Front End ?

[zakcode]

i have had this problem for a couple weeks. if i jump on the gas when i take off from a stop light or on dirt ,i hear a thump or a pop from my front end.then if i let off the gas abrubtly it pops again.i have gone through all the mounts tranny, engine and so onall tight and in good shape. there is no unussual wear on my tires and no marks around any brackets that would indicate any that were slipping. i checked my bell housing bolts transfer case....etc. nothing jumps out .any ideas where to look??? or what it is???? :blink:

 

[Raven]

sounds like the radious arm bushings are bad.. some times it is hard to tell on them bt what I have found it is the most likely cause of the noise. new busings area 20 bucks for the rubber style ones like the OEM. One other way taht I have found to change them compaired to how it tells in the how to section:

jack up the front end using the frome reails instead of the axle. undo the nut on the end of the radious arm and then come a long the axle forward and pull the radious arm out of the bracket. change the front bushing then if you have a second come a long use it to pull the arm back in toward the hole and line it up and you release the other one.. if not release the other one trying to make sure that the end of the arm hits the bracket and then pullin over to drop inplace. finish puttin on all the new bushings and replace the nut and tighten it all down .. maybe when I get ready to do mine here in a month or so I will take pictures of the whole process on the drivers side..

 

[zakcode]

that was one of the first things i thought of. i put new bushings in just last fall,and they still look new no play.i had my whole bronco on jack stands so i could creep all over the place. i was wondering if it was a crossmember but all the bolts are tight. my little 400 still has a little hp and torque left,i thought it might be twisting one. cant find any craks in my frame either.. this is going to be a fun one to find...dave

 

[Justshootme84]

Have you checked or changed the axle pivot bushings? IF they are worn out, that would also cause the popping noise.

 

[zakcode]

yep changed them with the radius arm bushings.i took out a sky jacker lift and swapped in a superlift.the old one was about 8 years old all the bushings were shot and i thought what the heck i got a good deal on it so i did it.i swapped out just about everything i could without a solid axle swap, which i should have done.it doesnt pop when turning or hitting a bump just when i punch it,then when i get up to speed and let off the gas and the front end settles from the acceleration; comes down to a level stance,it pops again.like somthing is moving back into place. this is going to drive me nuts.hey thats why we drive broncos right if i get some time this week im going to look at the cross members up front again. please dont give up on me guys....dave

 

[Justshootme84]

O.K., that helps alot! I've had a bolt or two come loose on the lift brackets, so check to be sure all are tight. I have seen a truck or two with a cracked frame above the pivot brackets. It's really hard to see anything without a very strong light and a mirror. Good luck!

 

[zakcode]

sorry it took so long to get back to the site. i work from sun up to almost sun down and dont have a garage. i have the next three days off so i am planning to take a few hours to check.it is real funny i havent had a pop the last few days. thanks again i will check real close.and double check all my brackets again. thanks, dave

 

[Justshootme84]

You don't work too many hours out of the day then, huh? J/K, I also work form about 6AM to 8PM, and alot of that time is driving in the Bronco. If something breaks, I'll fix it. But it's those mystery noises that seem to take a week or more to figure out!!!

 

[zakcode]

my wallet seems to be telling me to work a few more hours.i am a pediatric home health C.N.A i am going to school for my E.M.T so i can go to work in a local emergancy room as an E.R tech. my wife just had breast reconstruction/ tram flap surgery to get her boobs back after going through a modfied bilateral mastectomy because of breast cancer. we have twin boys six years old that are in little league and a couple fish. and a bronco with a annoying pop in the front of it somewhere. i will find this a&*%-ing pop. the OUTLAW SPRINTS are racing at a local race track tonight so i will work on the bronco for a few hours on sunday. i will win this battle. )

 

[zakcode]

hi i think i got it figured out. talked to a guy at the races this weekend,he said he had the same problem.he loosened the bolts to the crossmembers on the front end cleaned the dirt and debris from the contact areas and retorqued NEW nuts and bolts where needed and hasnt had any problems with his since. ill let you know how it goes.

 

[zakcode]

man what a pain.try doing this with the engine in not me again.it looked like they were ok and tight but did a good cleaning anyway.guess what it still does it. not as much but still there. man im going to go nucking futs :wacko:

 

[zakcode]

well i havent heard that annoying popping sound for a good week. ilocked in the hubs and put it in 4-lo and jumped on it about as hard as i dared on asphault,got a little tire spin but no popping sound .didnt even snap an axle or u-joint.i hope i sent that little gremlin to a chevy