small clunking sound in front suspension

[arcticjames]

i have a 2003 7.3l f-350 shortbox crew,and i'm noticing small clunking sounds in front suspension when i go over bumps.i've checked all my universals,drive shafts and axles,shocks are new.i have air bag helpers on the front leafs.is this possibly coming from the front axles floating in the axle tubes ?

 

[Blane]

i have the EXACT same problem, and i cant figure out wtf it is! someone help us lol.

 

[DaveBen]

I would guess that you are hearing the ball joints. They get loose as the miles get put on. Jack up one of the front wheels and see if you can move it up and down (using a crow bar). If so you need new ball joints.

Dave

 

[arcticjames]

i had both side ball joints replaced less than a 1000 km ago.the noise was the same after they were replaced.

 

[springerpop]

The front anti-sway bar's strut bushings are famous for going bad and rattling. Get a performance polyeurathane replacement kit and never do them again.

Another thing that will cause a rattle are worn brake caliper pins. Ford has upgraded the pins to a slightly newer kind, and the kits are cheap. See:
http://guzzle.rbmicro.com/cu.html

Pop

 

[s d mills]

Same deal here....ball joints, bushings, all suspension parts are good. I have an occasional "clunk" under the driver floorboard usually on braking from highway speeds; doesn't get transmitted through steering, brakes, etc. I read somewhere about cab mounts causing it so I've decided to call it that until some other problem surfaces.

 

[true91799]

I had a similiar problem and a small crack had developed in the frame rail and it was "rubbing" (like grinding teeth) although it produced a pop or clunk sound. Cleaned up the crack and welded and all has been fine since. You could only see the crack if the wheels were cranked to the far left, otherwise the steering control arms, stabilizers, etc. would hide it. That was just my scenario.

 

[Norcal250]

Your track bar may be loose... I had the same problem in my 03... tightened the track bar and no more annoying clunk...

You might not be able to move the track bar by hand to duplicate the noise, so just put a wrench on it... I believe its a 21mm or 23mm...

hope this helps...

 

[arcticjames]

thanks for all the advice i'll look into it this weekend

 

[jonwright]

Hmmmm...mine has been doing the exact same thing. '03 250 7.3 crew short box.

I notice mine when I initially crank the wheel all the way to lock and I feel the clunk (and hear it) under my feet.