Dredded Front Suspension Clunk

[LXCoupe]

Is this the "clunk" y'all are describing? It only happens during sharp fast bumps not long swooping bumps.

You can hear the clunk best at 0:02 and 0:15

 

[Trick.Raptor]

Is this the "clunk" y'all are describing? It only happens during sharp fast bumps not long swooping bumps.

Sorry for the sideways video, couldn't get my GoPro upright with the fixture I currently have.

You can hear the clunk best at 0:02 and 0:15

Pretty much what I have... almost metallic at times. At one time it seemed to go away when the brakes were applied and when in 4WD but I have it doing it with both now

 

[Geo_Tactical]

Sounds like upper control arm noise. I have aftermarket that are making the same sound, and need a new uniball/Teflon seal

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[DRAGONFLY]

Tagged

 

[Trick.Raptor]

Sounds like upper control arm noise. I have aftermarket that are making the same sound, and need a new uniball/Teflon seal

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

We'll find out if so for me... getting new UCA's next month.

 

[LXCoupe]

I torqued the lower shock bolts to 410ft/lb. The driverside was about 50ft/lb low and the passenger was at 410ft/lb. The clunk is less noticeable but is still there. Next is to get the shocks rebuilt with new lower bushings.

 

[LXCoupe]

I installed my rebuilt shocks this past weekend (stage 1, flutter stack, and mid perch). My passenger side shock was shot and both sides lower shock mount bushings were bad. I also replaced the lower shock mount bolt with one with a longer shank and used a new nut from Ford. Took it to Ford for an alignment and had them double check the lower mount torque. All that and now my clunk is gone!

Ford Raptor Fox Shock Exchange Program – Forged Offroad – We Rebuild Shocks

Raptor Front Lower Shock Replacement Bolt – Forged Offroad – We Rebuild Shocks

 

[Badgtho]

Annoying rattle in front end?
To all that have been plagued with the dredded clunk. Here is a remedy we have found to help with this issue.

We have worked on lots of raptors doing perch mods ect. We have found that the lower shock bolt must be tightened from the nut side only. This is due to the aluminum galling and holding the head of the bolt. Antiseize does help but ford designed the nut with a special built in washer allowing the nut to be tightened and spin at the same time while the washer is up against the aluminum We push Antiseize into the built in washer before we reinstall it and then tighten to 425 lbs which is a little over spec. Tightening this much will squeeze the control arm enough to squeeze the lower shock mount like it should be. This process has eliminated virtually all the clunking cause by the shock. Take a look at how stout the control arm is in the shock mounting area, this is why it is so hard to squeeze the mount enough to tighten the lower shock bushing causing it to move in the mount. Ever truck I have taken apart the lower bolt wasn't tightened even close to spec.

We have also found that pinion style shims can be slid in to tighten things up.

The dealers don't have a clue on this. They dont even know the bolt should be tightened from the nut side nor do they have a torque wrench that goes that high. If you have access to a good impact gun pull the nut off the back, get some Antiseize in there including the threads and tighten it as much as it will go. Hold the front of the bolt with a breaker bar and socket. This can be done with the truck sitting on the ground. Hope this helps. Dave

I'm a little late to the party guys... what's the current thinking on this? Overtightening still the way to go?

 

[Lumadar]

My truck (2012 with 64,000 miles) seems to be doing this as well... drives me NUTS. Thanks for the info...will look into this and report back.

 

[southernAB]

Clunk solution...

This is my first (and probably only) post on a forum but I figured I would share my experience with the dreaded front end clunk after battling with it for almost a year it started last November when the weather cooled down just a slight clunk while driving over small bumps and man hole covers if you listened well you could hear it but mostly feel it in the gas pedal coming from the passenger side wheel well. I started with a shock re build and mid perch then Torqed the lower bolt to 425 and it did not change the consistency of the clunk. So I checked tie rod ends ball joints steering rack & the whole 9 yards. The only thing I couldn’t really check well was the lower control arm bushings and the local svt dealer wanted $750 for one so it was a fair bit of money to spend on some maybe worn bushings. So after searching high and low on the depths of the internet I come across tascaparts .com and was able to order the upper and lower control arms shipped to Canada for just over $500 i replaced the control arms a few days ago and just like that the clunk was gone. So for those of you out there living with the frustration of the clunk on one of the best built trucks I would recommend swapping out that lower control arm. Hope this helps...