Front End Problems...Help!

[streve]

I am having severe problems with my Ford Explorer. I will try to give as much detail as possible...

1998 Explorer Sport 4WD

The problem is in my front end and/or steering. When I am hitting bumps, bridge joices, pot holes, etc. in the road, The whole steering feels like it goes loose. Also, it seems if I hit a big bump while I am going through a turn, the steering goes out of whack and the whole vehicle starts shaking horribly and doesn't stop shaking until I pull over and completely stop the vehicle.

On my first visit to my mechanic, he replaced the ball-joints along with the end-link kit for the sway bar. On my drive home, the problem still existed. I called and told him and he said to bring it in the next morning. On that visit, he replaced the shocks/struts. A week went by and I thought the problem was solved, but a few days ago I was on my way to a friends son's b-day party and I hit a bridge joice and the car started shaking horribly again. I pulled over and it stopped, I have driven pretty carefully since Saturday and haven't had any major problem with it, but if I hit a slight bump it feels like I the steering goes loose. If I hit a big bump or pot-hole, the whole truck shakes violently.

I have asked a few car savvy friends and they think it coudl be the steering rack.

If anyone can possible give me some insight as to what might be going wrong or anything, it would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Blee1099]

It could be a number of things. I would suggest just checking everything in the front end. If you have tools & jack or jackstands available, you could probably determine what is causing all your problems. To test whether or not the lower and/or upper balljoints have failed, jack the front end up and grab the tire at the 12 & 6 o'clock position and try to push the tire in toward you & out against you. If you notice any significant amount of play then chances are one of the balljoints are bad. To check if you have a bad wheel bearing/hub assembly, jack the truck up again and try pushing the wheel toward the engine. If you can physically see the cv axle going in & out in the hub assembly then the wheel bearing/hub assembly is shot. To check for a bad tie rod end by moving the steering linkage back and forth to check for looseness. Hopefully that'll assist you.

 

[streve]

Thanks for the quick reply. I already had all the ball-joints replaced and that never fixed the problem as I stated in my original post. I am not much a car savvy person, so I will havy my buddy (who is a great mechanic) look at it and test the things you mentioned above.

If anyone else has experienced similar problems, I'd love to hear your solutions.

Thanks again, Blee

 

[Diddy74]

I have the same issue, i've replaced the ball joints,end links,bushings,shocks,wheel balence,alignment etc and I still have a rough ride, When I get the time i'm going to have the steering linkage and shock mounts checked.

 

[Blee1099]

Don't forget that the Explorer is built on a truck frame, so its gonna ride a harsher than a minivan.

 

[Diddy74]

True but I know how my "truck" was riding when I got it 7 months ago, and the difference in how the handling and ride feels after months of being abused by the "streets" of NYC ..and geez its now pothole season as the snows begin! Just a question, maybe this should go in another thread but anyone who lives in the Northeast or any other part of the counrty that has moderate to severe winter weather experience horrible road condtions due to plowing and salting of the roads? NYC seems to have this down to a science. Maybe its the quality of the asphalt but its just friggin ridiculous! :fire:

 

[Daveboys]

Bad tires can cause this. The swampers on my f100 will do this. You can be driving along just fine and hit a bump the whole truck will shake like it is going thru reentry until you slow down or speed up enough to get everything in balance.

 

[Turdle]

I would check the tie rod ends an the steering intermediate shaft slip joint. The latter can really do some wierd things to the steering

 

[exploded99]

Is the steering wheel vibrating back and forth? Or do you feel the vibration in the truck, but not in the steering wheel (wheels tramping up/down)?

Since it seems to occur less often than it used to, ask your mechanic if he did lower control arm bushings when he did the ball joints. You got new bushings on the uppers because the upper control arm assembly gets replaced as a unit when you do upper ball joints.

Also, I will mention this just "because" - a couple of months ago there was a guy with a vibration in his front end that went through a lot of hoops and could not find it. Turns out he put a set of custom wheels on the truck - but they had the wrong offset. You don't have custom wheels do you?

 

[streve]

Is the steering wheel vibrating back and forth? Or do you feel the vibration in the truck, but not in the steering wheel (wheels tramping up/down)?

Since it seems to occur less often than it used to, ask your mechanic if he did lower control arm bushings when he did the ball joints. You got new bushings on the uppers because the upper control arm assembly gets replaced as a unit when you do upper ball joints.

Also, I will mention this just "because" - a couple of months ago there was a guy with a vibration in his front end that went through a lot of hoops and could not find it. Turns out he put a set of custom wheels on the truck - but they had the wrong offset. You don't have custom wheels do you?

The vibration is in the whole truck. It was so bad the passenger seat was shaking as well along with the rattling of my coin change in the center cup holder. It also does it in the steering wheel. The only thing that is wierd is I can control it enough to pull over and stop the vehicle.

The only reason is occurs less often is because I am driving cautiously and avoiding every bump till my appointment with the mechanic on Monday. I only drive to and from work, and its 10 miles round trip.

