my truck made a similar noise to yours. I would get a pop sometimes when i would turn the wheel. It turns out that the bolts holding the LCA to the crossmembers were loose. Now i know you said you "checked" the bolts, but did you use a torque wrnech set for the proper ft/lbs?

 

No torque wrench but they are tight, German torque.

 

Ahhhh.....the Gutentight method.

 

I have calibrated hands and feet.

 

That's NO joke either!! You need to use your hand AND feet to get them properly torqued!

 

 

you check body mount bolts/bushings?

 

https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...-included.html

This is sort of what it's doing. Sounds very similar and so does his explanation of what's gone on with his truck.

 

yea i'd believe wheel bearing for his, since hes not adding more load, or unloading the steering at all, eliminates the steering system.

I'd have to go drive yours first to confirm tho.

LMK if you want a hand doing the hubs, I did a guy from rockwall's 2pc hub/rotor setup on his 06 Lariat. Great setup!

 

Yeah that 2 piece hub conversion is what I'd go with.

I was backing into a spot the other day with the wheel turned all the way to the right and it made a similar noise as in that video. To me wheel bearing is pretty much all it can be, but I've been wrong this whole time. lol Going to have to find a torque wrench large enough to do the job though. That's the only thing I won't have. I'll have to check the auto part stores around here, plenty of them.

 

OK I'd had enough of the noise so I set up an appointment to meet up with Patman at his place of work so we could do some troubleshooting on this noise. We started with a test drive and I immediately replicated the sound for him all the ways I had before, and sounds like the rear from inside the truck. We then got the truck on the lift and got to looking, prying, and torquing. Things looked good and snug. Pat checked a few other things while we were under there. We even changed my fuel filter while under there, fastest FF change in history!

We then went for another test drive to a church that has an angled drainage channel cut across the parking lot. He's been using this area troubleshooting many times before. He got out and I drove back and forth letting each wheel transition over and out of the cut. Creak, pop, creak, pop, and we headed back.

So on the lift she goes again. He had an inkling that it could be coming from up front. I'd thought this before, and this is what I have been going through for so long. Sounds like the front, sounds like the back, and so on and so on. Now he got a feel for what I have been going through.

Well he grabbed a prybar and put it in the sway bar bushing mount and pried, and POP. Did it again, POP. Went to the driver's side, POP. My dang sway bar bushings are shot, who'd have thunk it when they look fine from the outside.

It's my opinion that these trucks are so firm in the frame you can't tell where the noises are coming from. Plus the enclosed tubular frames carry the sound through and you can't tell where it's originated from.

So now then, nobody had the bushings in stock so I have to order a ser. Then I'll swap them out and have a noise free truck.

Thanks Patman for solving this mystery!

 

Glad you got it figured out, Stealth. Don't you just hate a problem you can't diagnose? I am currently chasing down a cab water leak, a possible exhaust manifold leak, just replaced my noisy tensioner pulley, and now have a pop like you describe on take off and slow turns onto my driveway. My pop is very slight, almost like a seatbelt buckle hitting a trimpanel in the rear, but its not. Its a little pop, like something shifts a little, like a body mount. My wife doesn't even hear it, she thinks I'm crazy......maybe I am. Wish me luck!

 

Today I changed the sway bar bushings and I verified the noise is gone with a test drive.

So, if you have a clunk/pop noise you think is coming from the suspension somewhere check your sway bar bushings by prying the sway bar by the clamp with the suspension unloaded.

 

Boy I love this forum....

I came on here this morning looking for the same exact issue. Mine is doing it too. 2004 FX4, only 40k. It has been getting progressively worse over the last few months and going in Monday for back brakes and this. I had 2" Autospring blocks put in at 12k. Sometimes it feels and sounds like the entire front suspension is loose, yet sometimes feels like it's right under my feet. It happens mostly at low frequency on mine, too - ie heading out of the neighborhood and in parking lots.

I too originally thought it was in the rear end. I checked my spare and it's snug. I thought it might be the brake line bouncing against the rear spring on the driver side so I zip-tied it to the leaf - no luck. The metal "S" hook that binds the two brake lines together was bouncing against the leaf also. That got zipped, too. Those two plastic fixes didn't do anything. I totally understand what you mean on locating the sound: sometimes it feels like the rear, sometimes the front - you can't really tell for sure. But, at only 40k on the truck and never any offroading I find it hard to believe I'm losing tie rod ends and ball joints already.

Like I said, it's getting looked at Monday, and I'm sending my trusted mechanic this link. The sway bar bushings are the first to get replaced this time. Hopefully it solves it and we can put this to bed. Thanks for the diligence on keeping us posted Stealth!

I will keep you guys posted...

 

Interesting Damon, I've noticed a weird sensation under my feet too, it's intermittent and only happens over certain bumps