Mystery "Clicking" noise

[Mr. Man]

The SB has had a mystery click for some time now and I attributed it to worn out brake pads slipping around in the slides. Long story short SB has all new brakes and clicking is still present. It seemed like it was happening at slow speeds going forward or backwards when applying the brakes or just shortly after releasing them but today I heard the clicking when going over rough spots on the road with no braking. I'm thinking it maybe an end link.

Any ideas y'all might have would be appreciated.:)

[Blackened300a]

The SB has had a mystery click for some time now and I attributed it to worn out brake pads slipping around in the slides. Long story short SB has all new brakes and clicking is still present. It seemed like it was happening at slow speeds going forward or backwards when applying the brakes or just shortly after releasing them but today I heard the clicking when going over rough spots on the road with no braking. I'm thinking it maybe an end link.

Any ideas y'all might have would be appreciated.:)

My car has been doing that for years. After changing suspension parts and brakes, I'm convinced it's the K member slightly moving back and forth.

[J-MAN]

Parking brake shoes?

[fastblackmerc]

parking brake shoes?

+1..................

[Green96]

If it is the parking brake shoes I think you should be able to change the sound or make it go away by trying the same thing with the parking brake applied lightly.

[fastblackmerc]

Could also be the hood.

[Krytin]

My car has been doing that for years. After changing suspension parts and brakes, I'm convinced it's the K member slightly moving back and forth.
Yep, me too!

I'm leaning towards the lower control arm bushings myself but Paul has a good point - aluminum casting bolted to steel frame has a potential for long term/high mileage problem for getting loose.

[Mr. Man]

My car has been doing that for years. After changing suspension parts and brakes, I'm convinced it's the K member slightly moving back and forth.I'll give the K-member a closer look next time it's up on a lift. Thanks for the idea:)


Parking brake shoes?
Noise is coming from the front.:)
Could also be the hood.
Hood squeaks occasionally :)

Yep, me too!

I'm leaning towards the lower control arm bushings myself but Paul has a good point - aluminum casting bolted to steel frame has a potential for long term/high mileage problem for getting loose.I'll look at that too.:)

[Blackened300a]

Parking brake shoes?

My parking brake shoes are removed since they fell apart anyways. I just never replaced them since I never used them in the seven years of owning the car.

Eric you can spend hours prying on the K member to make it click. I have done that already and I couldn't replicate the sound. I even brought it to my friends shop and had his guys take a look at it and they couldn't replicate the sound or find anything worn. Since its been so long that its been doing it without any driving issues, I just ignored it.

[Got_1]

possibly due to the pads shifting in the anchor brackets. common in alot of the vehicles in the ford lineup

[Krytin]

This particular problem is definitely not brake related.
I have the same problem as Paul ane Eric.
I may have had it even longer than Paul has - more miles on mine than his.
I'll add one more symptom - it's worse when it's raining and the underside/chasis is good and wet!

[guspech750]

The SB has had a mystery click for some time now and I attributed it to worn out brake pads slipping around in the slides. Long story short SB has all new brakes and clicking is still present. It seemed like it was happening at slow speeds going forward or backwards when applying the brakes or just shortly after releasing them but today I heard the clicking when going over rough spots on the road with no braking. I'm thinking it maybe an end link.

Any ideas y'all might have would be appreciated.:)


Our Jeep GC that we had used to make that kind of noise when applying the brakes soon after I had replaced the rears. Never could figure out exactly the clicking noise came from except the right rear brake.

Try removing the parking brake pads all together and drive the car around. If the clicking is gone. Whola!

I dont think its the parking brakes though.

Maybe one of the pistons has some slop in it?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

[Mr. Man]

Our Jeep GC that we had used to make that kind of noise when applying the brakes soon after I had replaced the rears. Never could figure out exactly the clicking noise came from except the right rear brake.

Try removing the parking brake pads all together and drive the car around. If the clicking is gone. Whola!

I don't think its the parking brakes though.

Maybe one of the pistons has some slop in it?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Don't think it is brake related as it also clicks when going over rough patches on the road. Car has 110K on it and most of that was put on by Ms D. and she listens to the radio so she never noticed it. I thought it was the brake slides up front but they are all new. I'm wondering if it could be in the front coil spring vicinity.

It's like the damn click in the seat. I don't think it's the track as I had the seat apart last Spring and tightened every nut and bolt I could find and the click went away for a few months and now that is back to.:mad2:

[Mike M]

Mine does it too, had it on the lift twice in the last month tightening every bolt. It does it even with the parking brakes and service brakes applied so I doubt it is brake pad related. I just bought 4 factory shocks (expensive) but I have not installed them yet and I doubt that is the problem anyway. It clicks from 2 places, mostly from rear of car and sometimes from further forward. I drove it slow in a parking lot with speed bumps and I noticed it clicked with foot on brake at about 3 mph when l/r wheel was going over speed bump. I isolated the left wheel first then the right wheel.

[Mike M]

Any updates?

