F250 Drag Link Movement

[Kitzy]

I should clarify that when I said turning I was mainly referring to turning into parking lots and such where you have to drive over depressed curbs.  Speed bumps would also trigger the clunk.  I say for the cost of end links, just change them out.  Really though you should be able to take a quick look at them and know if they're bad or not.  I think the end links for my Expedition are in the $15-$20 range for the higher quality set.  If you do them, just make sure you don't over tighten them.  You'll destroy the bushings in no time.  I burned through a set in a matter of months because of that.  Now I just snug them down a bit and periodically check them to make sure they're still there.  Haha.

[Too Stroked]

Sorry for the delay. Today was business travel day again. Now I have more information. First of all, $580 sounds a bit steep, but if memory serves me correctly on Super Duties, one of the tie rod ends can be replaced all by itslef. the other one comes as part of the whole tie rod. That might explain some of the price. If you saw how easy it is to replace those things, you'd kick yourself though. You can pretty much do it in the driveway, the drive it to the alignment shop afterwards.

Now, you say you have a clunk when you hit speed bumps. A sway bar does exactly nothing on a two wheel bump like a speed bump, so that might be an important clue. Does it clunk on one wheel bumps? Sway bar end links do go in those bad boys and the truck has to be sitting on level ground to check them. The other thing that can go bad is the sway bar bushings - which hold the bar parallel to the axle. here's also a small Panhard style bar in the Super Dutise that we end up replacing all the time because the bushings go. Again, that stuff is pretty easy to replace in the driveway - and requires no alignment.

Here's what I'd recommend. If the clunk really bothers you - which it should - take it to a reputable shop and have them diagnose the problem. It's pretty hard to do on line.

PS: Not for nothing, but the underside of your truck isn't as perfectly detailed as the top side. What gives? Slacking?

[Rollingrock]

TooStroked, we did have it up on the rack and the tech couldn't find anything that looked worn.  Only the passenger lower ball joint was suspect but it was within specs per Ford.  (1/8th of play)

I did order the sway bar link ends due to some other forums too so I am going to start there...seems to be the eaisist thing to replace.  The tie rod did look easy...I did see a lot about the some bushings but to be honest, I am not sure off the names of these parts, there is so much going on under there.

[Too Stroked]

JP,

Yea, Super Duties have a ton going on down there, but it's all pretty basic stuff. (Now under the hood of a Powerstroke, that's an entirely different story!) Replacing the end links sounds like a good / safe idea. If you do decide to do the ball joint though, that's a job for the shop. I've done a bunch of them, but it requires special tools and the aliggnment afterwards. See if the end links do the trick, then tell us what happens. Have a great weekend!

[Rollingrock]

JP,

Yea, Super Duties have a ton going on down there, but it's all pretty basic stuff. (Now under the hood of a Powerstroke, that's an entirely different story!) Replacing the end links sounds like a good / safe idea. If you do decide to do the ball joint though, that's a job for the shop. I've done a bunch of them, but it requires special tools and the aliggnment afterwards. See if the end links do the trick, then tell us what happens. Have a great weekend!

BTW, the drag link is rock solid when the truck is on the ground. I guess with weight off, it is loose. 

[Zaairman]

JP, your clunk over bumps is caused by bad sway bar BUSHINGS, not end links.  You can replace the bushings.  I replaced mine with a set from Energy Suspension, ordered them from Summit.  You'll need a ball joint press to do the job (to press out the old bushings from the links), it looks like a big C Clamp.  Just make sure your front axle is off the ground when you do this. 

[Mike2301]

Clunking? that changes it.

endlink/bushings with out a doubt!

[Rollingrock]

Guys

Do I have to take the truck up to get the new bushings on or can I just under the bolts and slip them in there?

[Kitzy]

All I can tell you is based on my Expedition, Explorer before that, and Mustang before that... I just did it right in the driveway.  I did the end links with the bushings.  Came as a kit anyway.  Takes me all of 15 minutes to do by myself with a wrench and socket/ratchet.  That said, I have no idea what it's like on the SDs.  The Explorer and Expedition are pretty much the same.

