LS making front end noise over bumps

[mjeppsen]

Originally Posted by 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.

Are you guys kidding me? Am I talking to myself here? As I've stated twice before in this thread, my '01 LS sport was making the clunk at low speeds over bumps. I replaced the sway bar, bushings and stabilizer end links (they all come together) and that fixed it. Your mileage may vary of course, but that was the perfect fix for my vehicle.

[CobraOwner]

Originally Posted by trinah1

No we did not replace the ball joints. The second mechanic we took the car to replaced the right tie rod end but of course this was not the problem either. We are going to try focusing on the struts next.

Have a look at the Sway Bar mounting Bushings. That is what is wrong with mine. It is very diificult to find if you are not looking closely and then it can be hard to tell. I am just trying to find out where to buy the bushings without the bar itself.

[mjeppsen]

Originally Posted by CobraOwner

Have a look at the Sway Bar mounting Bushings. That is what is wrong with mine. It is very diificult to find if you are not looking closely and then it can be hard to tell. I am just trying to find out where to buy the bushings without the bar itself.

Cobra, I was informed by Burd Ford's parts dept that you CANNOT buy the bushing kit anymore, you must replace the whole assembly. Ford has deprecated the old bushing kit part number, and replaced it with the new assembly kit. That includes the sway bar, bushings, and stabilizer links. And that of course means more labor for the install...

[CobraOwner]

Originally Posted by mjeppsen

Cobra, I was informed by Burd Ford's parts dept that you CANNOT buy the bushing kit anymore, you must replace the whole assembly. Ford has deprecated the old bushing kit part number, and replaced it with the new assembly kit. That includes the sway bar, bushings, and stabilizer links. And that of course means more labor for the install...

Thanks for the reply! I thought that may be the case but I was hoping that an aftermarket manufacturer may have got on board and supplied the mounting bushings alone. I'll have to have a look and see whether or not I can fabricate replacements on the milling maching. I'd like to avoid the $170 CDN if at all feasable.

[Hockey930]

I had the same problem, it was the center sway bar bushings, it sounded like the frount end was going to fall off over every bump. I havethe sport supention so I was able to get bushings from fast parts network for about $30shipped. The car sounds so much better now. The old ones didn't even look worn.
Eamonn

[listenloud]

My 2000 LS was also making a clunking noise in the front end. It was most noticed when going over a series of bumps. I disconnected the struts between the lower control arm and the sway bar (thanks JPBROWN for pointing me in the right direction). When I tapped the end of the disconnected sway bar I heard a slight noise under the car. The noise turned or to be caused by a worn right sway bar bushing. This was a fairly easy fix, once the cause was found. The bushing is kind of tricky to get to, but can be installed in about an hour by a do-it-yourselfer. The bushings is located along the sway bar, just below the alternator.

[lovie]

Where do I get the bushings? I would rather not replace the whole sway bar as Im told that is a pretty big project. Thanks, Lovie

[listenloud]

I found them here. The bushings are part #11.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...11&catalogid=1

They should also be available from a dealer or a local full line auto parts store like NAPA.

[Joe_theboob]

These forums are a great tool - prior to opening the hood...thanks everyone for sharing your experience.

I am getting ready to replace the sway bar bushings on my 2001 LSv8. Has anyone found a source for just the bushings? Something really bothers me about paying $120 for the bar just to get the .59 cent pieces of rubber.

[CobraOwner]

I usually have pretty good resources for getting parts at the right price but this was one part that just cost too much. The only option I saw for my father's V8 LS (does not apply to V6) was to replace the sway bar with the upgrade kit at over $300 CDN from Ford. Ford has discontinued the replacement bushings and now has only the upgrade including bar and bushings. Good luck finding stock on the bushings alone but give it a try in your area just in case.
I am by no means suggesting that this is the best answer but it worked for my father. When he looked at the bushing (on the passenger side in this particular case), he saw that it was not worn very much at all. So he shimmed the bushing with a piece of aluminum on the top between the mount on the chassis and the bushing itself. This essentially tightened the bushing on the bar and the clunk has been gone for over 6 months. I don't know the dimensions of the aluminum but I would start with a 2"x2"x0.030" piece and go from there. You may need a different thickness and, of course it does not have to be aluminum.
This is a quick fix but if it works, what the heck?

[Joe_theboob]

Thanks Cobra - that sounds like a great fix. I just came from Napa, they have a part called out as a "Stabilizer Bar Repair Kit". The guy behind the counter wasn't sure what that entailed but felt it was only the links and not the chassis bushings (no picture in the catalog). It looks like Ford has us by the ***** unless we get creative like you did. I'm gonna tear into this thing tonight, w/ a 12 pack of course...

[CobraOwner]

I hope it works as well for you. Please let us know.

[Joe_theboob]

Ok, finally got into this. Unfortunatly, I was not able to find the bushings by themselvs. Had to bend over @ the dealer for the entire sway bar - which came w/ the bushings. The whole thing came out and went back together in approx 3 hrs w/ my slow approach. So far no problems and the noise is gone. Those old bushings didn't look too bad, no major corrosion, cracks or anything. But I guess they were worn cause the noise is gone.
Thanks for all your help !!!

[shorod]

Thank you for the follow-up with your solution!

-Rod

[Burgundy LS]

I had the same problem with mine. It took me two trips to a lincoln dealer and replacement of several parts before I finally took it to a different dealer in a different town to figure it out. It happened to be the STABELIZER BAR BUSHINGS. Can't gaurantee thats your problem without hearing it but from what you explained, that would be my guess. Let me know if it works and good luck.