Front suspension / clunk problem

[Milan Stojic]

Hi everyone,

i have that annoying clunking in the front end, both left and right side, and when going over uneven pavement it fells like my swaybar is dancing a jig banging around. now here is the thing, i dont know if its the sway bar, but i have a new set of aftermarket links, and bushings to replace. they look like they have never been replaced before, but they also dont look like they are bad. they still could be.

i have been looking for some tips, and instructions on replacing these but was not able to find any for 8th gen. links are pretty straight forward, but the issue is the lower nut. its so tight there behind the control arm that i can hardly get in there, and when i loosened it up, it just keeps spinning but is not unscrewing. i will try a pair of Vise grip pliers to hold on the other side as there is no place for a wrench to get in there. the new links i have do have a nut on the back side to be held. just a stupid OEM design on old links.

My bigger problem are the bushings on the sway bar. these are in such a tight space and are accessed through the wheel well, and kind of hard to unscrew the mounting bracket. anyone done this before? anyone has some tips on how to do this without shrinking ones arms to squeeze in there. this clunking is driving me nuts, and i want to slap these new bushings in there and see if it stops. links are worn out, but still don`t look that bad. dealer examined the ball joints and said they are good. i thought strut mounts are shot, but took the towers out, they are pretty decent.

one thing i am affraid off is the bushings on the control arm being bad, and dont want to do that job of replacing those. anyone had to replace these because of clunking in the front?

i know that its usually caused by bad links, or bushings on the sway bar, but on explorer there are apparently 5 different things that can cause this, or all of them together, or a combination of them.

btw, for you who will say i have bad strut mounts, i dont, replaced with new monroe ones that are supposed to be better than OEM, still clunking.

thanks

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
There are several existing threads on front end clunks. You can find these using the handy 'Search' feature in t he upper right of the page. Here are just 2 of them.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...ping-noise-in-front-end-at-low-speeds.432357/
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/front-end-clunk-bushing-failure.419861/
Did you ever get the media hub issue resolved?

Peter

 

[Odrapnew]

If it's anything like my old Honda was, it was just easier to cut the old ones off. I think I was able to spin the nut off just enough to get a saws-all behind the sway bar(between the bar and the ball).

And yes, with that car, the links looked just fine, but they were the culprit for clunking going over uneven pavement.

Any way you can yank on the links to see if they clunk? You might not be able to put enough force into the links by hand, but when you use a 5000lb vehicle to apply a load, it might show up.

 

[Milan Stojic]

hi Peter,

i was either searching with wrong keywords, or i dont know what i was doing. i kept coming up with older generation models, that have different links and bushings. thanks for the links

yes, i did about a week ago. took the hub out, opened it up, and apparently some liquid got in there at one point, it was all green around, and messy, and just fried. i replaced it with a new one. its an easy swap. thanks for the links again going through them now.

 

[klotzy_550]

Details:

• 2014 Explorer
• XLT
  
• AWD
• V6 NA
• 129k miles (like new, all highway miles...Sunday driven...catholic owned...non smoker)

Problem / complaint:
Alright, I have been noticing a subtle thud / clunk in my front end of my explorer (classic descriptor right?). The noise from my point of view appears to originate from the front passenger side. You can vaguely hear the thud in the attached video (ear buds help!). It is most apparent to me when going over uneven ground (like a road seam or crack). Seems like when ever the vehicle has to "rock" side to side over a crack in the road, since the noise seems to be two quick noises (4 Hz-12 Hz Ranges ), this makes me think sway bar?. The noise is only prominent between a slow creep and 15 mph.

What I have done / investigated:

• Strut Mounts - Replaced on both sides, struts are still good, no signs of leaking and no corrosion. Coil spring and rubber isolator also appear to be good.
• Sway Bar End Links - Both have been replaced and tightened up to spec within the past 2000 mi.
• Inspected the control arm bushings visually - (appear to be good), rocked the tire in the air and couldn't detect any notable movement.
• Inspected the ball joint visually - no signs of a broke boot. Rocked the tire at 12 and 6 and couldn't get any movement.
• Doesn't appear to pull one way or another while driving
• No notable wobble or vibration during normal driving or hard acceleration
• Notable vibration / subtle wobble in the steering wheel while braking hard, I.e: hard braking at freeway speeds while towing. Don't think this is warped rotors since every time I have had them in the past the wobble / vibe was more independent of brake pedal force.
• Haven't really looked at the sway bar / anti roll bar frame bushings yet.

