vehicle break-in? or beginning of a problem?

[coho]

-Vehicle = 07 Ranger FX4
-Mileage = 24,000km/15,000 miles; the bulk of the mileage has been highway driving, with city driving 2nd, and about a half dozen serious off road excursions so far
-the only drivetrain/suspension related modification i did was swap the stock AT's with BFG KO AT's.


i've had my services done regularly at 5000km/3100 miles, and try to baby it as much as i can. But within the past month or so i've noticed an ever so slight rattle/knocking sound coming from the front end when traveling at low speeds (40kmh / 25mph). It seems to occur whether traveling in a straight line, or turning...and seems to accompany unevenness in terrain...ie. frost heaves or slight imperfections and/or bumps in the road. I can also feel it just ever so slightly through the steering wheel as well.

This is my first new vehicle, and i realize that vehicles "loosen up" as they mature and get the miles put on them. So, i just wanted to hear from other ranger owners whether or not this is normal for the ranger's front end before confronting the dealership. Are any of the ranger's front end suspension or steering components notorious for loosening or weakening at this kind of mileage? Your two cents would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Coho

 

[brendank]

No, that's not normal.

Shouldn't the truck still be under warranty? I would take it in to the dealership and let them figure it out.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Might have a broken down link on your front sway bar. Definitely under warranty still, take it in to your dealer, get them to road test it with you so you can point out the noise, and let them fix it.

 

[coho]

damn...you're good sasquatch...

i checked the wheel lug torque yesterday and brought it into the dealer today...

sure enough, it's the sway bar links...i'm wondering what would cause them to fail in such a light truck at such an early mileage? i mean...it's never hauled a trailer and i've rarely had any payload in it other than myself. are they underbuilt in rangers or notorious for failing? in hindsight i was wondering if there are any components i could beef up in the front end or any fasteners i could upgrade with castle nuts & cotter pins to avoid anything like this from happening in the future

the only thing i'm concerned about is that the parts won't arrive until wednesday and they gave me the truck back to drive and i have a girlfriend out of town i naturally like to visit every weekend...

it'd be about 245 miles of driving between now and wednesday....would this hurt the truck driving it in the meantime? or should i avoid driving it?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It won't hurt a thing. I see these breaking pretty often on rangers and f150's. I change out probably atleast 1 set a week at the dealership i'm working at.

 

[metalmacguyver]

damn...you're good sasquatch...

i checked the wheel lug torque yesterday and brought it into the dealer today...

sure enough, it's the sway bar links...i'm wondering what would cause them to fail in such a light truck at such an early mileage? i mean...it's never hauled a trailer and i've rarely had any payload in it other than myself. are they underbuilt in rangers or notorious for failing? in hindsight i was wondering if there are any components i could beef up in the front end or any fasteners i could upgrade with castle nuts & cotter pins to avoid anything like this from happening in the future

the only thing i'm concerned about is that the parts won't arrive until wednesday and they gave me the truck back to drive and i have a girlfriend out of town i naturally like to visit every weekend...

it'd be about 245 miles of driving between now and wednesday....would this hurt the truck driving it in the meantime? or should i avoid driving it?

Driving with the broken link wont bother anything.

The offroading is likely what caused the failure. They are a weak design.

 

[fordboi415]

you could always get a sway bar link from an auto parts store instead of waiting for the dealer they are easy to install and will only take minutes

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Its under warranty, the dealer is replacing it for free. So why would he go buy one?