Noisy Suspension

[Eddie]

I had a noise coming from my Galaxy when going over bumps or cornering hard to the left. I assumed it was the shocks but on closer examination I see the front roll bar is not centred i.e it comes out about an inch more from under the engine on the left side. This means when the suspension is depressed (corning and bumps) the anti-roll bar link on the driver side scrapes on the wheel arch. I suspect the roll bar was loosened to fit bushings and not centred correctly after words.

[Guest bigaluk11]

had the same noise when i got to work on it i noticed that the wish bone rubbers where worn went to get the bushes only 10.95 looked easy to fit this is where the problems start when i tried to get the bush in it just folded up then ford told me that the wishbones are not a serviceable part so the wishbones are 130.00 plus vat each. managed to get the pair for 118.00 a lot of difference put them on and it cured the rattle. so get the wishbone bushes checked out good luck

[andymet]

Hi There

Had the same problem with rattling noise over speed bumps and it was the anti roll bar links. Even a small amount of play produces a rattle. Links are

[Mussey1]

Hi All,

 

My car was steam cleaned and Mot'd last week.

 

Now a noise has appeared. It only seems to happen when bumping over raised manhole covers or bits of patched road, but fine on all other surfaces.

 

The steam clean must have dislodged some muck that was preventing the rattling.

 

I have had a look under the car and can see nothing loose. If it is the anti roll bar drop links, is it a DIY job? Is it also a good idea to replace the anti roll bar bushes at the same time??

 

Thanks.

 

Mussey1.

[Guest Andyjflet]

Just a thought, can anyone check their TIS reports and faults page for anything concerning knocking,

 

Check your wheel nuts, silly I know but just go round a try them, make sure you have standard wheels and tyres on ??

 

It sound slike track rod end , wishbone type of knock, could be prematurely worn or needs adjusting.

 

Maybe get a reputable tyre dealer to give it one of those free checks they advertise, it may uncover something, you dont have to have it done there.

[NikpV]

First service on our new to us (bought at 20K ish) galaxy at 30k they replaced the passenger side anti roll bar under warranty, IIRC olny got any noise braking at low speed going down a speed hump or pointing slightly down hill

[seatkid]

My car was steam cleaned and Mot'd last week.

 

Now a noise has appeared. It only seems to happen when bumping over raised manhole covers or bits of patched road, but fine on all other surfaces.

 

The steam clean must have dislodged some muck that was preventing the rattling.

 

I have had a look under the car and can see nothing loose. If it is the anti roll bar drop links, is it a DIY job? Is it also a good idea to replace the anti roll bar bushes at the same time??

It's 95% certain it is an anti-roll bar drop link worn. To check, turn the wheel outward so you can see the link, then take a firm hold of the link and check to see if you can detect *any* movement in the end ball joints when pushing or pullling (very) hard, if theres any movement at all then it's nacked and is the cause of the knocking when going over uneven surface.

 

Its an easy job (about 20 minutes), even without jacking up the car! (Although you will need to lay on the ground) You need a good fitting socket and open ended spanner. The bolts are tightened very tight (100 Nm) so you will need a long bar on your socket. Don't worry when removing the links, they are not under any tension...

 

Only change the link thats nacked. They fail at wildly different interval due to poor quality control / design. Doesn't mean anything else is likely to go soon.

 

I bought anti roll links from a Delphi distributor at

[oggie]

I am prety sure you will find its the anti roll bar thats causing the noise, even a small amount of play will give the impression of something serious happening.

I recommend you get this checked out first before dismantling every thing else

Oggie

[Mussey1]

Seatkid,

 

Is the bolt on the top joint 18mm ?

 

Mussey1.

[Mussey1]

How much is any movement?

 

Is it easeir to feel if the car is jacked up?

 

I was pusing and pulling really hard and was managing to flex the bar istelf, but I couldn't detect much movement in the joint.

 

I was out on some country roads on Wednesday night and the knocking was still happening at speeds of up to 40mph on really uneven surfaces.

When driving through some villages it was so loud I thought something was going to break/fall off.

Can the drop links really make that much noise??

 

Its really hard from inside the car to determine which side the knocking is coming from.

 

I don't want to spend the money on the new parts if I'm not sure.

