hello, i have a problem driving me nuts i just cant figure out, ive looked over many posts here and on other forums and nothing has helped , i have a popping noise from my driverside front ,like something it binding, happens over small bumps, speed bumps and turning left but every once in a while it will do it turning right,does not pop all the time over every bump or every turn wont pop if going over a speed bump very slowly , i can feel it through the floorboard and hear it and its loud ,cant get it to pop if i bounce by pushing down fender when stopped, only does it when moving, i have recently replaced lower ball joints and upper control arms , all wheel bearings , greased stops, my inner and outer tie rods checked out fine , lifted truck and pushed pulled wheels ,no movement ,checked steering and no problem there,no looseness, had a shop check suspension and they found nothing wrong , i removed sway bar and the end links and still pops so its not that, could it be upper control arm bushings as i didnt preload on the ground ? or a body mount bushing noticed the one behind the bumper is cracked? or the shock absorber ? any help will by very appreciated, its a 2wd 2003 2.3 reg cab xlt with coil springs .thanks

 

Yes you need to install the upper control arms properly. ( which just means as you know loosen then re tighten the bolts while the truck is on the ground).

If this is the cause of your noise or not you should re inspect the bushings and properly set the preload.

Doing this may knock your front end out of alignment, I am not sure if the Ranger has camber and caster adjustments with the use of cam bolts or if they use shims.

Replacing the know damaged body mount bushings is a good idea also yet I am doubtful if they are the source of your noise.

Did you lubricate the new upper and lower ball joints properly?

Normally once installed I give each new ball joint one good pump of a grease gun, then I turn the wheel stop to stop a few times returning to a straight position, then I add more grease until the dust boot just slightly swells.

Did you pull back the boots of the tie rod ends?

The OEM original outer tie rods may not have grease fittings and could be dried out yet do not have any play in them yet.

 

have you checked the front wheel bearings lately???

 

yes i recently changed all front bearings because of loosenes on passenger side

 

thanks i had greased all tie rod ends and ball joints but i went ahead and added a little more following your tip, rechecked tie rods by looking under rubber boots look good and regreased them, they are not oem as i replaced them inner outter less then a year ago.replaced the damaged frame body bushings , , still popping, coud it be my shock absorber , the shock bushings look ok , how can i tell if the upper and lower control arm bushings are bad , thanks for your advice

 

I replaced my front shock for maintenance, once I remove them I noticed one or more of the bushings were wore out . Like the stud cut through the bushing allowing the shock to move around some.

Did you re do the preload on the control arm bushings?

If your bushings have been damaged you should seen signs of this damage with tears to the exposed visible part of the bushing.

Did you double check all the bolts on all the control arms?

I have seen some of these bolts and bolt holes get worn out on the lower control arm allowing for the bolt to move around and loosen up.

 

it is time to replace the lower control arms , i would hate to see what the rubber bushings look like

probably very little rubber left

 

hi again , checked all bushings and maybe a slight crack or two but no missing chunks , preloaded uca , the bolts and holes look fine, havent checked lower bolts , how can i check them, going to check shocks this weekend, another clue is it rained and i went through some water and the popping went away but returned once suspension dried , now seems to pop even more , should i grease all the bushings

 

i visualy checked the lower bushings no missing chunks maybe some slight cracks, took it to a shop and they said nothing was wrong , noticed popping went away after going through some puddles but returns after it tries , you think i should change my lower bushings anyway, thanks

 

can i change the lower bushings or do i have to replace the lower control arm , should i wd40 the bushings to see if it stops the noise in order to be certain its the bushings as the popping goes away when wet, could it be the brakes maybe

 

yes you can replace the lower and upper control arm bushings with polyurethane

but it is time consuming , and will have to use your transit system for several days

and you will need access to a ball joint press , a drill , a tap and zerk grease fittings

yellow / red and blue polyurethane bushings need constant greasing

ask me how i know

 

thanks for the answer, what brand of bushings do you recomend ,riding the bus is no prob but is it dangerous to drive with bad bushings i would like to replace them in 2 weeks as i dont really have the time at the moment , thanks

 

i only use energy suspension because they have the widest range of bushings available

Energy Suspension Parts - Polyurethane Suspension Bushings

fill in the required drop boxes and voila ,, all the bushings and part numbers you require

 

I jacked up the front end of my 1995 ford ranger 4.0 and I could rock the driver wheel back and forth. Does that mean I need Bearings or ball joints and how can you tell what axle it is? Thank You in advance

 

have you ever figured this out? I know it was 5 years ago, you might not check the forum but I’m losing my mind over the same issue on my truck.

 

I had a 93 Ranger that started making a popping sound in the front, turned out to be the shocks, new shocks fixed the issue. There's some videos on YouTube of what it sounds like if you wanna search those up. Just throwing it out there, hope it helps!

 

I was going to say ball joints or tie rod end. Im glad you found the problem shucks are esier to fix!!!