cold weather and clunking shocks

[Matmanand4]

Crystal,

I sent you a pm.

 

[Gsteve]

-32 here today... lotsa noise. I hope the 17 doesn't do this.

 

[MJslasherADMIN]

Hey MJslasherADMIN, any updates on this? I have one myself that was giving this same problem since 2,000 miles, its now at 10,000 and is much worse. Its actually so frequent and loud that it sounds like somethings dropping off! This is definitely not the sound that ford refers to in the manual. I have checked EVERY bushing, bolt and component under the front of my truck and all are ok. Finally I changed the struts and put on a pair of FX4 ones just to test the theory. The noise disappeared immediately and I now have no doubt its the shocks. The real problem now is how do you correct it? Buying new shocks will only mean they will ALSO eventually sound the same UNLESS as Fox and Ford know about it they have since made changes, but I also doubt that. I have just written to Fox so I will wait and see what they say.

Sorry I have been absent for a while.
I tied down the front inner fenders with cable ties. I drilled small holes and secured them. Its amazing how much stuff Ford attached to the tops of the inner fenders, under the hood. Sensors and wire harness are attached all over these things.

Securing the inner fender made no difference. The noise is there, the truck just sounds rough. Is what it is, I have just accepted it and I am moving on.

On an unrelated note, my truck does very well in the Ice and snow. I gave it hell during the last two Dallas Ice storms, its an animal in those conditions. I have always Loved Driving in Ice, and Snow, I have been doing it since I was about 10 years old. Moving to Dallas a couple of years back took all of the fun out of driving. Nothing ever happens here. It hardly ever snows, but there are a couple of ice storms each year. Back in Kentucky we got a good amount of snow storms, I always loved seeing weather reports of pending snow for the area. I waited for it and watched Radar like a did as a kid, hoping school would be canceled if the snow hit. I miss looking forward to weather changes. Nothing really challenging about driving in Dallas, year round.

Anyway, as last Ice/Snow storm melted last week my neighbor decided to take his 2x4 Tahoe out into a soggy, soaked Bottom (What people around Texas call a Field, or what city slickers call a Meadow. In Kentucky its referred to as a "Bottom", Short for "River Bottom", any farm land back home is in the 'River Bottom", meaning flood Flood Plain")

He gets his Tahoe buried to the nut in this bottom. He was stuck deep, "******* Deep to a 10 foot Indian" So his family member goes home to get the early 70's model Toyota Land Cruiser (Its a Toyota Jeep) with a ***** and broken 4 wheel drive, only 2x4 was working. Had a locking hub issue. The Jeep Gets stuck, then runs out of gas, then the battery dies.
Lots more to this story, but in the end I take my Raptor out into the bottom. Yes I know, Raptor stock tires are not made for Mud, trust me, I know first hand now. I tried to pull out the Tahoe, no dice. Didnt move the Tahoe even one inch. I sunk in the mud. Then I notice something very, very strange.

Traction Control Off, In 4 Wheel High, No Off Road Mode, Using full auto transmission. As I have done my whole life I nail it and get momentum up going forward, let off the gas at the end of my forward travel limit, slammed it in Reverse and nail it again to take advantage of the momentum which would allow me to go backwards more than usual. Once the sifter is in reverse and I apply throttle, the RPM gauge is up, the engine is revved up, but the wheels are not turning. The tranny never engages. So I put it in park, then drop it to Reverse, tranny engages, but obviously have no momentum, and I cant back up much due to the mud.

I back up as far as I can in reverse (About 1 foot), let of the gas, drop it in drive and step on it, trying to keep up my momentum. Just like above, when dropped in drive the tranny never engages. I have to shift to park, then drop in drive and the tranny works.

Obviously I am trying to rock my truck back in forth from forward to reverse, from reverse to forward, eventually you get enough momentum built up back and forth to free yourself. Pretty much off road driving 101, right? WTH< is this truck designed to not engage the transmission while doing this maneuver? Sounds like a smart safety feature sure, but I am not so sure thats what is happening. I actually thought Reverse and Drive had blown out 4 different times. But shifting into park fixed it. Never have I redlined my truck with it in Reverse, or Drive without turning the tires. I searched the internet and couldnt find anyone else complaining about this. So its either normal and common knowledge to everyone except me that the Raptor or Ford trucks operate this way, or, my truck has a major issue. I have driven lots of stuff, never seen this before.