Not sure if this noise is common or acceptable, just know that I have slowly noticed it and once I notice something I become fixated on it until it is corrected. If anyone has some ideas that would be greatly appreciated! If anyone has the answer that would even be better!

I have another video that is being a bear to upload, pretty much the same as the attached. If it ever finishes processing I will attach it to this thread.

 

[reserved50]

let me know when you find it, my next step is just throwing in random parts till it stops, I think it might be worn lower arm bushings even though they aren't cracked (my other Exploder had new complete lower arm assemblies and no noise at all over bumps, every thing else was original). I actually unbolted my sway bar links and tied up the sway bar, made no difference in my case.

Most obvious when driving over speed bumps

 

[klotzy_550]

Yeah, I am currently debating of throwing a new loaded A-Arm at it just because it will cover the control arm bushings and the ball joint. But was hoping for a some more input before pulling the trigger on a $75 part.

let me know when you find it, my next step is just throwing in random parts till it stops, I think it might be worn lower arm bushings even though they aren't cracked (my other Exploder had new complete lower arm assemblies and no noise at all over bumps, every thing else was original). I actually unbolted my sway bar links and tied up the sway bar, made no difference in my case.

Most obvious when driving over speed bumps

 

[peterk9]

Yeah, I am currently debating of throwing a new loaded A-Arm at it just because it will cover the control arm bushings and the ball joint. But was hoping for a some more input before pulling the trigger on a $75 part.

Welcome to the Forum.
Your thread was moved to this existing one on a similar issue. See post #2 for more info.

Peter

 

[klotzy_550]

let me know when you find it, my next step is just throwing in random parts till it stops, I think it might be worn lower arm bushings even though they aren't cracked (my other Exploder had new complete lower arm assemblies and no noise at all over bumps, every thing else was original). I actually unbolted my sway bar links and tied up the sway bar, made no difference in my case.

Most obvious when driving over speed bumps

Ended up ordering the a MOOG lower control arm. When I removed my OEM one, I noted that the ball joint wasn't clunky, but was pretty free to move. The front control arm looked good, but was hard to tell if it actually was based on how it is packaged. The rearward bushing was pretty soft. I could physically contort it by hand with ease. I installed the new control arm, and will note that the new bushings are a 100x more rigid, I had the work the pry bar and jack accordingly to get the final bolt in. Took it for a spin and my clunk has gone away

Hopefully this helps people who come to this forum with noises similar to what I have linked in my video above. A clunk or front end noise is an EXTREMELY terrible way to group a bunch of threads that end up in speculation with no definitive solution found. This tactic also results in several pages of posts of what can potentially be different "noises." This is the reason for posting my video first and providing an audio signature to this specific noise / clunk.

 

[reserved50]

I noticed these things come with bushings that don't show much wear but will get soft, if anyone asks me how to stop this clunk I would tell them to just replace the upper strut mounts, sway bar end links and lower arm assemblies all at once. They seem to give out around the same time with normal wear and tear and saves labor. Good to hear

When I changed just my upper strut mounts it did get quieter but still there, I then removed my front end links completely and tied the sway bar up securely and there was still a thud, the only part left I could think of that my previous Exploder had repaired was the lower arms since its easier if you don't have a press (and cheaper since a shop doesn't have to assemble them) or just rear bushings if you have a press, so that was my next step.

Loose ball joint with no play especially if it just flops around means its on the way out anyways.

 

[klotzy_550]

Loose ball joint with no play especially if it just flops around means its on the way out anyways.

Yup, exactly what I was thinking. I remember reading somewhere and previous dealings with ball joints, there should be some sort of "resistance" to motion. When in motion, it should be fluid and continuous.

