'96 balljoint question

[EBInterceptor]

I replaced a bunch of stuff and still had problems, they didn't mount my tire up flush first of all which caused a bad death wobble. Had them clean everything up and found out my swaybar endlinks are shot a couple weeks later when I was still noticing a thud on bumps. Check that out.

 

[Bandido]

they didn't mount my tire up flush first of all which caused a bad death wobble.

That might sound stupid (but I am not american): what does flush mean in this context

Had them clean everything up and found out my swaybar endlinks are shot a couple weeks later when I was still noticing a thud on bumps. Check that out.

What do you mean by clean up? And are the swaybar links on the end of what the Haynes manual refers to stabilizer bar?

sorry for some beginner questions, but I just wonna make sure!!

thanks

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Ah now I see why it was cheaper than I thought, they didn't replace your upper ball joints, were the uppers still good, or did they not tell you? can you describe the clunking noise a lil more in depth? ie. constant noise, comes & goes, when you stop, when your moving, etc. etc. etc. As far as the wobble, I had something similar when I finished installing my tie rods and is a simple fix, hopefully it will be the same for you: they are one way valves and when you have the truck off and you move the wheels back and forth it lets fluid the wrong way into the valves, causing a terrible shudder while you steer. the fix is easy if this is the problem, turn the truck on and turn the wheels, lock to lock, to get the fluid out, meaning all the way you can turn it from side to side, & let me know

 

[JasonF]

Don't you love how they charge $76 for outer tie rod ends when the MOOGs are about $30 a piece.


Jason

 

[Bandido]

ok, the clunking is is not always, but on most bumps. Even though if it just is a little wavelike bump on smooth blacktop, but not all of them. the worst sound is between 15 and 45 mph. On conrete pavement it clunks on most of the sperate pieces, but also not always. It kinda feels it depends on acceleration or decceleration, but couldn't really figure out a difference, yet.

Upper ball joints as well as passenger side tie rods were good. (that's what the sears mechanic said!)

And now I also have a... hard to describe... when you steer hard, it feels like something is loose. Like when you go hard left and then right with the steering wheel.

Dude, I had a hard time understand what you meant by turn truck on and off and fluid and stuff. But you meant, I should have the motor running and then steer all the way to the left and then to the right, correct? Will try that during lunch break...

thanks for the help. I am getting kinda desperate about the suspension...

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

Dude, I had a hard time understand what you meant by turn truck on and off and fluid and stuff. But you meant, I should have the motor running and then steer all the way to the left and then to the right, correct? Will try that during lunch break...

Yup turn it on and turn the wheels ALL THE WAY to where they can't turn any more from all the way left to all the way right, this may solve your problem & it may not, now onto your clunking problem, lord only knows with this one, I would look at the sway bar bushings. Get some brake fluid (doesn't react to rubber )and give those a good soaking. If your thunk goes away or at least lessens a good amount, i'd say you found the problem. Could also be front sway bar links

 

[Bandido]

thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it.

I tried the turning back and forth before going to lunch. I didn't drive that far, but it felt like the wobbling above 45mph stopped. And I wanted to show some corworkers the clunking or thud, but of course it wasn't there this time. Tonight at home I will jack it up and see if I can figure something out about the swaybar and bushings.

brakefluid, but isn't that highly corrosive if it gets on metal parts?

 

[Bandido]

one more thing: I talked to a coworker and he mentioned if it was the shocks? Can shocks cause clunks or thud going over bumps? I mean mine have probably 100kmls on them!!

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

No the shocks wouldn't cause clunks, now they can affect the ride, so going over bumps you might "feel more of the road" if they aren't any good anymore, are these the original shocks from factory?

 

[ExplorerSportNu]

brakefluid, but isn't that highly corrosive if it gets on metal parts?

You should just be putting this on the sway bar bushings, and this only once to see if this is your problem, I have done this myself with no adverse reactions, but since I'm not sure exactly what the prob is, it could be your shocks, but like I said earlier they don't cause a clunk, did you say that you only get the clunk when you go over bumps and is this coming from the front of the car or all over?

 

[EBInterceptor]

That might sound stupid (but I am not american): what does flush mean in this context

What do you mean by clean up? And are the swaybar links on the end of what the Haynes manual refers to stabilizer bar?

When I said "flush" I meant they should mount right up next to eachother. So they are tight and sitting flat. (The rim and everything behind it)

When I said, "clean up" I was basically just saying I had them put everything back together. I probably should have mentioned what they did. When they fixed the tire wobble, they grinded down the inside of the rotor and the part that the inside of the rotor sits against (I can't think of what it's called right now). So that's what I meant by cleaned it up. But still I was getting clunking noises, and looked under there later and noticed something they didn't, and that was the swaybar endlinks. Probably the same thing you're refering to as the stabilizer bar. It runs underneath the front of the Explorer and is mount on the frame with 2 bushings, and then on the ends of the swaybar there is a litte rod with bushings on it that connect the swaybar to the lower control arms. They connect right near where the shocks mount on the bottom.

Hope this helped. I have some new bushings and endlinks coming next week so I'll take some before and after pictures of the job.

 

[Bandido]

the swaybar bushings might have been the problem... I crawled under the truck tonight and then grab the sway bar at the passenger's side and rattled it back and forth and the sway bar was moving in the bushing quite a bit and also made a noise very similar to my clunking!!!!
I guess I am just going to change those bushings to see if it solves the problem...
Or should also change the sway bar end links? Are those the little rods at the ends to the lower control arm?

Should I get original bushings or PU bushings?

To the shocks: I don't know if they are original, but they are black and on the lower end there was a little pink something (couldn't see what it was supposed to be)! Is that typical for Explorer shocks?

 

[EBInterceptor]

The stock ones on mine were all black. Look like a basic, simple design. You can get a bushing kit from Central 4 Wheel Drive, has both the bushings and the endlinks. I've got mine on their way. Hopefully I'll get them by next weekend. I can't remember the persons user name, but they just did a write-up on puting them on and how he felt about them.

 

[Bandido]

thanks for the link, do you remember how long it took for delivery?