Noise in front suspension.

[YZ250Rider23]

Hey all, I'm new here and this is my first post.

Last year I bought a 1998 2WD, 2.5L, M/T Ranger, with a laundry list of minor problems (windshield busted, wasted U-joints, busted leaf shackles, mismatched tires... the list goes on really). I have managed to get everything fixed with the exception of a banging noise in the front end. And it's a strange banging noise too, like the sound a full steel barrel would make if you hit it on the side with a hammer. Now the ball joints are tight, so are the inner and outer tie rods, I have already replaced all the shocks and sway bar bushings, and the wheel bearings are tight. It seems that if I soak the lower coil spring seats with lithium grease it will go away, for maybe a week at best. So it seems maybe it needs new spring insulators. Nobody seems to know if there even is lower spring insulators on the dang truck though.

If anyone else has experienced anything like this on their ranger with coil springs, please, any input you have is appreciated. The sound is driving me nuts! (at least I got a good stereo to help cover the banging! )

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

How are the actual coil springs themselves?

Are they nice and secure on the bucket?

 

[YZ250Rider23]

The springs look to be on pretty good shape, no breaks in them, and appear to be seated firmly.

 

[skippy]

you might check the radius arm bushings,only takes one worn bushing to give the noise you discribed.fwiw.

 

[YZ250Rider23]

It doesn't have radius arms. It's the newer style with upper and lower control arms.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

It almost seems to me like the coil spring isn't secured, and it's moving around as the suspension cycles. You've checked it out from all angles? Some pics might help in this case.

How about the sway bar links?

The only other thing I can think of is a broken coil spring. If the truck was in that bad of a shape when you got it, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[YZ250Rider23]

Oh yeah, I've had it up on a hoist several times, poking around at the springs, pryed at them to see if I could get them to move, dug my hands around in the pockets to see of there was anything broken down in there. There's a couple of things that I've considered, and that's take it apart, find some insulators to jam in there (or bicycle inner tube for that matter), or just get new springs.

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

I'd definitely consider taking it apart, then you can see what's really going on. With the spring off, you can inspect it more thoroughly and see what kind of shape the buckets are in.