new car some new problems.

[jessb83]

today i bought a 94 t-bird with a 4.6 that has 87,000 miles on it. it has acouple of problems that i notice, like the front end need an line up (maybe new shocks they seem pretty loose but i could be wrong. and i hear a fait thudding noise from the back when i hit the slightest bump. and i hear a allmost cherping from the left rear and the noise increases with speed. what could it be any idea's and what could the thudding be? i think it migth just be the spare because i know its not secured down its just layed in the space for it. any good ideas would be appriciated. Thanks, Jess

[ottotbird]

I have a 95 bird 4.6 and I have the exact same problem with the thudding noise. In the front the noise is caused by the swaybar links. They are worn out and make a rattling noise when ever I hit even the smallest bump. It's the same for the rear but, the thudding sound in the rear is most likely coming from the shocks. I took everything out of my trunk and the noise was still there. I tried everything. The shocks are ten years old and make noise when I bounce the car up and down. The cherping noise could be your serpintine belt. The location of the cherping noise can be decieving. A mechanic told me mine was worn out so when I replaced it the noise went away. I hope this helps.

[jessb83]

thanks for the advise. how much did it cost to get the swap bar fixed? i hate suspension work i dont like doing it. its one of 2 things i pay someone else to do on any car. he's 2 more questions because ive never had a car with upper a-arms. how do i tell if the ball joints and tie rod ends are bad. and this one is becuase i have never had them go bad how do you tell if the wheel bearings are bad. on both of these what noises do they make and when do they make them and how can i test to see if they are bad? Thanks guys, Jess

[ottotbird]

Suspension work is not for everyone that is for sure. But, repalcing the swaybar links is pretty easy and it shouldn't affect your alignment. They cost about 40-50 bucks a set. As for your A arms and ball joints those you should have done by a professional. You can tell that your ball loints are bad by bouncing the car up and down at the corners. The ball joints tend to make a loud poping sound or something to that effect. I think you would have noticed that by now. I also don't think that your Tie rod ends are bad but, again for those you should have them checked out by a professional. Your alienment would really be out of Wack if they were bad. You can check your wheel barings by lifting the car and simply grabbing the wheel and trying to shake or jiggle it. There shouldn't be any movment what so ever except for the normal rotion. If you hear noise when you spin the wheel then that could be an indication that the bearings need to be looked at. However, your breaks can couse a similar noise so be sure they are in good order too. Suspenion work sucks no doubt about it. Anyway, I hope I have given you some ideas that will help you determine the condition of you suspension. Later....

[jessb83]

thanks this does help some. there is no noise from the ball joints and the alignment doesnt seem bad its just after driving it for several days now i noticed about 15 degrees on each side of steering freeplay and ive never had steering that is this loose at center, so thats why i thought the tie rod ends might be bad. wendsday im gonna have a day off so i can crawl under the car and see what is wrong. any idea's of what to look for? in gonna be concentrating on the steering gear and the gear boots unless anyone has any other idea's. Thanks agian guys. Jess

[97Bird]

Since you just bought the car, it would be worth $50 to take it to a reputable shop and have them look it over for you. You should do this BEFORE you buy a used car so you know what problems you might have with the car and use this knowledge to get a better deal on the car.

[compewterman]

The same thuding noise can be present in the rear.... from the same problem.... as the front.. antiswaybar connections. There are 2 in the front and 2 in the back... for a total of 4