Clunking in front end, ball joints?

[unpredictable1]

Hello,

i'm noticing more and more oover the last little while that if i go over short uneven bumps in quick succession, i'm getting a clunking in thew front end, especially if i have the front tires turned.

the shocks seem good, and i checked underneath the day, and i'm wondering if my ball joints need replacing, or maybe i need to grease those nipples to fill those lil bladders? they seem a bit deflated.


thanks guys,

leo

 

[zoom-zoom]

Well, if I know what I'm talking about, and I like to think I do, then if you're in 4x4 when you hear these clunks, then it's your hubs binding. This is due to the front wheels spinning slower than the rear wheels and one front wheel spinning slower than the other front wheel. Just my two cents.
Later.

Just out of curiosity, do you have manual locking hubs or automatic?

 

[jimbo74]

to me, it sounds as if your balljoints or radius arm bushings are bad....

 

[X-1]

On a first generation the radius arm bushings are notorious for what you decribed. Time for some poly bushings.

 

[unpredictable1]

thanks for the replies guys and happy new year!

i'm not in 4x4 when this is happening. perfect description right now would be this morning for example... i get to the end of my gf's condo roadway and you slightly decline over a curb, much like whats at the end of everyone's driveway and onto the main street...i went over it slow today and had a very pronounced *clunk clunk* as my front tires touched down.

how hard is it to do the radius arm bushings or ball joints in these rigs?

thanks,

leo

 

[410Fortune]

Its not that hard, if you ahve the tools.

What you describe does sound like the ra bushings.

Here's the short version:
You can get a set of energy bushings from a local 4x4 shop for about $35.

You will need to get some grade 8 or grade 10 bolts.

I have found a 4" disc grinder works great to cut the radius arm crossmember rivets ( you have to cut the rivets that hold the ra x member to the frame, dont worry if you plan to lift/lower, rebuild, or keep your ex for a long time you will be cutting these same rivets.
You can grind the heads flat in about 10 minutes each then punch them through. (with the truck on jackstands)

Once the crossmember is cut from the frame (one side at a time works fine) you can get a the factory rubber bushings on the front side of the ra. Clean up the holes in the frame, drill if you need to. spay a little paint and put everything back together using your news bolts.

It is good f you get a helper, two people can do this job easier, you will also need the usual, drill, grinder, jack, stands, 1-1/4" wrench (for the ra nuts, if I remember right, I think a 24mm also works) and a Saturday afternoon.

Shops charge anywhere from $100 to $500 tp do this job.

 

[Jason_25]

Definitely sounds like RA bushings. My friend's 94 does the same thing. Normally, when a ball joint goes it will cause a squeak, especially when steering because it's the part that allows the spindle to pivot around.

 

[unpredictable1]

wow thanks for the detailed explanation 410Fortune!

and thanks to everyone else that replied.

Before I gear myself up to do this job, what can i do to verify that this is the problem?

 

[X-1]

First look under your ex at the cross member, mine was bolted on, some ex's are bolted noy riveted, secondly, visual check of the bushings, being a 93 they are probably long over due, look for cracks wear marks, or a hard glazed look to them, At this point you may want to go ahead and do the oivot arm bushings while you have the front end apart. One last thing I would probably check first is the front shock upper bushings, mine were compressed causing the shock to move around in the upper mount, I solved this by putting a washer under the bolt. You can also purchase these bushings right here from Hank, he is selling the daystar bushings, this is where I bought mine from, good prices. His address is Flexsplorers.com

 

[Aussie_jase]

Try checking the sway bar link arms. My 97 xlt had similar problems, they replaced ball joints , tie-rod ends and the D-bushes on the swaybar , nothing fixed the problem. I asked them to try replacing the link arm bushings and problem was fixed. Mine did the clunking going over small bumps and when going over the lip of concrete into my garage. Doesnt seem like the small things would make much noise , but its what was wrong on mine.

 

[unpredictable1]

K fellas I looked in the Haynes manual and they make reference to a radius arm...is this it?

it sounds so loose i should be able to grab something under the front end and shake it around...

When changing the bushings, can the truck be under load? more or less on car ramps, and not jacked up in the air.

