Truck making a clunking noise - Ford Raptor

[MarkT]

Hate to bump this thread, but good to know I am not crazy! If you google "annoying rattle in front end" it will take you to that "other" site Forumz, yea I known, sorry. But there is a 12 page thread talking about this same issue, and MANY others are having it. I am getting some what pissed that so many have the same issue I have, and posted about, and it seems Ford and Fox are ignoring it, writing it off to "normal" noise. Please go take a look guys and see what YOU think!

Hmmm... it's really hard to judge these things over the Internet because what one person keys in on and calls a "problem" might not even be noticed by another person.

For example, many people have described the noise as coming from the rear while others claim they can hear (and even feel) it in the front... I'm just saying that I'm not even sure different folks are describing the same thing.

As for "normal"... who can say with absolute certainty that Fox triple bypass shocks don't "normally" make the noise people are hearing? Why, when the experts state it is a normal noise for these shocks, do some people say "that's not good enough?".

(What similar vehicle can you compare the Raptor suspension to? Answer: Nothing compares.)

And as far as Ford responding... IIRC, the factory drove a test Raptor to a dealership with a couple of engineers and some portable bumps to evaluate the complaint... I mean like RIGHT AWAY when an owner complained about this. Conclusion? Both trucks made an identical "noise" and a TSB came out stating it was normal.

My best guess is that Ford did too good of a job on NVH. (Noise, vibration, harshness). My Raptor is quieter on the freeway than the BMW it replaced. (I think BigJ had some actual comparison numbers once)... which could make something like a shock noise from a type of shock design few people have experience with a lot easier to notice.

I really do hope that the people having issues do somehow get them resolved... but the fact is, like it or not, this might just be a characteristic of a truck with high performance triple bypass Fox shocks.

 

[SLB8SNK]

Mark, I bought that it MAY be the shocks until FOX stated that the shocks indeed make NO noise whatsoever! Again, I am reading the thread I pointed out at the other site. Multiple people stated the same after calling Fox themselves. I know you live near me, and so for MY sake, I would like you to drive my truck, and if you allow, I can drive yours. If they are indeed the same, at least I know it is not just MY truck, but again, reading the posts on that thread, and this one, I doubt so many people can be imagining the noise and feel they get from the front. Last, the rear has no link to the front, most guys with the rear noise have narrowed it down to the spare or the weight. Thanks!

 

[MarkT]

Mark, I bought that it MAY be the shocks until FOX stated that the shocks indeed make NO noise whatsoever! Again, I am reading the thread I pointed out at the other site. Multiple people stated the same after calling Fox themselves. I know you live near me, and so for MY sake, I would like you to drive my truck, and if you allow, I can drive yours. If they are indeed the same, at least I know it is not just MY truck, but again, reading the posts on that thread, and this one, I doubt so many people can be imagining the noise and feel they get from the front. Last, the rear has no link to the front, most guys with the rear noise have narrowed it down to the spare or the weight. Thanks!

Just saw this... sure, we can meet up sometime if you want to see if my truck is the same as yours...

Is there a place where your truck makes the noise consistently? PM me and let's set a time to meet there...

 

[jesse]

i heard a similar clunking noise a while back...i installed my tire gate and heard it come back, but even louder....i decided to check underneath my truck where i kept my spare tire previously...there is a weight that was swinging back and forth banging against the underside of my truck..i went ahead and tightened it back up and i have yet to hear any clunking noise..

now my transmission, a whole nother story. when its really cold outside, i will have a delay a times...and if its late or cant make up its mind to know which gear to shift in..it makes a loud back and it feels like thor took a ****ing sledge hammer to the back of my truck,,im getting it looked at again for the 3rd time at the dealership..i have 30 on my truck so i am a bit concerned. they mentioned there might be a TSB for the truck, but i am not too sure how true this is. im gonna search the firm for any relted info

 

[MagicMtnDan]

There is a TSB for the tranny but I believe it's for the 1-2 or 2-1 shift. It was posted somewhere here on SVTOffroad.com

 

[The Tank]

now my transmission, a whole nother story. when its really cold outside, i will have a delay a times...and if its late or cant make up its mind to know which gear to shift in..it makes a loud back and it feels like thor took a ****ing sledge hammer to the back of my truck,,im getting it looked at again for the 3rd time at the dealership..i have 30 on my truck so i am a bit concerned. they mentioned there might be a TSB for the truck, but i am not too sure how true this is. im gonna search the firm for any relted info

Tomorrow I will post all the possible TSB that are for trans, engine, and drivetrain controls.

 

[MarkT]

There is a TSB for delayed downshift (early 5.4 only)

I'd try to accelerate sometimes and the truck would not respond right away... huge throttle lag... then a second later... KA-WHAM!!! downshifted at full throttle so hard it felt like someone rear-ended me!

It only did it a few times under certain conditions (I learned that if I stepped on the gas to pass or something and got the lag, to take my foot off the gas to lessen the harshness)

I took it in and they re-flashed the trans. It made a huge difference. The trans shifts beautifully now! No more lag or harsh downshifts. It seems like it's always in the right gear.

 

[NoCaDiver]

There is a TSB for delayed downshift (early 5.4 only)

I'd try to accelerate sometimes and the truck would not respond right away... huge throttle lag... then a second later... KA-WHAM!!! downshifted at full throttle so hard it felt like someone rear-ended me!

It only did it a few times under certain conditions (I learned that if I stepped on the gas to pass or something and got the lag, to take my foot off the gas to lessen the harshness)

I took it in and they re-flashed the trans. It made a huge difference. The trans shifts beautifully now! No more lag or harsh downshifts. It seems like it's always in the right gear.

Same issue I had. Happened a few times and really pissed me off, had to manually shift the auto to get it kick down. Had the trans re-flashed and haven't had an issue yet but I've only put about 300 miles on it since.

 

[MarkT]

Same issue I had. Happened a few times and really pissed me off, had to manually shift the auto to get it kick down. Had the trans re-flashed and haven't had an issue yet but I've only put about 300 miles on it since.

I've put a few thousand miles on mine since the reflash and it's still shifting perfectly. Not only is the delayed downshift gone, after it relearned my driving style, the trans just seems to be better at staying in the right gear all the time.

 

[NoCaDiver]

I'll be taking a trip to Orlando so I'll be able to better gauge if the flash has done the job or not...hopefully.