1997 Ford Explorer knock

dishiki

Hey all,
My wife and I have a 97 Explorer XLT 2WD, with about 62k miles on it. We noticed a knocking sound whenever we would brake towards the fron of the car. We took it in and they said it was the brakes. So we got brand new brakes. However, in the past couple of days, the sound has gotten worse. You really notice it when you make a left turn or when you hit a bump. It feels like a clicking/slipping/knocking./ Anyone experience this or have any idea what it is? Other than that, the car is great. It's my wife's and I have been pushing her to get rid of it, but she refuses. She wants to keep it forever. Thanks in advance for the help

Mr_Shiftright

You might check the locking hubs in front.

lngtonge18

Um, he has 2wd so he wouldn't have locking front hubs. That's not his problem. I would say either an engine or transmission mount has worn out or he has some bad suspension bushings or shocks. Have those things checked. Everytime I slow down and come to a stop in my VW GTI, I hear a popping/knocking sound. It was diagnosed as a worn out tranny mount. It also makes the noise when turning sometimes because the tranny is shifting around when its not supposed to. When the side engine mount wore out, the same knocking sound was heard everytime i accelerated, slowed down, or made a turn because of the engine shifting in its mounting. Also, I had another knocking sound when hitting bumps or making a turn caused by worn out strut bearings. Now, I realize your truck doesn't have struts, but worn out bushings in your suspension will cause the same problem. Hope this insight helps.

spokane

Intonge made some good suggestions. A loose shock absorber stud or bolt can also make considerable noise. I would also check the anti-sway bar mounts and links, the tie rods, pitman arm, ball joints, and the suspension A-frame mounts. Unless you are quite familiar with this type of work, suggest that you go to a good alignment shop to have these things checked. Please don't delay; some of these problems can lead to a serious accident. Please let us know what you find.

Mr_Shiftright

oops! You're right, he did say "2WD"...I need to read slower. Too bad, it would have been the perfect answer for that noise. Wouldn't this kind of noise also occur if the alignment shims fell out?

dishiki

I am taking the car in tomorrow to find out what is wrong with it. Thanks for the advice. I will bring the info to the mechanic.

Mike

spokane

Lost alignment shim ... should be good bet, Shiftright, based on the clicking/slipping/knocking symptom during a turn in one direction or a bump. But I have never encountered it. Let's hope this is Dishiki's problem because all he will need is an alignment job.

felixc1976

dashiki:

I had the same problem with my 97 Taurus, 52k miles.
The knock would only happen when I slowed down quickly from high speeds or taking turns at relatively high speeds. I had my car in the shop for 7 days before "factory trained mechanics" diagnosed it. They said rear sub frame bushings were worn out. I checked some web-sites, and all of them claim that bushings shouldn't be replaced until after you reach 100K or more. So, it seems like it is Ford quality problem.
I also had wheels alligned.
Hope this helps

dishiki

Hey everyone,
Thanks for all the replies. Unforunately, the car is still not fixed. We brought it in, and they said that the problem could be fixed by retorqing the upper and lower arms. I no minimal about cars, so I took their word for it. Well my wife just went and picked up the car and it is not fixed.

So I've spent 93 dollars for this, and 340 for the brake job. I called them back and told them I was extremely upset and they asked me to bring the car back in and test drive it with a technician. Do they not think that anyone works nowadays?

Anyway, I guess I am headed back down there. Do I have any recourse whatsoever for the charge on the retorque, which has done absolutely nothing?

Mr_Shiftright

Sure, ask for a refund or a credit or at least an adjustment. This is supposed to be an "Automotive Repair Shop", not an "Automotive Guessing Parlor". If they absolutely swore that it might not fix the problem and that they were guessing and was that okay with you, then I'd say you don't have anything coming. But if they gave you the impression that they had diagnosed the problem and were pretty sure they had it licked, then they should eat all or part of it.

rlloyd2

I have a 1999 ford F350 truck it makes clicking noise when i trun or go over bumps all the time I had it in the ford grage 8 times and they can not find out why it is doing it they changed the front end parts and the noise is still they
I have test drive the truck with the ford technician 7 times the truck has 42000k on it