Back to the story. I unhook from the Tahoe, get myself unstuck after several tries and I pull up to the Jeep. We pour in 2 gallons of gas, then I jump start it from my truck. I hook to the Jeep and try to pull him out. No dice, couldnt move him an inch. In the process of this my truck slides over the hill. Now I am stuck on a hill, facing downwards, 3 inches away from massive trees and thorn bushes. Almost dented and scuffed up my truck. I shift into park and apply the E Brake. All three of us are now hung. If I attempt to back up at all my front end slides closer to trees and brush, so I had no options. Fortunately for me (And the jeep) we are 40 feet away from a blacktop road, the only thing separating us is trees and brush. I flag down a car and have them take me home. I grab my Echo Chainsaw and head back to the scene. I cut down every tree and bush between my Raptor and the road. This allows me to get in and drive forward, I made it to the blacktop. Next I do the same for the Jeep, cut down everything behind him. We then pushed him backwards down the hill to the road.

Eventually the Tahoe gets pulled out by a Dude with a 2007 Chevy Z71 truck with good tires. I was made fun of quite heavily that day for getting shown up by an old Chevy. My $60,000 Raptor isnt much of a mud truck.
Yes, I have read all the articles and tests and understand why Ford used the Tires we have on the Raptor. I get it, compromises had to be made to get a well rounded truck. I know its a Desert Prerunner capable of leaping tall buildings and stopping bullets, I have heard bout how amazing the truck is for years. But still, that doenst make the experience I have suck any less. I still dont get what the hype about teh Raptor is. I know the specs, I know how the specs differ from an F150. But still, I cant seem to feel or experience that difference in real life while driving. Please dont think I am some ass that isnt capable of understanding or noticing an awesome product, I am qute capabale. I noticed where My Tacoma"s) shined, and what my GT500 could do that other cars couldnt.

The Raptor can look cooler than anyone elses Rig, but Im not so sure it justifies its price tag, or its hype. I want one of the Raptor Believers to take me for a ride in their Raptor and show me what I am missing, maybe that will close the gap and show me what it is this truck does so much better than Non SVT trucks.

Sorry for the long post. To summarize
1. No, I havent solved the noise in the front and rear of my truck. The bed also squeaks loudly, I can hear it with the back glass open.
2. Anyone know if my tranny episode is normal? Why cant I rock my truck forwards and backwards? Why doesnt the transmission engage?

 

[Jordan@Apollo-Optics]

Sorry I have been absent for a while.
I tied down the front inner fenders with cable ties. I drilled small holes and secured them. Its amazing how much stuff Ford attached to the tops of the inner fenders, under the hood. Sensors and wire harness are attached all over these things.

Securing the inner fender made no difference. The noise is there, the truck just sounds rough. Is what it is, I have just accepted it and I am moving on.

On an unrelated note, my truck does very well in the Ice and snow. I gave it hell during the last two Dallas Ice storms, its an animal in those conditions. I have always Loved Driving in Ice, and Snow, I have been doing it since I was about 10 years old. Moving to Dallas a couple of years back took all of the fun out of driving. Nothing ever happens here. It hardly ever snows, but there are a couple of ice storms each year. Back in Kentucky we got a good amount of snow storms, I always loved seeing weather reports of pending snow for the area. I waited for it and watched Radar like a did as a kid, hoping school would be canceled if the snow hit. I miss looking forward to weather changes. Nothing really challenging about driving in Dallas, year round.

Anyway, as last Ice/Snow storm melted last week my neighbor decided to take his 2x4 Tahoe out into a soggy, soaked Bottom (What people around Texas call a Field, or what city slickers call a Meadow. In Kentucky its referred to as a "Bottom", Short for "River Bottom", any farm land back home is in the 'River Bottom", meaning flood Flood Plain")

He gets his Tahoe buried to the nut in this bottom. He was stuck deep, "******* Deep to a 10 foot Indian" So his family member goes home to get the early 70's model Toyota Land Cruiser (Its a Toyota Jeep) with a ***** and broken 4 wheel drive, only 2x4 was working. Had a locking hub issue. The Jeep Gets stuck, then runs out of gas, then the battery dies.
Lots more to this story, but in the end I take my Raptor out into the bottom. Yes I know, Raptor stock tires are not made for Mud, trust me, I know first hand now. I tried to pull out the Tahoe, no dice. Didnt move the Tahoe even one inch. I sunk in the mud. Then I notice something very, very strange.

Traction Control Off, In 4 Wheel High, No Off Road Mode, Using full auto transmission. As I have done my whole life I nail it and get momentum up going forward, let off the gas at the end of my forward travel limit, slammed it in Reverse and nail it again to take advantage of the momentum which would allow me to go backwards more than usual. Once the sifter is in reverse and I apply throttle, the RPM gauge is up, the engine is revved up, but the wheels are not turning. The tranny never engages. So I put it in park, then drop it to Reverse, tranny engages, but obviously have no momentum, and I cant back up much due to the mud.