On a side note, I am a fan of MOOG's grease-able ball joint. For $90 from Rock auto, you really cannot go wrong. I have access to presses and what not, but at the end of the day, you need to figure what your time is worth. IIRC if I were to buy both control arm bushings from MOOG, it would have ran me $40 - $50 before shipping. That being said, for an additional $40-$50 (including shipping) you get a new control arm, new installed bushings AND the new ball joint. If it ended up being the ball joint, I would have had to buy a whole control arm anyways. Food for though.

 

[reserved50]

well the front control arm rear bushing were changed out, noise is 100% gone, the ball joints had a small amount of friction left but I still do recommend just changing out the complete lower control arms. One tip is to use a small wire brush and take several minutes to clean out all the dirt out of the threaded studs before removal.
The ride is much stiffer over bumps now but no more noise, its unreal how soft the old bushings had gotten, the inner collar was contacting the outer collar in the bushing due to flex and making an annoying sound.

Yup, exactly what I was thinking. I remember reading somewhere and previous dealings with ball joints, there should be some sort of "resistance" to motion. When in motion, it should be fluid and continuous.

On a side note, I am a fan of MOOG's grease-able ball joint. For $90 from Rock auto, you really cannot go wrong. I have access to presses and what not, but at the end of the day, you need to figure what your time is worth. IIRC if I were to buy both control arm bushings from MOOG, it would have ran me $40 - $50 before shipping. That being said, for an additional $40-$50 (including shipping) you get a new control arm, new installed bushings AND the new ball joint. If it ended up being the ball joint, I would have had to buy a whole control arm anyways. Food for though.

 

[SHUMAX]

Had this EXACT issue in a 2011 limited at 70k and now in a 2014 Sport at 45k. Replaced at 45k and it’s coming back now at 90k. The suspension is the same as the Taurus. Think about that - SUV on a Taurus suspension, in effect? Yea.

Replacing the lower, rear, control arm bushing is the fix. But, you are further ahead to replace the entire control arm since you are there. Ford updated the part a year ago and now you can’t replace just the bushing; has to be the entire arm. Regardless, it’s not that pricey. It’s all labor, really. But, it will fix that dull thumping and loose feeling in the lower front end. Makes the vehicle like a new one - tight and controlled.

Shumax

 

[reserved50]

I had "MOOG" brand installed, they sell just the bushing. Either way the arm should be removed to replace it and changing the entire arm is a better option and much less work. Toreass weighs quite a bit also, I think they just wanted to give these vehicles a very soft ride and the bushings were too weak to begin with, that's my guess, if its not that, its just bad design

 

[SHUMAX]

The moog part won’t last. Tried that and got 15k on the Explorer - 10k on my wife’s Edge. Never again. Eaten alive in labor costs with that move. Ugh.

There is about a 400lbs weight difference between the Explorer and Taurus. Not much, but the fact the Explorer sits higher can add additional stress to those components. Regardless, it’s not a great fit for the Explorer, unfortunately.

Shumax

 

[reserved50]

damn it . I've never had an issue with Moog yet that's why went with that brand. They even bragged it was upgraded "Problem Solver", maybe they had a revision, well I'll find out/hope I guess.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts <---for right side, left side has similar write up

 

[SHUMAX]

I used the EXACT same logic you did. Exact. Maybe it was bad luck...twice. Hope that for you!

 

[sh8ker]

The moog part won’t last. Tried that and got 15k on the Explorer - 10k on my wife’s Edge. Never again. Eaten alive in labor costs with that move. Ugh.

There is about a 400lbs weight difference between the Explorer and Taurus. Not much, but the fact the Explorer sits higher can add additional stress to those components. Regardless, it’s not a great fit for the Explorer, unfortunately.

Shumax

Gland i found this thread before ordering. Just wanna make sure. Was your experience the same part on below link?

Front Lower Control Arm Bushing | Ford Explorer | MOOG

 

[SHUMAX]

Correct. That part lasted about 15k on mine and the noise was back. You can still find the Ford part/equivalent online/EBay, but they are getting harder to find given Ford now only sells the entire control arm WITH the bushing you pictured. Good luck!

 

[dont slow down]

The moog balljoint I bought for my truck were the "problem solver" ones and the Box said lifetime warranty. Still have the box somewhere for that reason.