clunking noise. Help please!

[annah]

I need some help please, I'm totally at a loss.

A few weeks ago, a noise started, king of a clinking, like there was a rock rolling around in the hubcap. Only noticable at low speeds- <10mph.

Day before yesterday, I was driving around, and all of a sudden there is a very loud clunking noise. It sounds like it's coming from the right rear wheel. It appears after I've driven a mile or 2. Before that, the noise is just not there, car sounds fine. It starts clunking/banging, and then gets progressively louder. The sound makes me think that something isn't engaged properly, and is trying to be. No rational reason for that explanation, just what it sounds like to me. Slowing down without hitting the brake pedal, braking, or accelerating do not make the noise stop. It happens on turns as well. Last night I had to drive (tornado warning here to seek immediate shelter) The noise started as usual, got louder, I made a left turn, and the noise suddenly stopped.

I have jacked up the car, shaken the wheels, everything looks good. I have tried to move the driveshaft, and that appears good as well. I do have an occassional clunk when shifting into drive, so not sure if that is an indication that a ujoint might be in the future, but at any rate, I can't make the ujoints move.

I've also crawled under and around, and everything looks good. No leaks, no cracked seals, no broken brackets that I can see.

It's really a scary sounding clunk, and I am driving around with 4 little kids, so I can't risk being stranded on the side of the road, or having to walk home.

Any ideas as to what this might be, and would you consider it safe to drive? (i don't)

Extra info: 2005 explorer 4x4, 59k miles

 

[2002GreyHD150]

We all have relative levels of "safe" & usually if the driver is not sure, that = unsafe.

does your Ex have REAR HVAC?

My wife's Monty started doing this & it drove me NUTZ for almost 8 months. I tore the entire underside apart... I was sitting at Drive through & I couldn't hear the lady @ the window so I shut off the Rear A/C blower... thumping stopped. You could only hear it under 10-15mph, due to road noise. Sounded like something was swinging against the underbody or the inside of the wheel well in the driver's rear quarter panel.

Not a 100% for sure answer but one I have been waiting to share. Sit in the driveway or drive in the neighborhood, turn the Rear Fan on & off see that's it.

Rob

 

[annah]

No, no rear hvac.

I tried everything I could think of while the clunking was happening, and nothing changed it. I shifted to a different gear (automatic, but i went down to the next gear) put it in 4x4. I tried engaging/disengaging 4x and driving in reverse...

 

[swshawaii]

Do you have Rear Sway Bar End Links? If so, repair them with the Moog Problem Solver Kit. GL

 

[annah]

I'm not quite sure what a rear sway bar end link is. I'm assuming it's the thing that resembles a tie rod end, and the other end mounts to the frame? If so, I checked it today, and there is no movement, and the rubber boot/cover thing looks good. I also checked out the axles today, and they appear ok. I did find a broken cover/boot on a front ball joint, but other than that, all boots and whatnot appear ok.

Could a bad shock be creating these noises? I wouldnt think the ball joint could be the cause, since the noise occurs on perfectly smooth roads, and at low speeds also. I know the shocks need replacing, but I can't afford to do them if they aren't necessary yet, until I have identified the mystery noise. I drove again today to confirm, the clunking only appears after the car has been driven a ways. I'm thinking the grease somewhere is getting warm, and allowing a knocking? I'm going to replace the differential fluid tomorrow and verify that is clean of debris/shavings.

 

[fusseli]

I'm going to replace the differential fluid tomorrow and verify that is clean of debris/shavings.

Perfect timing! I believe diff oil is a 60k interval anyways.


Maybe a spalsh gaurd came detached and is slapping somewhere? I really have no idea what the noise could be.

 

[annah]

It sounds way too severe to be something unimportant. I have no idea really, I'm totally stumped. It sounds bad, really bad, but nothing I can find looks bad. :/ The noise is repetitive, like in a pattern clunk...clunk...clunk, not erratic. And only happens when the car is actually moving, no bearing on engine revs, or anything else I can think of. I read something about emergency brake pads coming loose, so ill check that out tomorrow too.

Glad to hear I made good timing on the diff fluid! I had no idea when it should be done, but it was the last part in back that i could think of to check that might make weird metallic noises.

Barring finding anything weird happening tomorrow, I'm going to have to start driving again, and just wait for something to break.

 

[fusseli]

Can you take a video of the sound?

Could be ebrake pads I guess but I doubt it if it's a nasty sounding clunk. My ebrake pads just made a light crunching sound as the weight of the vehicle came to rest on them.

 

[04 EDGE]

My parking brake shoes came apart, it made a clunking noise at low speeds, every time the wheel would rotate the noise would happen.

 

[norshor]

I had the same problem. Sounded exactly like a rock in a hubcap. It turned out to be the wheel bearing. The inside of the rim was covered in grease, so that is a dead giveaway.

 

[annah]

I ended up not having time to pull the wheel. Took 2 stores to find an adapter to fit the diff drain plug, then the thing was stuck, so I had to go buy jumbo ratchet for better leverage. Finally got it off, fluid looked good. Dirty, but good, and not as bad as I was expecting. I drove the car to the store, and it wouldn't clunk. Of course because I was ready with my cell phone waiting to video it. I did about 10 miles of driving after dinner, and no noise. I don't know if the noise was coming from the diff, or if the noise is just temporarily gone. I have errands to run tomorrow, and one of the places I'm going is 30 miles away, so I'll report back after the trip.

Is it possible for the wheel bearing to be bad if I can't move the wheel? Or is it not bad perhaps, and just not enough grease in there? I've never done wheel bearings, so I've no idea.

 

[Miss T69]

Hello,

I have the exact same problem with my 2005 Explorer. This clunking noise appears randomly, but once it starts, it seems like it's rhythmic, repetitive, "clunk", 2 sec pause, "clunk" again. I hear the noise whether I'm stopped, accelerating, braking, turning, etc. Same repetitive noise.

It sounds like it's coming from the rear driver-side quarter panel.

I do have rear HVAC.

Does anyone know of any other reason besides the HVAC that might be hazardous, or simply turn off the rear HVAC?