I back up as far as I can in reverse (About 1 foot), let of the gas, drop it in drive and step on it, trying to keep up my momentum. Just like above, when dropped in drive the tranny never engages. I have to shift to park, then drop in drive and the tranny works.

Obviously I am trying to rock my truck back in forth from forward to reverse, from reverse to forward, eventually you get enough momentum built up back and forth to free yourself. Pretty much off road driving 101, right? WTH< is this truck designed to not engage the transmission while doing this maneuver? Sounds like a smart safety feature sure, but I am not so sure thats what is happening. I actually thought Reverse and Drive had blown out 4 different times. But shifting into park fixed it. Never have I redlined my truck with it in Reverse, or Drive without turning the tires. I searched the internet and couldnt find anyone else complaining about this. So its either normal and common knowledge to everyone except me that the Raptor or Ford trucks operate this way, or, my truck has a major issue. I have driven lots of stuff, never seen this before.

Back to the story. I unhook from the Tahoe, get myself unstuck after several tries and I pull up to the Jeep. We pour in 2 gallons of gas, then I jump start it from my truck. I hook to the Jeep and try to pull him out. No dice, couldnt move him an inch. In the process of this my truck slides over the hill. Now I am stuck on a hill, facing downwards, 3 inches away from massive trees and thorn bushes. Almost dented and scuffed up my truck. I shift into park and apply the E Brake. All three of us are now hung. If I attempt to back up at all my front end slides closer to trees and brush, so I had no options. Fortunately for me (And the jeep) we are 40 feet away from a blacktop road, the only thing separating us is trees and brush. I flag down a car and have them take me home. I grab my Echo Chainsaw and head back to the scene. I cut down every tree and bush between my Raptor and the road. This allows me to get in and drive forward, I made it to the blacktop. Next I do the same for the Jeep, cut down everything behind him. We then pushed him backwards down the hill to the road.

Eventually the Tahoe gets pulled out by a Dude with a 2007 Chevy Z71 truck with good tires. I was made fun of quite heavily that day for getting shown up by an old Chevy. My $60,000 Raptor isnt much of a mud truck.
Yes, I have read all the articles and tests and understand why Ford used the Tires we have on the Raptor. I get it, compromises had to be made to get a well rounded truck. I know its a Desert Prerunner capable of leaping tall buildings and stopping bullets, I have heard bout how amazing the truck is for years. But still, that doenst make the experience I have suck any less. I still dont get what the hype about teh Raptor is. I know the specs, I know how the specs differ from an F150. But still, I cant seem to feel or experience that difference in real life while driving. Please dont think I am some ass that isnt capable of understanding or noticing an awesome product, I am qute capabale. I noticed where My Tacoma"s) shined, and what my GT500 could do that other cars couldnt.

The Raptor can look cooler than anyone elses Rig, but Im not so sure it justifies its price tag, or its hype. I want one of the Raptor Believers to take me for a ride in their Raptor and show me what I am missing, maybe that will close the gap and show me what it is this truck does so much better than Non SVT trucks.

Sorry for the long post. To summarize
1. No, I havent solved the noise in the front and rear of my truck. The bed also squeaks loudly, I can hear it with the back glass open.
2. Anyone know if my tranny episode is normal? Why cant I rock my truck forwards and backwards? Why doesnt the transmission engage?

Come out to TRR for a day. There will be more than one person who will be more than happy to take you for a high speed lap around the track to show you where the Raptor truly shines, myself included.

 

[ntm]

Transmission not shifting while reading wheel speed, or excessive engine rpm is normal. "Safety" feature by ford to avoid warranty claims. As is the lousy disabled, but not really disabled, traction control thing.
I laugh inside myself when I see jacked up "mudding" f150's, as the iwe wheel hubs are like glass. You will break one if you keep trying to pull buried trucks out. The iwe's are great for suspension travel, but make the 4wd system weak.
All a raptor is, is an f150 with all the options and a very basic desert style suspension. Don't expect more than that.
That said, I'd buy another to use as a work truck in a heartbeat, it checks all the box's nicely for my requirements, more so than any other truck available today.

 

[Fb73]

Sorry I have been absent for a while.
I tied down the front inner fenders with cable ties. I drilled small holes and secured them. Its amazing how much stuff Ford attached to the tops of the inner fenders, under the hood. Sensors and wire harness are attached all over these things.........

Funny story...I do agree with you that the Raptor is doing very well in the snow, but sucks in mud witht the stock tires...Anyway the Raptor is made for high speed trailing, and that's where you will truly appreciate it, it will outstand any other stock trucks you could buy...