Hello all!

I am the owner of a 2013 F150 King Ranch 4x4. Visually, it's a perfect truck inside and out. 3" block in the back, Bilstein 5100 shocks up front set to the highest setting. BF Goodrich KO2 275/65 on 20's. nFab nerf bar and K&N Cold Air intake. That is all that has been done to this truck. It is currently under an extended service plan.

Here is the issue. After 4 months of perfect driving on the setup described above, I started to hear a clunking noise up front on both sides. I took my truck in to the dealer I bought it from and was told that the center shock nuts at the top were loose. Those nuts were tightened, my truck was given back to me, and I was satisfied for about 3 miles of testing driving. I took a very shallow curve at about 25 miles an hour and heard a popping noise from what I believe to be the front passenger side. This popping noise was loud. VERY loud. After that noise, my truck has never been the same.

After the popping noise, my truck began to have this strange side to side wander. It was as if the front tires were "allowed" to essentially aim whichever want they wanted to point. There is also a distinct “buzzing” or feel of something worn that is turning coming up through the floorboard and through the gas pedal. In addition, when starting and stopping the truck, the motor has a slight shake to it, when braking the truck has a jostling feel coming from beneath, when bumps of any kind are run over the truck has a thud or jostle feel from below. Some bumps big enough cause a jolting feel so violent, it feels like something is going to drop out of the truck. Oh, and I hear a wha wha wha noise that is typically badly worn tires, but that cannot be it considering I’ve traded out tires with my other trucks to hear the same noise. It's as if the entire front axle line is loose, or something that connects to it. And, when the back tires spin, there is a grinding gear-like noise from the driver's side in both 4x2 and 4x4.

I have take my truck to 2 different Ford dealers. They have replaced actuators, inner tie rod ends, ensured ball joints and control arm bushings are good, replaced the rack and pinion, and a few other minor things. Both dealers are constantly having to tighten things every time I take my truck in. Did I mention that this truck, since January 2016, has been to Ford dealers 13 times, and a total of 34 business days?

The 2nd dealer took the time to look. These are the guys that replaced things because they felt the truck had issues. The truck is essentially the same, admittedly, it's a little tighter feeling because of the newer parts, but (again) it’s not fixed. I have explained to the dealer that all they are doing when tighten things is fixe the aftermath of the underlying and main issue the is causing my truck to essentially shake loose.

Anyone got any guesses on what I could check for? The motor mounts and transmission mount have been checked, but I am still willing to bet it's a mount of some kind. The differential bushings check out per the dealer, too.

The mysterious pop has never been discovered and this truck is like riding on ice with a disturbing bouncing or jolting coming from below. The truck went from driving perfectly to crap in a matter of a few days. I’ve been chasing this issue for going on 5 months now.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

Sway bar bushings?

 

Hey RSTHD150! Thank you so much for your time and thoughts.

The most recent dealer who looked at the truck removed the sway bar entirely to see if it made any noticeable difference. I am "assuming" that since no negative report was given after this step of their troubleshooting, that the sway bar itself and bushings checked out.

I have heard and seen a number of folks comment about these bushings. The above withstanding, I may, just for giggles, replace them since they are not expensive and rather easy.

Again, I truly appreciate your time.

 

The initial issue you described - the single loud pop and the subsequent side to side movement - sounds like one of your sway bar links popped. This exact thing happened to me with my old 2000 truck. VERY loud pop followed by erratic control while driving. Because of the added tension from the change in angles from front suspension modifications (Bilsteins and leveling kits can cause this), the sway bar link itself had popped off from the stress. It was actually a simple fix with a Moog replacement sway bar link. This sounds like it could be what you're experiencing. However, the dealer should have noticed this on your first visit. It's hard to miss. So perhaps it's something else, but if they haven't looked for that specifically, you may want to mention it.

As far as the grinding, could be a 4wd actuator or a bearing going bad. But the odds of having all these problems at once seem slim.

EDIT: Sorry, I just noticed your second post about them removing the entire sway bar. I wonder if it could be an electric power steering unit issue?

 

Hi JohnBoy88!

Thanks so much for your reply.

My truck has been in to the dealer so many times, and so many things have been checked that I am starting to not remember every single thing that was checked. Sway bar bushings/links almost always come up when I describe my truck's issues, so I think I will check them myself.

The truck is under an extended protection plan. If I find the sway bar link/bushings/whatever bad, I'll have them replace whatever is necessary.

 

Those would be struts, not shocks. I probably would have been ballistic if my struts were loose on a new used truck. Probabilities are high that the 3 (as I recall) mounting holes are now wallowed out and there is no easy fixing it. The strut towers will have to be cut out of the frame and new ones rewelded in......IF that's the case. I'd have them check both sides. Here's what fits your 4x4 2013 F150.