinion 4L is geared a bit to high. Just wish the lights would work since they are there.
Other question: I found out that the hinges themselves are bent and I don't want to just try to adjust them and not fix them. the thing is new hinges are 90 each for a few peices of stamped steel, a pin, and a few washers. How hard is it to take the door off completely? I figure if I can do it pretty quick I can then bend the brackets back straight at put them back on.

 

The wiring next to the headlight switch is fuel related. I presume you only have a single gas tank, as the gas tank switch is normally there. I dont think you could just take it out, but you might be able to find out which pins are jumped to another and wire it up and tuck it out of the way.
If you just unplug it, I believe your fuel pump will not run at all.

-Chris

 

Remove your glove box door and glove box. Check the brackets everyone is referring to as well as the wiper regulator box. If you have pines where you are needles in the circulation fan will "tick" lightly once very dried out. Another source of popping, but more easily identifyable is the roof of the truck. If anyone ever sat on it and caused a dent the decrease in air pressure while going down the road at speed will make it pop loudly, but this is probably not your problem. As long as you do your preventive maintenance and you have a sound vehicle to start with, your truck should be very reliable. 236.500 on my F-250 as of today.
Good luck, Tex.