Front End Noise Mystery

[Snakebyte]

My issue never resolved, but after determining there was no safety issue, I gave up on it, I barely am going to be driving the car hard locked steering to the left. And after hearing all 3 years have this issue was another reason I gave up on it.

I hope that anyone having similar issues, that it indeed is no safety issue. Why?

Example: I had a service manager tell me I was wrong when I told them my '92 T'Bird's steering shaft was loose and worn, even demonstrating to him on my car the 3/4" side-to-side movement. He said that was normal.

So I went to another Ford dealer who was accommodating, letting me open 4 similar mileage used T'Bird hoods on their lot, to wiggle their vehicle steering shafts checking loose-play. Those shafts incurred minimal movement on even higher mileage T'Birds.

As it turned out, my car had a severely defective telescoping steering shaft that had wallowed out.

So when reporting back to the original Ford dealer, the service manage in an condescending tone told me THEY are the experts on my vehicle, but because I as a customer wanted the shaft replaced, they'd replace it.

So finally, I had no more problems with steering looseness and snapping noises.

So the moral of this story is....Don't necessarily take an "expert's" advice if there is a remote chance it indeed is a safety item. Thankfully in the 21st century we have this forum and a lot of willing-to-share folks to help us narrow down potential sources of issues.

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[tobaccokid]

I hope that anyone having similar issues, that it indeed is no safety issue. Why?

Example: I had a service manager tell me I was wrong when I told them my '92 T'Bird's steering shaft was loose and worn, even demonstrating to him on my car the 3/4" side-to-side movement. He said that was normal.

So I went to another Ford dealer who was accommodating, letting me open 4 similar mileage used T'Bird hoods on their lot, to wiggle their vehicle steering shafts checking loose-play. Those shafts incurred minimal movement on even higher mileage T'Birds.

As it turned out, my car had a severely defective telescoping steering shaft that had wallowed out.

So when reporting back to the original Ford dealer, the service manage in an condescending tone told me THEY are the experts on my vehicle, but because I as a customer wanted the shaft replaced, they'd replace it.

So finally, I had no more problems with steering looseness and snapping noises.

So the moral of this story is....Don't necessarily take an "expert's" advice if there is a remote chance it indeed is a safety item. Thankfully in the 21st century we have this forum and a lot of willing-to-share folks to help us narrow down potential sources of issues.

Not only from this excellent forum. Numerous other forums also provide tremendous benefits. The biggest Corvette forum turned out to be worth itself in gold when it came to the faulty original Corvette C7 hydroscopic automatic trans fluid. Took years for GM to solve it. Thankfully my 2019 GT350 hasn't had any problems. A funny small world story regarding C6 Z06 Corvette engine head problem. Never saw a solution from GM. At a Shelby SAAC National Convention I overhead a guy talking to someone about working in Mexico. Went over and chatted with him and learned he was a GM engineer who coincidently was on the technical committee regarding that problem. He explained to me the subcontractor machining source of the problem. You never know in life where an answer may lie. As this shows it's frequently who you know, and not necessarily what you (think) know.For me, it pays to be inquisitive and pleasantly paranoid.

 

[ortizluis927]

Update: Today as soon as I left the house it did it for a moment, however way less than before. When I got to my destination a few minutes later I did more testing and no noise whatsoever. I will keep testing and update. I think no car is perfect and some noises may be just
aesthetic. These sports cars have a lot more components, specially in the suspension part that normal every day cars don't. It is always good to have two or three different opinions just to be sure. I had a 2009 Honda Civic that did this same front end noise occasionally. As the years went by, it did it less. Today, it stills do it from time to time.

@CaptDave @AngelDeath question: I do have a second issue but on the rear suspension. The dealer is also struggling to find what it is. When I go over speed bumps, street ditches, places where the suspension moves a lot, I hear like a popping noise (pop pop pop) something like that, in the rear suspension. Dealership changed the driver's side shock absorber but it still does the same noise. I went under the car and checked for loose components but did not find anything.

I was wondering if your cars do the same thing or if you have experienced similar issues with the rear suspension?

 

[NightmareMoon]

Cars with two peice rotors and aluminum wheels need to have the mating surfaces cleaned once and a while or they can tick, esp when turning. Happens on vettes too. Break out the brake cleaner and a rag and clean the wheel mating surface and rotor hat and see if that helps… if its a tick.

if its a knock, its probably not this.

 

[AngelDeath]

Update: Today as soon as I left the house it did it for a moment, however way less than before. When I got to my destination a few minutes later I did more testing and no noise whatsoever. I will keep testing and update. I think no car is perfect and some noises may be just
aesthetic. These sports cars have a lot more components, specially in the suspension part that normal every day cars don't. It is always good to have two or three different opinions just to be sure. I had a 2009 Honda Civic that did this same front end noise occasionally. As the years went by, it did it less. Today, it stills do it from time to time.

