I have the same experience. I figure I'll keep riding it hard until it breaks. Then, the wife can't say anything about the lift kit that goes in during the repair.

 

I like that idea!! Good one!! " I don't know hunny, the man said if I didn't want it to happen again, I needed to lift it!!" "Now I need bigger tires!"

 

Had this simmilar problem on my 98 and it was a broken leaf spring that was catching. Relpaced and all is good. Check it out.

 

Bingo! "You don't want to be able to see under the truck like that, do you? That looks horrible. Well, since you can see, I better upgrade the exhaust. That looks good, but you still shouldn't be able to see under there like that. New tires and we'll be right as rain."

 

add my 1999 to the list mine does this to for some reason I checked everything to try to find the problem, replaced u-joints and it still does it, I dunno what causes this noise but it seems like a widespread problem

 

My '01 has it too

 

Any1 find the cure.. Som1 said it was bushings i believe

 

add my 97 4x4 to the list worried me at 1st but it didnt break in the mud hole so im good to go.

 

same noises from rear.. never thought much of it ..

 

My 03 does it too, i always thought it was crap in my tool box, but glad its not serious and not the only one.

 

I replaced my shocks today and it seems to be gone??? Don't know if it is coincidence or not. The clunk wasn't what made me change the shocks, its a 97 with original shocks and they were shot. I just noticed that the noise went away.....

 

I tend to agree with Vondutchy. My brother had a 97 Ranger that did that for a while and no one could find the problem, than one day he got off the freeway on a curvy offramp and heard a loud metallic noise. He stopped the truck and went back and found an 8 inch section of leaf spring laying on the shoulder. I installed a new spring for him and end of problem. It's worth checking into, especially when you consider that leafspring is the only thing holding in the rear end and if it breaks in right spot, you become a high speed hook and ladder truck if you get my, pardon the pun, drift.

Bob

 

hey guys, we'll ive got to say the same problems. my truck handles like crape. for the last year ive been replaceing all of my suspension parts. the clunk has gotten alot better. ive replaced reverything except the steering box, rear end and transmission mounts.
ive heard thru the grape vine that there's a tsb on the rear shackles and shackle mounts are one of our problems. so ive decided to install oem rear mounts and shackles and replace the transmission mounts. if this doesnt fix my problem im taking my truck to a frame measuring shop for any signs of flexing or crackes in the frame. i cant see that the frame is damaged in anyway. i dont use it for work. SO check with someone that has ALLDATA to see if ford has anything on this. Good Luck.

harley2002

2002 f150 hd exstended cab

 

This sounds like its not the cause of most of your problems, but, on my 01, I found an exhaust dampner that was just hanging on exhaust pipe that was causing all sorts of noises - rattles, clunks, etc. It looks like a big U bolt, with a weighted cylinder on the end. Not sure if it was at one time fastened to something or what - but mine was just hanging there. A pair of bolt cutters fixed it right up!

 

2000 4x4 here same noise truck has 87k on it and started about 6-8 months ago. The best way i can describe the noise is kinda like a c-clip retention axle that has to much play sliding out that little bit and making that clunking sound.