No custom wheels. I have had the same wheels. The tires are the same since 2001, ever since the recall of the Firestones.

Thank again everyone for the insight and advice.

 

[exploded99]

Well, post back and let us know what happens. I for one am curious. Might be a couple of things that still need to be fixed.

That much vibration with new shocks is odd.

 

[witchdoctor]

Check your power steering fluid. When it gets low, or your belt is slipping, air gets in the lines and will cause a violent shudder. happened to me after replacing a broken belt.

 

[musclemaker]

I have just started to have a very similar problem. Two days ago my idler pully snapped off and i lost my surpentine belt on the throughway. I was forced to drive another 30 miles or so...mostly at about 80 mph to keep engine relatively cool. After the pulley and belt were replaced, driving home on throughway again, i hit a bump and the entire truck began shaking violently. Upon slowing down to 40 mph it cleared out. This continued to happen every time i hit a bump over 60 mph. Shaking was insane, but i could take hands off wheel and truck tracked perfectly. But had to slow down to below 40 eacgh time. When i hit bumps below 60 mph, it feels like it wants to start shaking but stops if i decelerate quickly. I am hoping it is the shocks, since i know they are worn anyway. It is odd how it started after repair of belt....never had any sighns of this at all prior . I figure, anti-freeze pissing all over shocks and possibly suspending wheels if truck was put on lift may have set this off, But I havent tried changing them yet. Any SHOCK RECOMENDATIONS.....Strictly used around town and on highways. Any other recomendations...I have considered possible air in the lines, but why would bump set it off? And if so, what can i do about it. Tires have good tread, but are getting old, but again, its the sudden onset immediately after the belt problem that intrigues me. drove aproximately 60 miles since this started. HELP Please and I will let you all know how it turns out. Thanks.

 

[Skibug]

First of all let me commend you for using the search function and finding a similar problem and posting in it.

But like what everyone has said above, check all ball joints, tie rod ends, etc... If all seems good, I still would lean towards a steering rack issue. Maybe the bumps are causing an already bad valve in the rack to restrict fluid in the PS system from flowing. When the RPM's slow down and the pressure in the system is lowered, maybe the valve becomes unstuck and functions normal. This could explain why the lowering of speed helps the shaking. But I am just a decent shade tree mechanic and are just my thoughts.

Flush your power steering system and see if the situation improves. I have a bad shudder at low speed turns. My truck will shake violently when I turn my wheels while in park. This is what my truck does and leads me to suspect the power steering system. The shudder in my truck improved a little once I flushed the PS system.

Not real sure on your problem. Could be anything up front really. Proper diagnosis and elimination needs to be done so you don't just go throwing money at the truck.

 

[witchdoctor]

I am sure your problem is the same one I had. If you have only gone 60 miles or so that's not much; it should stop completely within a day or two more. After it stops check your fluid level. It should be fine. If it doesn't stop soon, and/or your fluid level is very low, you will have to bleed the power steering. Good luck!

 

[musclemaker]

Thanks skibug (my favotite sport btw), and thanks witchdoctor...... will give it some time....do you think i need to just drive around, or do i have to bring it up to self destruct level (hit bump over 60 mph)? Seen mixed opinions on shocks and rear sag...may belong in a different thread because i am sure it has nothing to do with my shake problem, however....going to ask anyway.......People are always getting behind me and putting on their brights because they think i have mine on....so obviously my truck has sagged in rear from original height over time. Any oppinions on load leveling shocks in the rear vs spring work....dont want to trow alot of money at the truck, but I do plan on keeping it for a long time. Also, since i know i need shocks, any recomendations front and rear? Thanks again

 

[Diddy74]

In response to handling issues..I just realized that mine could be caused by the friggin spare tire mounted loosely...Friggin thing has been back there swinging like a pendulm! Everytime I hit some rough road on a turn or curb it feels like the rear was gonna fish tail or it shudderes profusely!.. Hopefully when I get out there today and crank it back up where it belongs that will alleviate some of my handling issues

 

[Blee1099]

LOL.. I've had that happen before.. It could still be your rack & pinion. I've helped replace one and am considerring doing mine soon depending on the condition of my rack.. I don't wanna see my tie rod flop like someone elses on here while we were replacing it. It had practically no resistance in it.. As soon as we disconnected the tie rod from the spindle, it simply flopped down.

 

[rd_turbo]

I get the weird shake issue every time my Sport Trac has been off the ground and the front wheels moved from side to side by hand. It's almost a given that after my usual yearly front brake job, I need to take it easy on the highway until the power steering system purges itself out - usually in a day or so. Turning the wheels from side to side on the driveway before leaving does absolutely nothing. The front end on my 01 Sport Trac with 60K miles has loosened up so much, that it's hard to tell where to start first. I have just discovered an inner tie rod with serious visible play. Ford trucks in general are known for shake issues....always busy shaking at some frequency or another.