Front-end, steering/suspension

[Beardly]

Okay now, I've had this Bronco for a little over a year and it's a great rig for the most part... Just needed (and still needs) a mechanical touch...hopefully keeping the Hammer to a minimum!

I replaced my drag link and passenger side balljoints last year, as they appeared loose, but I still have a "Clunk" sound when I hit the brakes after backing up. It sounds like it might be coming from the area of the driver side balljoints, although they don't appear to be loose. Thought I better inquire before tearing into it to replace those, to see if anyone had any other ideas on what this might be. Radius Arm bushing maybe, but it would be further back on the frame.

TIA,

~Beardly

PS, also wondering about the lift probability... previous owner said "no lift", but running 33x12.50's and have 5" of clearance to front fender???

 

[Mike G]

Check the drag brace brackets and the bushings. Mine did the same thing and I found the drag brace bracket worn out. After a new bracket and bushings all is well.

Mike

Track Brackets Link

 

[BroncoJoe19]

You might try jacking the driver's side frame to get the wheel off the ground a couple of inches, then use a 2X4" as a lever and a brick or something as a fulcrum, and try raising and lowering the wheel a bit, and wiggeling it in and out (at the bottom) while observing for movement in the ball joints, and other components that should not be moving.

 

[shift1313]

yours is a 95 so its a little different but here is a pic of my 89f150 with 32s on it no lift for comparisson

http://filebox.vt.edu/users/maperez/Trucks/tires.JPG

as for your sound. maybe have someone outside the truck see if they can help pinpoint the noise. could be your brake shoes in the rear. youd be surprise how the sound echoes and throws you off. Do your ball joints have grease fittings on them? pack them full of grease and see if the noise changes.

 

[Justshootme84]

TO help check if you have a suspension lift, measure the height of the front coil springs with weight on the tires or while parked. 12" is stock. Then put a jack under the left-front tire to get it off the ground. Try to move it side-to-side and up-and-down. there should not be any play in either direction. Have someone watch the steering linkage, too, while you do this. If you don't find a problem, you might take off the wheel, and visibly inspect the coil spring seat, balljoints, steering for any signs of wear. Worn radius arm bushings will usually leave a shiny spot on the bracket where they used to sit before they moved. Worn axle pivot bushings are harder to diagnose, but will also cause a "pop" when turning across uneven ground, like going over the dip as you turn into the driveway. JSM84

 

[Beardly]

Thanks a Bunch guys, I'm really glad I got on here and I appreciate your expertise very much. When I got my Valkyrie I hooked up w/ an online club and they pointed me in the right direction on so many things that I knew this would be a good idea.

As for the balljoints, there are no zirk fittings, so they're probably original eqpt... I did check them with the method you mentioned, JSM84, and that's why I replaced the pass. side last year. I went ahead and replaced the driver's side (got called back to work so not much time lately), and the old ones were dry as a bone... got the new ones pressed in today. Decided to tear the front apart and check out everything thoroughly. I looked at the radius arm bushings and haven't seen anything unusual yet. I thought about the axle pivot bushings, but how do you check those w/o disassembling completely? The rig only has 120k on it.

So, I have it up on jackstands under the front axle now, and when I measured the front coils in got 14.5"... I figured it had a little bit of lift... just about right for my purposes and the appearance I prefer for the moment... Also has a rear Sway Bar, which I'm assuming is aftermarket(?). It's pretty stiff all around and very stable on corners. One of the parking brake cables looks a bit tight though and is rubbing on the shock... I'll have to do something about that.

Again, Big Thanks guys

~Brad

 

[madmax]

something you can do for a quick temporary buy you time fix with the cable rubbing the shock is ducttape and an old leather glove as a pad. It ain't a long term solution but it'll at least keep it from getting worse till you've got a nice day to address it.