Left Front End Clunk HELP!!
 

I just replaced the control arms among other front end suspension components on my 4.8is, but I continue to hear the clunking sounds that led me to doing the refresh. I only feel it over bumps and uneven roads and it's only on the left side. My first thought was that it was the strut - that the strut was loose or something because I've felt/heard the same type of clunking sound from other vehicle I've done suspension work on in past. The clunk is driving me nuts as everything else is fine with the car. It sound/feels like something is loose, but my tech confirmed that everything is bolted down to specs. I'm posting here in hopes that someone experienced something similar and can point me in the right direction to identify the problem.

Sway bar link or lower ball joint. Good luck if it is the lower ball joint. They are a bitch to replace.

Did you replace the thrust arm bushings? as well as the ball joints?

Yes, both were replaced.

Hmm. Maybe it’s in the rear? Subframe bushings? Rear arms?

There's no doubt it's coming from the driver front. The million dollar question is what.

Man if it’s not bushings it’s something shitty like drive axle. Wheel bearing. Etc. jack it up and shake the wheels and see if you get a shake and on what side.

Could be anything really, but I had a similar problem over any bumps or light road imperfections, clunk clunk clunk. Check the struts top mount. Everything appears to be bolted down and tight until you load the suspension. Are you running original air suspension?

If the clunk is almost every bump it's the sway bar link for sure.

Wrap about a dozen wraps of electrical tape around the top and bottom of the links and if I'm right that will silent the tap tap tapitty tap.

It's a one hour job to replace both sides. Helps to have a buddy with a 4' 2x2 to push things into alignment to get the bolt in when installing the new ones.

Bad ball joint will give you horrible wheel shake braking from speed (70 to 65 mph for example) a tight but greaseless ball joint (any of them) will cause a squeak-squeak squeaken : usually just pushing down on the bumper will make it squeak.

I was thinking the same thing. I’ll check it later today