96 awd 5.0 front end knocking
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96 awd 5.0 front end knocking
hey hey hope all is well ......i wanted to know what to replace on the front end some stuff must be worn after 240 thou kms..little noisy when going over bumpy places ....so i can do it all myself....but want to know what to do first ..shocks ..ball joints ..bushings... tie rods ....what?.thanks again.........
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2005
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How does it handle? does it pull? do you have a bit of play in the steering wheel? I know that Ball Joints seem to fail on these more than anything else.
If it's not pulling, then the tie rod ends are most likely ok... if you are planning on keeping it a while, I would acutally do the whole front end... it just saves you labor/time later - I mean, if you are replacing the ball joints, you might as well do the tie rod ends, bushings, etc
Anything that is not designed to be metal to metal will wear out eventually - greese dries up, rubber breaks down, etc...
Just my 2 pennies
If it's not pulling, then the tie rod ends are most likely ok... if you are planning on keeping it a while, I would acutally do the whole front end... it just saves you labor/time later - I mean, if you are replacing the ball joints, you might as well do the tie rod ends, bushings, etc
Anything that is not designed to be metal to metal will wear out eventually - greese dries up, rubber breaks down, etc...
Just my 2 pennies
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2005
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is the knocking like a clunk? does it happen when you take corners? or only over bumps, straight on...
sounds more shock/spring related... generally, if it's not pulling, and your wheel is nice and tight, and straight when going down the road, it's not tie rods or ball joints, but I could be wrong... could be the upper control arm bushings are failing... hard to know without actually driving the car...
sounds more shock/spring related... generally, if it's not pulling, and your wheel is nice and tight, and straight when going down the road, it's not tie rods or ball joints, but I could be wrong... could be the upper control arm bushings are failing... hard to know without actually driving the car...
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2005
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I bet it's your bushings... the rubber fails after a while, and I bet you are hearing the metal sleeve hitting the housing... like the upper control arm? I wouldn't rule out an upper ball joint, if the truck has them either...
here is what I would do...
Jack one side of the truck, in the front, just enough so the wheel is off the ground...
now, wiggle the tire, and see/hear for any movement or sound... so this on both axis (up and down, and also left to right)
If there is any play, it's a ball joint most likely (or tie rod end, but more like a ball joint if I had to guess)
if you have like a straight bar, slide it under the wheel now, and pry up just a little bit, and see if there is any movement, or sound... if so, it's a bushing, or something with the upper control arm or upper BJ... but, still could be a lower BJ... but if it passed the no wiggle test, I would more or less rule out lower BJ and TR ends...
Do this test, and report back, and maybe we can shed some more light on this...
Good Luck
here is what I would do...
Jack one side of the truck, in the front, just enough so the wheel is off the ground...
now, wiggle the tire, and see/hear for any movement or sound... so this on both axis (up and down, and also left to right)
If there is any play, it's a ball joint most likely (or tie rod end, but more like a ball joint if I had to guess)
if you have like a straight bar, slide it under the wheel now, and pry up just a little bit, and see if there is any movement, or sound... if so, it's a bushing, or something with the upper control arm or upper BJ... but, still could be a lower BJ... but if it passed the no wiggle test, I would more or less rule out lower BJ and TR ends...
Do this test, and report back, and maybe we can shed some more light on this...
Good Luck
