I am experiencing a sort of thumping noise that appears to be coming from the right front of my 2002 PSD. This noise only occurs when I am going over a bump, and it sounds as if something may be loose. I have crawled underneath and checked every nut and bolt and have not discovered anything not perfectly tight. My next thought is to jack up the front and try and move the wheels up and down for any play. I bought my truck brand new off the showroom and have really taken care of it, so I'm wondering if anyone else has ever had this issue?
Thumping noise coming from the front end
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Yup, that's what you need to do...jack up the front end. Wiggle tire with hands at 6/12 o'clock to check ball joints and wheel bearings for play...9/3 o'clock for tie rods, etc. Good chance you have a worn ball joint, in my experience.
Thanks, I'll check that out. I actually had the ball joints replaced about 7 years ago. If it is the ball joints this truck is hard on them to say the least. My tires and wheels are not all that huge, 305's with 18X10 inch wheels. Also my truck is not lifted at all, so the suspension geometry is stock
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Are you sure its not a dead shock?
No, I'm not sure, and I never thought of that. I did lift each side of the front and did what was previously advised to check ball joints. I couldn't get any movement lateral or vertical. Being that the wheel and tire is heavy, I put a crow bar under the tire, and did get the slightest amount of noise, so I'm not sure if there is suppose to be absolutely zero movement or noise. Thanks for the comment, I'll pull my shocks in the front to see if they move normally.
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The factory shocks seem to be more of a wear item than the ball joints in my experience.
I test them off the vehicle by placing my weight down on it while the other end is on the ground. Its pretty easy to feel if it has a smooth travel the entire way down and back up. If the travel has anything but smooth motion then they are worth replacing. Sometimes you can see fluid dripping out but that is not always the case.
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Good point--sway bar bushings are another common and cheap repair.
Hello,
for the sway bar bushings just spray them ALOT with WD-40 as it swells rubber in nice warmer weather, test drive if they seem a little quieter replace them but also check the drop links, since the larger wheels more like ball joints as you added properly 40 lbs a corner and 7 year from the last time your way over due as I replace mine 3-4 years as I plow my driveway and do some wheeling to new Jobsites in spring
another possibility is tie rod ends you need a pry bar and do some flexing just like when you check your ball joint, have a buddy around when the front end is off the ground have them move the steering wheel side to side to check everything
for the sway bar bushings just spray them ALOT with WD-40 as it swells rubber in nice warmer weather, test drive if they seem a little quieter replace them but also check the drop links, since the larger wheels more like ball joints as you added properly 40 lbs a corner and 7 year from the last time your way over due as I replace mine 3-4 years as I plow my driveway and do some wheeling to new Jobsites in spring
another possibility is tie rod ends you need a pry bar and do some flexing just like when you check your ball joint, have a buddy around when the front end is off the ground have them move the steering wheel side to side to check everything
Thanks, I replaced drag link and tie rod joints, noise is now gone. Ball joints seem fine but will keep an eye on them. Last time I replaced them I could really feel their failure in the steering. Everything is all good now,
Thank you everyone for your input
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My thumping noise turned out to be the sway bar end link, the end that connects to the frame. Over time, the stud opened up the bore in the frame. It's still an issue for my but have have been able to minimize it.
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Welcome to the forum.
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