Please give me ideas on what to check for...

I have a clicking sound that is rythmic I think with the revolution of either the wheel or driveshaft. It is a very loud clicking. It does not do it all the time. I notice it most often at slow speeds (approxmately 0-25mph). It will do it when I am coasting, braking, accelerating, and turning. It does not seem to matter what I am doing, as long as I am going at a slow speed. I will say that I do notice the most often when I am braking to a stop. But as I said, it has done it in all the above scenarios.

I sprayed the u-joints with wd40. I also remove all of my wheel center caps (thinking that they were the culprit). Niether of these fixed it. There are no nails or rocks in my tire treads either. Please...any suggestions on what to try next would be great.

Thanks,
Brad

oh, and my vehicle is a 2002 F150 Screw 4x4 5.4L with a Fabtech 6" lift kit.

 

U-joints are bad.

 

Did you replace u-joints and fix the issue? I have same issue with 2wd. I would have said under 15mph. Happens under all scenarios you stated. Local shop could not pin-point (no charge), but said they would start with the U-joint and go from there. I did not have the work done at that time, but your post and future reply may.

 

I had the same thing happen to mine (2002 ext. cab 4x4 6" Fabtech w/35"'s). If you're looking at the truck on the drivers side rear tire, you should see the brake lines coming down the frame rail. One of the brake lines has a rubber "Fin" wrapped around it, towards the front side of the wheelwell, near the rear leaf spring. The supprt that holds this line had come undone on mine, and the fins were rubbing the inside of the tire, making a "clicking" sound. I refastened the line to the frame rail and no more clicking.

 

My 2001 Screw made a similiar sound at low speed . It was the emergency brake Shoe lining seperated from the shoe , and was floating around inside the rear rotor . Pull both rear tires and rotors , and take a look at your E-brake shoes .

 

Ditto on the parking brake pads - I just went through this with my 2001 Screw.

After a few weeks of trying to find this noise by checking to see if the u-joints were bad, or if any rocks were stuck in the treads, or if something was rubbing the tires, or if the center caps were loose, etc...

Last Friday I pulled the rotors and found that the parking brake shoes on both sides had separated (also found a leaky rear axle seal - but that's for another thread)...

 

X-2 on the E-brake. Check that first.

 

X3 on the e-brake cable. That happened to me at about 4 in the morning when I installed the front and rear diffs after getting them regeared. Hearing that noise after starting/driving the truck for the first time with the new gears, I about **** myself not knowing it was something as simple as the e-brake.

 

My truck makes the same rythmic noise. Will check the e-brake but have heard that the clutches in the diff can make the same noise when they are going out.

 

I've got the same thing but in the front not the back!!!???

It's loudest when breaking at low speeds but I sometimes can here it when going slow around corners.

I already took the wheels off and checked the breaks.

I'm thinking it's gotta be the CV joints but I've had them go out before in FWD cars and it doesn't act the same as that.???

PS Hope this isn't a hijack. Maybe we have the same problem.

 

Diff clutches shouldn't click - when they are going out you will get a shudder when you pull off from a stop with the wheels turned.

 

Sounds like your Diff. A lot of times the spider gears will wear and get loose around the cross shaft and knock or click with the rotation of the tires. The e-brake cable idea might be it as well.

 

I am leanding toward the Diff also. I put the truck up on Jack Stands and pulled the rear wheels. When I rotate the axle I can feel the click on both the right and left axles. Looks like I am going to have to remove the diff cover to see what it looks like! Is this pretty common for a 9.75" rear with a 3.55 gear ratio?

 

Brad,

My 2003 F150 XL does that same exact thing your talking about to the tee. It has gotten to the point that I can guess exactly when the clicking will start. It generally clicks many times in a row when I'm braking and I get down to 10mph is when it starts going nuts. This continues until the truck is completely stopped. It has also started clicking only twice when the truck reaches about 30mph and sometimes has done one to two clicks at 65 to 70mph. I've asked a mechanic about it and all they say is it's normal. Sorry to say but I've never heard this clicking noise from any other truck but this one I have now. Thank god there's someone else out there dealing with this besides me. I just have no idea how to fix it???

 

I have a clicking sound It is a very loud clicking.It comes from the back under the truck and i listen to it it sound from rear left i had changed the brake line 2 month ago It does not do it all the time. I notice it most often at all speeds ( 25-65mph). It will do it when I am coasting, braking, accelerating, and turning. It does not seem to matter what I am doing, as long as I am going at a any speed. But as I said, it has done it in all the above scenarios.
please help