[Rollingrock]

I got some bushing but they are the wrong size...very strange.

Ordered set, should be here on Monday noon.  Took the old one off and on 4 times already trying to find it

I am more and more doubtful that this will solve the clunking noise...its gotta be something else.  The shocks are tight on the bottom, but I need another person to help me check the top side.  Every bolt down there is all tight.

Is it possible that I could have a bad shock? 

BTW the end links that I have...I have no idea where they go, I have no part under my front that looks like that. 

[Too Stroked]

RR,
I haven't looked at the sway bars on any of our fleet lately. To be completely honest, ours are work trucks (for snow plowing and pulling landscape trailers) and driver comfort isn't too high up on the list. That said, the owner does a pretty darn good job of upkeep and I don't think we've ever replaced anything to do with the sway bars - either end links or bushings. Now, tie rod ends, ball joints, universal joints, etc. - we do them all the time.

As for looking for your sway bar, maybe describing what it does will help you trace it down. It's designed to get twisted (loaded in torsion) when the truck leans to one side. When the truck leans, one wheel wants to go up and the other wants to go down. By linking one side to the other with a sway bar, when that happens, the bar gets loaded and resists twisting - thus resisting sway or lean. That also explains why on bumps that impact both front tires at the same time, the bar doesn't do anything but rotate in its mounts. So, look for something hooked up like that.

Finally, yes, it could be a shock - either coming loose, having a rubber bushing go bad on one end or less likely - broken internally. Besides, if you've got over 50,000 miles on her, they're ready anyway. Again, these things are kind of hard to diagnose over the internet - regardless of connection speed. Take it to somebody who does good front end work and have them look at it. One problem you have with a Super Duty is that the darn suspension moves so little anyway that trying to bounce on it (unless you weigh 350 lbs) doesn't extract much movement. Good luck!

[Zaairman]

Told ya... order them from Summit.  The Energy Suspension includes the 4 bushings for the end links and the two that go on the axle.  Fixed my clunking sound, and my end links looked ok. 

[Kitzy]

I think you should just get a new truck and run a contest here at the cafe with the prize being the KR.  Yeah that sounds good.

[Rollingrock]

Told ya... order them from Summit.  The Energy Suspension includes the 4 bushings for the end links and the two that go on the axle.  Fixed my clunking sound, and my end links looked ok. 

do you have leaf front?

[Rollingrock]

RR,
I haven't looked at the sway bars on any of our fleet lately. To be completely honest, ours are work trucks (for snow plowing and pulling landscape trailers) and driver comfort isn't too high up on the list. That said, the owner does a pretty darn good job of upkeep and I don't think we've ever replaced anything to do with the sway bars - either end links or bushings. Now, tie rod ends, ball joints, universal joints, etc. - we do them all the time.

As for looking for your sway bar, maybe describing what it does will help you trace it down. It's designed to get twisted (loaded in torsion) when the truck leans to one side. When the truck leans, one wheel wants to go up and the other wants to go down. By linking one side to the other with a sway bar, when that happens, the bar gets loaded and resists twisting - thus resisting sway or lean. That also explains why on bumps that impact both front tires at the same time, the bar doesn't do anything but rotate in its mounts. So, look for something hooked up like that.

Finally, yes, it could be a shock - either coming loose, having a rubber bushing go bad on one end or less likely - broken internally. Besides, if you've got over 50,000 miles on her, they're ready anyway. Again, these things are kind of hard to diagnose over the internet - regardless of connection speed. Take it to somebody who does good front end work and have them look at it. One problem you have with a Super Duty is that the darn suspension moves so little anyway that trying to bounce on it (unless you weigh 350 lbs) doesn't extract much movement. Good luck!

Thanks man, I am going to take it to a suspension guy in DFW.  BTW my shocks are Bilsteins I put on 8 months ago.