bad vibe/rattle while turning??

ddw350

Registered User
seems a new problem has surfaced...2 months ago i got new motor mounts,now seems after i drive for 15 mins or so,i get this vibration/fast rattle while turning.its only at like low speed,like if your looking for a parking spot driving slow..my fiance says she can feel it on her side,i cant really feel it though..i cant get under and look while turning the wheel either.when i jacked it up and tried it it didnt do it,that must of put a bind on whatever is shaking? any clue?? thanks
 
ok...its coming from the pass side near the suspension/ball joints...when i turn the wheel slow it creeks/pops like an old rusty door hinge! and you can feel it on the pass side of the car...i put new upper balljoints/control arms on,almost sounds like it needs greased,but for some reason..ford didnt put fittings on anything but the tierod???
 
Sounds like lower ball joint. One other thhing to check is the sway bar link. If nothing else on the front end is bad, check the link. You won't be able to se anything wrong with it whe jacked up as it needs to be loaded. put a jack under the l. control arm and load the suspension. The use a prybar to check for movement in the swaybar link ball stud.
 
i was thinking lower ball joint too,can i get libe top it somehow? without poking a hole in the rubber? thanks
 
sorry for the sloppy typing,im trying to keep my fingers on the keyboard correctly...what i mean is,can i somehow lube the lower joint,if i can get some lube to it,it may help..its probably dry as a bone in there..
 
The OEM fords are presealed non lube types. If it is bone dry and clunking, it needs to be replaced anyway. Confirm it is first though. Do you know the quick procedure for rocking the tire to check front end integrity?

Also, when you rock your tire, you may well notice that there is no movement on the ball stud, but it is actually the entire l control arm moving due to a worn out ctl arm to frame bushing. At any rate, if it is either your lbj or ctl arm bushing, I recommend getting a complete arm from moog. Contrary to what some people on this site have said, you can get all the control arm parts individually and press them in (lower ball joint, strud rod bush, strut to ctl arm bush, ctl arm to frame bush) and I can give you moog part #s for them. However, it is an enormous pain to press these out and get them pressed back in, and you will need a 30 ton press for it. Further, when one is worn, the others usually are as well, or aren't far behind. So it is well wort the extra couple dolars to just do the whole arm as an assembly and it will save you a lot of hassles.

Sorry for any typos, my keyboard is acting up and not registering all my keystrokes, I think I got most of them though :(.
 
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i did the test tonight..its seems that there is no movement in the lower joint at all,i replaced the upper last year,they had a little slop+ the boots were rotted.i have a farm truck that needs ball joints,when you do the test on it,it moves well ove 1/8 inch and you can really feel it while doing the ball joint test.i didnt look to good at the control arm bushing and all,i will look tomarrow when its light..thanks
 
check again for the lca bushing. Due to the stabilizier bar (from the frame, enters the control arm at an angle near the ball joint) it will resist alot fo movement from rocking the tire, so you need to work it quite firmly to spot movement on the bushing. If the control arm still doesn't move, then check the sway bar link as mentioned before. The sway bar link will make a clunking sound, especially with the wheel turned, and can sound like a ball joint. You can also take off the wheel and put a breaker baar on the LBJ nut and give it a twist. If the bushing are shot, you will see usually see twisting movement in the whole arm.
 
man..bushings look all dry rotted,washers all rusted and falling apart...i pryed like a bastard and didnt notice any major movement in the control arm or swaybar..surprisingly...get this...i took a large syringe[we give horses shots at work sometimes,so its a BIG needle] filled it with grease,stuck it in the lower ball joint and gave it 20ccs of lithium! remember the sound is only on the pass side...i drove it tonight for about 45 mins and no squeak,pop rattle..nothing,guess it was dry? well see if this actually holds up or i have to replace somethinng...no way am i replacing all those joints,bushings,washers and all that jazz,too much work and cost,im actually at the end with this car anyway,i love it..dont get me wrong,ive had it since 96,but im just tired or wrenching on it!im not gonna let it go to hell, but im not fixing every tiny thing that shakes or rattles or leaks...i was careful not to stick myself with the needle as it was a used needle..nothing like sharing needles with horses!
 
man..bushings look all dry rotted,washers all rusted and falling apart...i pryed like a bastard and didnt notice any major movement in the control arm or swaybar..surprisingly...get this...i took a large syringe[we give horses shots at work sometimes,so its a BIG needle] filled it with grease,stuck it in the lower ball joint and gave it 20ccs of lithium! remember the sound is only on the pass side...i drove it tonight for about 45 mins and no squeak,pop rattle..nothing,guess it was dry? well see if this actually holds up or i have to replace somethinng...no way am i replacing all those joints,bushings,washers and all that jazz,too much work and cost,im actually at the end with this car anyway,i love it..dont get me wrong,ive had it since 96,but im just tired or wrenching on it!im not gonna let it go to hell, but im not fixing every tiny thing that shakes or rattles or leaks...i was careful not to stick myself with the needle as it was a used needle..nothing like sharing needles with horses!


The amount of wrench time, and relative difficulty of the work, on these cars once they get older can be really hard to deal with. Like I said though, if it starts again, it's not that bad if you just purchase the complete arm with all the bushings already presed in. And I think it only costs around $80-90 from Moog. Definately the way to go.
 
i can imagine how much easier that would be,imagine having to dissamble,press out old joint,press in new one,replace all the dried up bushings...that would suck....i didnt drive it tonight,i will this weekend though.next i need to fix the odometer ,it stopped working around xmas,guess it needs the internal gears,i used to flick it,but that stopped working awhile ago too...always something...
 
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