Question Would end link busings cause this?

[VinceJE]

I've noticed a "bump" slowly getting worse over the past year. It happens after slowly pulling away from a stop, just after starting to roll. Like just when some power starts to get to the pavement.

Fearing the worst (transmission issue) I took it to the tranny shop. Luckily for my wallet they said everything in the drive train is good & solid. The only thing they could find that "might" be causing the "bump" is trashed bushings in the front sway bar end links. They do look bad, but they're not sloppy enough yet to move by hand.

Could these bushings really be causing the "bump"?
Can I just buy bushings or do I have to replace the links as a unit?
Any suggestions on replacement parts?

 

[melmount]

i just bought 2 today, 18 each at advance auto. yes they can cause a clunk. The top part can freeze up(in a manner of speaking). I loosened my old ones and sprayed wd40 into the rubber. I then moved the fixed bolt (dactory installed) up and down to free it up. Seemed as if the top kind of rusted in the bolt area.

 

[VinceJE]

Is it worth the extra time & money to order energy suspension parts vs. buying whatever AutoZone, Advanced Auto, or Oreilly carries?

How hard is it to get the old bushings out of the end links? They look to be pressed in.

 

[melmount]

i did the ES for my ex. Its good stuff. You have to press or burn out the old bushings in the links to install the poly stuff. In my case the sway bar 2 bushings were good. I wanted new links. I did not feel like making it a project. Its not hard to change it. I have been doing a lot to this truck lately.(just got it) I wanted it quick. Nothing wrong with the moog from advance auto.
I have 2 from my truck. You can have em. If you do poly. That way you can remove and replace them before taking yours apart. When fone its a quick switch. The metal part is good. One of the complete links is good too.
pm me if you want em.pay to ship. probably 5 bucks??

 

[VinceJE]

i did the ES for my ex. Its good stuff. You have to press or burn out the old bushings in the links to install the poly stuff. In my case the sway bar 2 bushings were good. I wanted new links. I did not feel like making it a project. Its not hard to change it. I have been doing a lot to this truck lately.(just got it) I wanted it quick. Nothing wrong with the moog from advance auto.
I have 2 from my truck. You can have em. If you do poly. That way you can remove and replace them before taking yours apart. When fone its a quick switch. The metal part is good. One of the complete links is good too.
pm me if you want em.pay to ship. probably 5 bucks??

Sounds like a good deal and I appreciate the offer. However, I am in a crunch for time, so I'll probably go with what I can get from the parts house for now.

So... The OEM bushings are a bit of a pain to get out. How hard is it to install the new ones? Do the part houses actually know what size bushings fit the links? (Part houses here don't usually know a spark plug from a wheel bearing.)

 

[bigrigr]

One thing to think about if the endlinks don't fix it, is the slip and splines on th erear driveshaft. Seen many fords from rangers to f-450s that have a single "clunk" when starting out from a stop, or when changing direction(ie forward to reverse, and back). The splines come from the factory with a rubberized plastic coating to make them more slippery with grease, but the coating wears off after a few years and it causes the splines to "bind", this can cause them to "pop" when you put a load on them. Most of the time, you can take the slip and splines apart and lube them real good to fix, but in an extreme case the splines may have to be replaced. Any reputable driveshaft shop can do this if needed. Just food for thought. Good luck

 

[VinceJE]

I guess I'll have to check the splines. I took the sway bar off last week and still have the clunk. It's better, but not gone. I also changed the rear diff fluid this past weekend and that made it a little better too, but still not completely gone. My gut instinct tell me it's something in the drive line becuase it almost feels like a slip & then a bump. Not like a tranny slip... more like a loose mount or something. It's definately not normal.

 

[melmount]

body mounts can make a clunk too. I had an excursion. I checked everything to find this clunk. Turns out it was the body mouts under the feet of the front seats. I think the ex ones were aluminum. I basically removed the bottom rubber mount and replaced it with square stock steel and used a nut andbolt thru the floor and frame. It tightened it up. never heard the clunk again

 

[VinceJE]

This is definately something in the drivetrain. Doing some more reading and I'm thinking the driveshaft splines are a prime suspect at this point, but mine has rubber boots over the splines. The boot clamps are the OEM kind you have to cut & replace. I guess I'll have to tear into it.

 

[VinceJE]

Fixed!!!

Thanks to bigrgr for pointing me in the right direction. The slip joint "clunk" seems to be a common problem. Took me 45 minutes to grease it. No big deal. Here's a great write up for the process with pics...
Slip joint regreasing