Front suspension / clunk problem

[SHUMAX]

True. But the part is $50 and the labor is 3 times that to replace. I ran into that with the control arms on my wife’s Edge, too. Nice to have a lifetime warranty, but the labor to remove and replace is what eats you up...

 

[dont slow down]

Oh I didn't consider labor. Our cars are out of warranty so i usually do things myself.

 

[SHUMAX]

That’s great you can/have time. When my warranty is up, I will face the same. You do have to question the investment of your time, though. Also, if I remember correctly, you need a press to get the arm into that rear compliance bushing. It’s amazing that one bushing can cause so much of an issue. Good luck!

 

[SHUMAX]

This issue is being addressed on mine tomorrow. It came on around 90k and now, at 100k, it's very noticeable. I will be having both front control arms replaced tomorrow, along with the rear shocks, which are leaking. I'm glad the controls arms are $100 each, including the rear hydro bushing (now), but the labor is near $300, plus an alignment. It makes the car feel like new, but it's not right they need to be replaced about very 50k - did my first set at 45k and now the second at 100k.

Shumax

 

[rulz]

Ive been reading all your post about the freaking clunk that sounds like metal to metal. I recently acquired a ford Explorer limited 2014 54k on it. I replaced front driver side Lowe control arm, sway links bar, cv joint, strut and upper assembled part of the strut, a lot issue gone/resolved but I still hear a BIG clunk when going over uneven pavimenta/roads and they are huge sounds. Like if I get a metal
Stick and hit the subframe directly. I can’t pinpoint my issue , any idea ?

 

[SHUMAX]

Are you 100% sure it's not coming from the other side? Or, from a part that you replaced? You pretty much replaced everything but the sway bar bushings and the sub frame bushings. I doubt the later would cause the issue, but the former certainly could.

In my experience, the control arms don't result in a metal on metal sound. It's a thumping from the back of the arm moving around inside the rear hydro bushing. When it gets weak, it can't keep that arm "still" and it allows it to hit the mount while inside that rubber surround. That's the "thump" you hear. Metal on metal sounds have been sway bar links and then sway bar bushings for me.

I always have to put this plug in based on my frustration with this topic - it amazes me that ANY of this is an issue with 50,000 miles on the vehicle. Poor design? Poor parts? Both? I don't know; however, I've owned a lot of vehicles over the years; I've never had to replace suspension parts this early in their life...

Shumax

 

[rulz]

It has to be something beside of the part I replace because all of this I replaced no more than 2 weeks ago.

 

[WPM55]

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

I have an 08 4 door that sometimes makes that annoying clunck sound. It only does it when the wheels are in hard left turn on uneven ground. It tracks great, tires wear evenly and its very rare when it does it, but when it does, everyone in town hears it. It's a very heavy clunk which leads me to think lower control arm bushings in which case its better to replace the entire lower control arm. Like that the bushings are installed perfectly. I'm just going to let it ride a while longer, as I said, I hate tearing into the front suspension on a vehicle that steers and tracks so well, plus it could be something else that's causing it.