 

Mind you I don't want to have to pay a garage either!!

 

Mussey1.

[seatkid]

Is the bolt on the top joint 18mm ?

Nut is 18mm. Original part needs an 18mm socket. Aftermarket parts (i.e. Delphi) can be 17mm (and are supplied complete with new nuts!) No (seperate) washers are fitted.

 

How much is any movement?I was pusing and pulling really hard and was managing to flex the bar istelf, but I couldn't detect much movement in the joint.

If you can detect any slack (even 0.5mm) at the ball joints (if you know what I mean)

 

Is it easeir to feel if the car is jacked up?

No.

 

Can the drop links really make that much noise??

Yes!! - it gets amplified thoughout the suspension.

 

Its really hard from inside the car to determine which side the knocking is coming from.

I know what you mean, even deliberately driving over a bump on one side only doesn't help. You have to check the slack in the ball joints....maybe both need changing.

 

I don't want to spend the money on the new parts if I'm not sure.

[Mussey1]

Replaced both links this morning...noise gone!!!

 

It was the passenger side link that had failed, but I'll keep the old drivers side one as a spare.

 

The new ones are a slightly different design, in that there is an allen key socket on the end of the thread and the part that I had to hold with the open ended spanner is totally round!!

 

It seems to me that this design would be harder to remove i.e you would have to use a spanner to loosen the nut and an allen key to stop the ball joint turning.

 

Unfortunately I had to take out the undertray as there was not enough room to undo the bottom droplink nuts.

 

Replacing the tray was nearly the most fiddly bit of the job.

 

Thanks everyone for all the info.

 

Mussey1.

[t4underc4t]

I fitted new drop links last night by torch light !. It is a very easy job to complete and the results are perfect. No more suspension rattles..... Its just everything else I notice now !.

 

Anyway these are the bits I found helped.

 

I sprayed the bolts the night before with WD40

 

You don't need to do anything to the car except turn the wheels to full lock on the side you work on. (If you are using a rachet spanner I found jacking up the car a bit helped give you enough space between the lower bolt and the engine /wheelarch undertrays.)

 

Undo the lower bolt first. It is attached to the roll bar. If you do it the other way round all the effort you put into undoing the bolt is taken up by the movement of the roll bar.

 

Good luck..... and thanks to all of you for the advice in the forum. When I called Ford about a possible repair under warranty they happily told me my warranty ran out 3000 miles ago but would I like to book it in.... no thanks I'll have the parts department please !!!.

[Jeff115]

I replaced my anti-roll bar drop links (Ford TIS calls them 'stabiliser bar connecting links') today.

 

I had been getting a knocking noise (like worn brake pad/caliper chatter on older cars) from the front suspension especially on roads with camber.

 

I found it easiest to jack the car up and remove the wheel. This helped access and would be needed for clearance if nuts are seized.

 

Original ARB links (VW) had an 18mm nut and counter-lock using a 6mm hex /allen socket in the centre of the bolt. I found it easiest to use an 18mm socket for the initial slackening then using an 18mm spanner to hold the nut while loosening with the 6mm hex socket.

 

I got the replacement drop links from GSF - they had a 19mm nut and needed a deep socket to torque up at the top link as the bolt came out through the nut quite a long way. Torque setting on retaining nuts is 74 ft-lb. Noted that OEM nut at the top had a washer which was not on the GSF spurious part. GSF links had a different counter-lock method using a 17mm spanner to hold while tightening with the 19mm socket.

 

Note the anti-roll bar tends to rise when you remove the old one so you'll have to push it down to fit the bottom link once you done the top one. This prob. due to the car have been raised on one side.

 

Not a difficult job (weather permitting :P ) but make sure that you have the right-sized tools :o I've read other posts where the nuts have needed WD40 and at least one where nuts were seized altogether :P

 

Regards,

Jeff.

 

11-Mar-06 update: knocking noise gone, well that one anyway B)

Edited March 11, 2006 by Jeff115

[SUMMERFIELD]

The noise you can hear is play in the ball ends of the links that link the front suspension struts to the torsion bar. If you get somebody with a bit of weight to rock the car from side to side (it helps if you've got roof bars)and then feel the links at the front behind the wheel you can feel the wear and hear them knocking. My Galaxy has had 2 sets on in 50000 miles. local dealer tells me He's known cars to come in with the links detatched there's been so much wear. (Mondeo,s also suffer from the same problem) It's possible to squeeze up the links in a vice to tighten up the play!

