Front-end Noise

Hello to All,

I have a 1999 Explorer XLT 2WD 4.0 SOHC. Now with about 76K miles I'm
having what appears to be my first problem (other than the killer tire
swap).

I hear a metal on metal clunking noise in the front end while driving. It's
not only when braking and/or turning, but braking and turning seems to make
it louder.

Also, this noise has only started when our current heat wave occurred. It
goes away in the cooler early morning temps but comes back when the heat
does.

I have done my own replacement of all brake pads. I took off the front
wheels and checked that the calipers are tight and everything is in order.

I owned a 1977 VW bus and remember experiencing a similar symptom with it.
In that case, it was the wheel bearings which I repaired.

Is that a good guess? What do you suggest?

Thanks again for any help you can provide.

Regards,

Stephen Saunders

Since its temperature related, maybe its the stabilizer bar bushings
you hear. Sounds like a creaking sound. They are easy to remove and
lubricate.

Did this noise occur after you did the brake job?

Mike,

Thanks for your quick reply.

BTW, no on the noise occurring after the brake job. That was about 20K miles
ago.

Since you say the fix is easy, I'd like to try.

Can you point me to a source of instructions for doing this? Do I get to the
stabilizer bar bushings by pulling the front wheels or jacking up the front
end? I have a hydraulic jack.

Thanks again,

Stephen

"Mikepier" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Since its temperature related, maybe its the stabilizer bar bushings
> you hear. Sounds like a creaking sound. They are easy to remove and
> lubricate.
>
> Did this noise occur after you did the brake job?
>

No, you don't need any jacks , nor do you need to take the wheels off.
If you look underneath the front of your truck, by the radiator, you'll
see a round bar, about 1 1/2" diameter, bolted to the frame on either
side with 2 U brackets. The bushings are in the bracket. You can see
them. You just need to take out the 2 bolts holding each bracket in.
The bar will drop giving you enough room to remove the bushing from the
bracket. It has a slit in it so the bushing can be removed from the
bar. Put some water resistant grease or lubricant on it and put it back
in.
Just a tip. Removing the bolts might be a pain with just a regular 3/8"
drive ratchet set. It will come easier with a 1/2 " drive ratchet set
to give you more torque. Good luck.

Thank you Mike for your help. You are the only one to respond so far and
you did respond very quickly. That gives me so much confidence about
finding answers that I need and that other people can supply.

I had an old Mitsubishi front projection large screen TV that I bought when
they first came out. I owned it for 13 years. Then the red gun went dead
and I contacted Mitsubishi to order another one. They said the part was not
available. So I went on Usenet and found that if I bought and installed a
separate filament transformer for the red gun, that would eliminate the
short that stopped my red gun because there would be no short with a
separate filament electrical source. The guy was right and the TV worked
again. Thank God for usenet!

I have ordered a Chilton's manual and that's probably a good idea given the
age of my car.

My worst nightmare would be that this is something more serious. Could I
request a buy-in from the Explorer guru, Mr. Warman?

Thanks to all,

Stephen

"Mikepier" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> No, you don't need any jacks , nor do you need to take the wheels off.
> If you look underneath the front of your truck, by the radiator, you'll
> see a round bar, about 1 1/2" diameter, bolted to the frame on either
> side with 2 U brackets. The bushings are in the bracket. You can see
> them. You just need to take out the 2 bolts holding each bracket in.
> The bar will drop giving you enough room to remove the bushing from the
> bracket. It has a slit in it so the bushing can be removed from the
> bar. Put some water resistant grease or lubricant on it and put it back
> in.
> Just a tip. Removing the bolts might be a pain with just a regular 3/8"
> drive ratchet set. It will come easier with a 1/2 " drive ratchet set
> to give you more torque. Good luck.
>

Hopefully that will solve your noise problem. If not, well then we got
to look deeper. But the stabilizer bar bushings are a good start.