@CaptDave @AngelDeath question: I do have a second issue but on the rear suspension. The dealer is also struggling to find what it is. When I go over speed bumps, street ditches, places where the suspension moves a lot, I hear like a popping noise (pop pop pop) something like that, in the rear suspension. Dealership changed the driver's side shock absorber but it still does the same noise. I went under the car and checked for loose components but did not find anything.

I was wondering if your cars do the same thing or if you have experienced similar issues with the rear suspension?

No I dont have any from end noise, the hard knocking in the front now has changed to bone/stone crushing and everything has been changed at least 5 times over the course of the winter and it would either get worse or less, we are at the less point so I'm okay with that. I have a jeep Cherokee that makes popping noises when I drive or a bump and it happens on the passenger side, it came back have 18 months after it was fixed and turned out to be the mounting plate for the back air shock/strut.

I would also check to see if any of the heat shields are loose that could be making that noise, mine is at the moment back at the dealership and another I noticed is that the side rocker panels push pins were all loose, check and see if yours is and could it be the cause as well.

 

[GT500Flyer]

My 21 GT500 had this problem. Car would pop during hard lock. I tightened my tower brace and it went away. I month later it came back, the brace was no longer tight. I put loctite on the bolt and tightened to spec. The poping never came back. The brace will come loose because the bolts are painted.

 

[ortizluis927]

No I dont have any from end noise, the hard knocking in the front now has changed to bone/stone crushing and everything has been changed at least 5 times over the course of the winter and it would either get worse or less, we are at the less point so I'm okay with that. I have a jeep Cherokee that makes popping noises when I drive or a bump and it happens on the passenger side, it came back have 18 months after it was fixed and turned out to be the mounting plate for the back air shock/strut.

I would also check to see if any of the heat shields are loose that could be making that noise, mine is at the moment back at the dealership and another I noticed is that the side rocker panels push pins were all loose, check and see if yours is and could it be the cause as well.

Thanks for the suggestion.I'll check it. Btw the front noise is solved. Been driving the car everyday for a few days and no noise. I think the noise I mentioned in my previous update had to do with the rear suspension pop noise I mentioned. Installed new tires, allignment and the car feels awesome. I will be doing some troubleshoot on it. I was also thinking that the springs might be the culprit. I have noticed that it also does it on sharp turns maybe coming out of a hill. I live in Puerto Rico so we have a few of those. Im gonna try and identify the components activated during that action.

 

[Kenbike]

On my 2022 the right front tire area sound is as if something is rubbing on a edge of a plastic fender liner or belly pan. No knocks or metal banging sounds. Looked for any obvious damage but cannot find.
The inner fender liners are not damaged and the noise happen only at low speeds turning the wheel in either direction.

 

[deepimpact]

I have a very similar noise.
When parking out I hear 2-3 time knocking coming from lower left area behind steering wheel. I can also feel it in the foot area.

Here is a video



If you turn up the volume and listen carefully u can hear it. It only happens when turning left.

 

[AngelDeath]

I have a very similar noise.
When parking out I hear 2-3 time knocking coming from lower left area behind steering wheel. I can also feel it in the foot area.

Here is a video



If you turn up the volume and listen carefully u can hear it. It only happens when turning left.

Thats the noise I heard and felt only when turned to the left all the way, nothing when turned to the right, they never were able to fix it but it was deemed safe so I gave up and stopped them from going any longer after 5 times of replacing the shaft and other parts.

 

[deepimpact]

They changed the universal joint and the strut mount but with no luck. I will change the tires soon to winter tires and then try to listen if there is any change. Maybe it's because of the michelin tires.

And it only happens when driving forward. So many questions and no obvious damage on any part. Maybe I have to put a camera below the foot area and see any obvious movement which makes that noise.

 

[AngelDeath]

They changed the universal joint and the strut mount but with no luck. I will change the tires soon to winter tires and then try to listen if there is any change. Maybe it's because of the michelin tires.

And it only happens when driving forward. So many questions and no obvious damage on any part. Maybe I have to put a camera below the foot area and see any obvious movement which makes that noise.

There is no solution, some say there's is fixed, but it seems many models of mustangs have this issue and only happens when hard locking the steering wheel to the left, will not happen when turning to the right.

 

[deepimpact]

I would live with that if I would knew the reason or the source of the noise.

 

[AngelDeath]

I would live with that if I would knew the reason or the source of the noise.

Good luck even Ford themselves dont know the cause.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Steering gears don't like to be hard locked one way or the other. If you let off just a little from full lock does it still happen?

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