[lazyb5]

Hi Guys and gals

searched for suspension noise last night cause it sounded like the front wheels were gonna rattle off. :huh:

Read this and thought anti roll drop link only 13 quid each what the h..l :huh:

Fitted them tonight OMG it worked !!! I cant believe the small amount of play in the nearside one caused that amount of noise thanks to all of you for this thread :(

Anybody with front noise fit new drop links at 13 pound each its the cheapest part if the suspension

Can we make this thread a sticky to help anuy body else who has this noise i wonder how much frauds would of charged to diagnose and fit :huh:

cheers

 

ps sorry to go on :blink:

[dave_m]

seems to be that replacements last a lot longer than the Ford ones, The originals were changed at 40k the replacements are still going strong at 101k no knocking or play.

[Guest Snooper601]

Another problem that can be confused with the same noises is the top strut bearings and spring mounts.

 

Mine only seem to last about 50K, the top spring mount seems to enlarge its hole for the damper rod and it then clonks about when you corner hard or with a heavy load.

 

Really bad access as the top nuts are under the screen but a standard plug socket, with the hex fitting on the top can be used with a large offset ring spanner, you need to use a socket with a spanner as you have to hold the 7mm allen key still to stop the shaft turning!

 

Use Copper grease when assembling the nut later so that it's easier nex time :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

[west]

fit new roll bar bushes at the same time.

they cost pennies, but will cause the link rods to wear prematurely if worn themselves.

 

worn bushes are as noisy as worn links

 

They (usually) wear out together

[Guest Piquet]

Hi - I had a similar rattle / clunk on my '03 55000 mile 1.9TDi. Worse at lower speed, and horrendous on rough ground. It sounds as if something is about to fall off, but there's no indication that anything is wrong through the steering feel or tracking of the car.

 

Read this forum first (very helpful) - checked the engine under-tray, that was fine, so got a mate to come with me and listen while I drove. The clincher was rocking the car with the roof-rails when we had parked it - the noise was obviously coming from the nearside suspension. Couldn't move the anti-rollbar links by hand, but I guess the noise gets amplified in the car as everything is bolted on to the monocoque eventually.

 

Local Ford dealer replaced the anti-roll bar vertical links (I asked them to do both sides, even though the nearside was the only one completely worn out), noise has now gone, sound like a new car again. Not too expensive either, I've been a DIY mechanic for too many years and would have had a go myself :lol: , but some things are easier done at a garage while I'm at work earning money...

[AVSDOYLE]

Hi - got myself a new Galaxy today. Replace the drop links on both sides and lost all the rattles etc. parts

[JimmyT]

:lol:

Ya i gotta say this was a really helpful thread.

One tip i'd like to throw in.

 

When i was removing the old drop down link, it did not have a flat part (more like a dics) in which to put a spanner, as you have to stop the center from turning while opening the nut. So if yours is the same, make sure you have a good vice grips or something like it.

 

But the new one i put back on did have a slot for a 18mm open ended spanner.

 

 

(spuris part)

[moc]

thanks very much for all the info in this link. Found all the info to hit the nail on the head on all parts,which made the job so much quicker. Took about 45 mins to change both drop links and al the noise has gone which is great.

thanks again

[seatkid]

Just an update to this thread...... I no longer recommend buying anything but a genuine Ford or VAG droplink. The cheap one I bought from Delphi lasted only around 20,000 miles. The Ford part wasnt that much more expensive but is obviously more substantial - it has undergone design changes for the better.

 

Ebay parts are pants.

[pj_andrew]

The offside anti roll bar link on my 02 Galaxy needs replacing (my very reliable mechanic tells me). However I can't get it done for at least 4 weeks due to other commitments.

 

Is there any danger of other damage being caused by not replacing it?

 

P.S. He replace the nearside one last year with a Bosch replacement. It cost more but his professional opinion was to go for the best you can afford.

Edited July 16, 2010 by pj_andrew