LS making front end noise over bumps

[usefuladvice]

I have a Chrysler 1997 concorde and it has the same noise problem.
The struts were replaced and made no difference.
I did stop at another repair shop and they said they have seen a lot of this . They told me it normally is the sway bar linkage that needs to be replaced and not the struts. They can tell with a quick check on the lift so I'll be bringing it in to them . The cost to fix is very minimal , maybe around $100 total (minimal is relative to more major probblems).

Originally Posted by rogerLS

How can you tell that they are worn. I was looking at them last night, pulling, pushing on them, etc. nothing looked cracked or worn. Would worn struts do the same sound? I have 60k miles on my car. Lincoln wants $40 per side for the parts and ford $25 per side but both places have to order the part. I just thought I would ask for wear signs of the links before I replaced them.

Appreciate your time,
Roger

[TWygant]

I've had the same problem with my '00 LS Sport. After replacing the struts, I decided to go after the Stabilizer Bar links, as they are reasonably cheap. When I removed the passenger side link, I found the source of my suspension "clunk". The sway bar bushing on the passenger side is totally shot. With the "dogbone" removed, I can easily move the unattached sway bar and make the "clunk" without the car even moving. Fortunately replacement sway bar bushings are reasonably cheap, too. You just have to know what size sway bar you have. V8s are different from V6s, and sport packages are different from non-sport models. For the best on-line prices I've found so far, go to www.burdford.com. They're in Indiana and deeply discount all their OEM Ford/Lincoln parts.

[TWygant]

I found and fixed the source of my clunking noise - and it wasn't the ball joints or struts! The passenger side sway bar bushing was totally dried out and crumbling. The problem is that you couldn't see enough of it to tell that without disconnecting the sway bar link. All the parts felt tight when connected. Hey, about $10 at the burd ford website (for both sides of the car) makes my suspension feel like new again. Just make sure if you order bushings, they're the right size. Lincoln installed 4 different sizes depending upon whether you've got a V6 or V8 and whether you've got the sport package or standard trim. It's also worth changing out the sway bar links if you're going to do this project. They're about $25 apiece. The bushings are a real pain to change out, too. Especially the passenger side. There's a refrigeration line bracket that must be disconnected to get to the upper bushing mount that will really try your patience. It's easiest to get at it with a long extension bar from the top of the car and a helper down below to keep it on the bolt. Good luck!

TimW
2000 LS V6 - Manual Shift! 101K miles

[xr7GT]

I have same noise, only in the rear suspension. Dealer replaced end links on rear sway bar but not bushings. Sound comes from that area between shocks and where sway bar goes across rear crossmember. Can you reach these bushing with rear wheels off. I see the parts are only about 10 bucks a side. Also the shock on that side is worn. Only have 28K miles.

[HandofDoom]

I got the perfect solution for you guys,sell your Lincoln,and buy a Cadillac or other luxury car.Because Im gonna tell you now,your going to keep on having problems.Everyone I know that has a Lincoln complains about the problems they have with it.There junk.

[xr7GT]

Originally Posted by HandofDoom

I got the perfect solution for you guys,sell your Lincoln,and buy a Cadillac or other luxury car.Because Im gonna tell you now,your going to keep on having problems.Everyone I know that has a Lincoln complains about the problems they have with it.There junk.

Yea thanks for the heads up.

[HandofDoom]

No problem.

[el es]

Originally Posted by HandofDoom

I got the perfect solution for you guys,sell your Lincoln,and buy a Cadillac or other luxury car.Because Im gonna tell you now,your going to keep on having problems.Everyone I know that has a Lincoln complains about the problems they have with it.There junk.

insightful. Funny though everyone I know with a caddy says the same about there car. Does anyone make a car that doesn't have its problems?

[HandofDoom]

Funny,I have had nothing but greatness with everyone that Ive owned.No,every car has problems,but Lincoln about the only luxury car out there that starts having them with 50k miles on the car.

[xrayman]

i changed struts , endlinks and an uppur control arm and finally the swaybar bushings<pain in the ass> that wuz it

[arsnls]

Originally Posted by jpbrown

This is an easy and cheap fix. The lincoln ls has an excellent suspension, but the weak link is the little rods that connect the sway bar to the lower suspension. You can see them by looking under the car from the front, they will be near the tire. A little free play in these rods can cause a thunking noise a low speeds, and the noise is hard to isolate because the noise is transmitted by the sway bar itself. You can replace these rods without even removing the tire. Just remove the two nuts holding them on, and slide them out. The part number is
1W4Z-5K484-AA. I bought mine for about $17. If it were the ball joints, you would only hear a poping noise in slow off camber turn ins.

I have a 2000 LS w/Sport. At 55,000 miles it developed a loud clunk everytime I went over any kind of bump.

Great advice. I thought I needed shocks/struts. After checking out this forum, the problem was solved with the replacement of one rod.

Thanks for saving me alot of money and aggrivation.

[mjeppsen]

This is an ancient thread, but I figured this info might be helpful to someone...

I purchased a '01 LS V8 Sport recently, and it has the infamous clunk in the front end at low speeds over bumps.

Just ordered sway bar with bushings and both stabilizer end-links from Burd Ford (http://www.burdford.com) for $130 shipped. Not bad. They seem really knowledgeable and the prices are waayyy off retail.

FYI, I believe the new part # for the stabilizer end-links is 5W4Z-5K484-AA. Also, the sway bar bushings cannot be purchased seperately now. The new part design requires you replace the entire bar.

-MJ

[johned]

Does anyone have an update on the cause of this noise? I did the easy fix and replaced the tie rods but this was not it. One solution suggested was ball joints which seems reasonable to me, can anyone confirm this?

[mjeppsen]

Originally Posted by johned

Does anyone have an update on the cause of this noise? I did the easy fix and replaced the tie rods but this was not it. One solution suggested was ball joints which seems reasonable to me, can anyone confirm this?

YMMV, but for me it was the sway bar. Mine exhibited the clunk at low speeds, just like so many others have complained about. After replacement, no clunk.
I got the replacement sway bar assembly from Burd Ford in Indiana for about $130.00 shipped. That's a damn good deal, BTW. I took one look under the front end, and the drove the LS to the shop. Took a front end mechanic nearly 4hrs of labor to replace the sway bar. I wouldn't recommend that you do it yourself, the whole front end comes apart to get that bar in there.
Hope this helps.

-MJ

[lovie]

did you guys ever figure the noise out? My 01 is doing the same thing at low speeds. Struts/ Ball joints? Sway bar rods? any help is appreciated.