 

[fordkrazy]

if you are hearing the clunking sound its the radius arm catching on the crossmember cause the bushings are worn out.....by the time i heard the clunking the arm and the crossmember had worn away at eachother and needed to be replaced....oh and i do believe that all the crossmembers were riveted on...if they're bolted on they have been replaced.

the process to replace them is easy (but not the first time) to replace the crossmember is prolly the easiest with the exception of the rivits ( my 4" grinder wouldnt fit all the way so i had my buddy torch them off....very dangerous but desperate times call for desperate measures..lol) now the radius arms them selves are a real pain to get off....you have to remove the spring to get at the bolts for it.

but if you are lucky enough to catch the problem before it eats away at parts then just replacing the bushings is a snap and you dont even have to jack it up (makes it easier IMOP) just get on some fairly level ground and set your parking brake real good....disconnect the sway bar and loosen the nuts on the back of the arm....then push forward like crazy on the tire to get the arm out of the crossmember.

good luck man

 

[unpredictable1]

all of your help is greatly appreciated. i hope it hasn't gotten to the point where i need to replace the crossmember or radius arm.

if someone had a picture of under the front end and could circle the points where i have to look, this would help me considerably. i'm sure everyone knows how easy it makes the job when you know right what to look for and focus on.

if someone was to tell me to point out the crossmember, i'd be lost.....catch my drift?

but don't let this make me look like i'm not able to do the job.

 

[X-1]

The radius arm attaches to the axle and frame, on the frame side is where the bushings are, look under the ex right around the area where the front fender meets the door. You will see the cross member and the radius arm going thru it, sorry no pics.

 

[unpredictable1]

I now have the truck up on ramps in the front.

The bushings I'm assuming are cirlcular in shape. They don't look bad from what I can tell but I'm going to take a closer look.

So 2 bushings, one on each side could be causing this noise? Is there nothing I can grab and shake that will actually verify whats wrong?

thanks

 

[Byrd91]

You will have to jack the car up by the frame until the wheel is off the ground to be able to "shake" the front wheel back and forth(forward and back). If you see any play in the bushing from the force you can exert on it, than road forces are going to have more force and probably the bushings are probably making the noise. You can also check the balljoints with the wheels off the ground by looking for play at the balljoints when shaking the tire top to bottom.

 

[unpredictable1]

OK i took a closer look on both sides. I can not see these bushing being that bad to cause this noise. They don't even look bad for that matter. They're not split or cracked open at all.

But I have no idea what else could be causing the sound. My best description would be a rapid clunking as if someone was rattling a bar inside loop under the front end, when i go over small quick juts. hitting one large dip in the road, or bump straight on, does *not* create the clunk at all.

gah i dunno, maybe i'll just start replacing everything. ball joints, bushings the whole shot.

if i had a nice high res picture of the bushings would that help you guys out in helping me?

i'm using my gf's garage and I don't wanna keep the explorer in there for long....

 

[Jason_25]

To rule out the sway bar bushings (which is also a common problem) , disconnect the sway bar end links and then drive and listen for the noise. Drive carefully though as there will be a huge amount of body roll.

 

[LStoudenmire]

lbrowne, I have had the same problem, and have not been able to figure it out as well. I have replaced the radius arm bushings, and still have the noise when turning. I am going to replace the sway bar bushings when I install my new springs to see if that helps.

 

[unpredictable1]

i'm going to take her off the ramps and try jacking up the front, and checking those balljoints. i'll also try disconnecting the sway bar, and go for a short drive...

now which one is exactly the sway bar, because I think what i was looking at was the tie rod/steering linkage....

can you disconnect the sway bar while the truck is under load?

another note, unless i'm going over bumps while turning will I get this clunking, driving over smooth surfaces or dips in the road straight on, or turning i won't get the noise. but if i drive over for example, uneven hard snow that has been packed down by cars driving over it...i get :

*ka-clunk clunk ka ka ka clunk clunk clunk ka clunk* a quick clunking sound for every lil bump. whether i'm slightly turning or driving staright. or even coming off an exit curb onto a main road, that lil tiny drop whilst slightly turning... *ka-clunk clunk*

its definitely a suspension part(s) making the sound. and its definitely in the front end. The radius arm bushing don't look hard to replace.... one bolt and push the tire forward....


thanks again fellas, this board is truly a great resource.