[Bruce Wayne]

Mine has this clicking noise too and it drives me nut's, I'm thinking it's coming from the brakes

[burt ragio]

Front sway bar moumting brackets.

[03mmmonroe]

+1..................

+2 not the shoe as much as you parking brake cable to the backing plate not in the correct location.

[Bruce Wayne]

I'm still hearing this clicking noise from under the car and it's driving me nuts, I am having a hard time isolating this annoying clicking , clacking sound , any idea's ?

[Blackened300a]

I'm still hearing this clicking noise from under the car and it's driving me nuts, I am having a hard time isolating this annoying clicking , clacking sound , any idea's ?

Yeah, it's not the parking brakes!! My shoes are completely gone and I still have the click. It has to be the aluminum K member slightly shifting against the steel frame.

[03mmmonroe]

Parking brake shoes?

parking brake shoes but more of the adjuster and cable not lined up had same concern in the past.

[mp-rdp]

My Marauder clicked from 10 mph - 0 and 0 - 10 mph, every time in that speed range. Thought sound was coming from front right. Did drive-around with mechanic, and he determined sound was coming from rear right.

Turned out parking brake shoe was in pieces, rusted out. Unfortunately, rotors must be removed to access parking brake shoes. The older (and more rusted) the rotors, the more difficult (and time consuming) the job is.

If you hear clicking sound at low speeds, press parking brake in about half way while braking to a stop. If sound goes away, very likely the parking brake shoe is shattered.

[DWSTANG67]

Don't think it is brake related as it also clicks when going over rough patches on the road. Car has 110K on it and most of that was put on by Ms D. and she listens to the radio so she never noticed it. I thought it was the brake slides up front but they are all new. I'm wondering if it could be in the front coil spring vicinity.

It's like the damn click in the seat. I don't think it's the track as I had the seat apart last Spring and tightened every nut and bolt I could find and the click went away for a few months and now that is back to.:mad2:

I had a click in my seat untill one day i was playing around and launched and fell backwards because the seat rail cracked it can be the left rail.

I took the seat out and welded back together never had a problem since

[Mr. Man]

I had a click in my seat until one day i was playing around and launched and fell backwards because the seat rail cracked it can be the left rail.

I took the seat out and welded back together never had a problem since
Paula's car has this and I had the seat out and tightened all the bolts extra tight and it went away for a while but has returned when I sit in the seat (drivers ). It is quiet when Paula drives so it must be a weight related issue.:bigcry:

[fastblackmerc]

Paula's car has this and I had the seat out and tightened all the bolts extra tight and it went away for a while but has returned when I sit in the seat (drivers ). It is quite when Paula drives so it must be a weight related issue.:bigcry:

You'll probably have to take the seat out and tighten all the connection between the springs and between the springs and the seat frame.

It is a weight related issue.

[RF Overlord]

It is a weight related issue.Hey! Me and Eric resemble that remark...

[Bigdogjim]

Paula's car has this and I had the seat out and tightened all the bolts extra tight and it went away for a while but has returned when I sit in the seat (drivers ). It is quiet when Paula drives so it must be a weight related issue.:bigcry:

If it was related to weight then my marauder would also be doing it:)

Try looking elseware.

[Bigdogjim]

The SB has had a mystery click for some time now and I attributed it to worn out brake pads slipping around in the slides. Long story short SB has all new brakes and clicking is still present. It seemed like it was happening at slow speeds going forward or backwards when applying the brakes or just shortly after releasing them but today I heard the clicking when going over rough spots on the road with no braking. I'm thinking it maybe an end link.

Any ideas y'all might have would be appreciated.:)

Wheel bearings? Hub/spindle?

[MyO4Rawdur]

I second his motion ^^^^^ wheel bearings. Ford seems to not understand that they are supposed to last a while. Clicking rotational at slow speeds at any wheel will sound like its all 4. Wheel bearings go bad at different times and easily diagnosed so it may be the k member. The brakes being new kind of destroyed that theory. You may also get a grinding rotational noise with wheel bearings as they get worse. Loose/cracked lug nut covers are possible as the top of the lug changes place. Center cap may be loose and sliding around. Valve stem covers shifting up and down. Could be almost anything. 2012-2013 toyotas with hub caps are being issued warranty claims that involve adding foam insulation to the steel wheels where the hub caps meet becsuse they stretch as the wheel rotates. Plastic is unpredictable

[MyBlackBeasts]

Turned out parking brake shoe was in pieces, rusted out. Unfortunately, rotors must be removed to access parking brake shoes. The older (and more rusted) the rotors, the more difficult (and time consuming) the job is.

Easy way to remove rusted/seized rotors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtsTJCRljAs

[Mr. Man]

Wheel bearings? Hub/spindle?


I second his motion ^^^^^ wheel bearings. Ford seems to not understand that they are supposed to last a while. Clicking rotational at slow speeds at any wheel will sound like its all 4. Wheel bearings go bad at different times and easily diagnosed so it may be the k member. The brakes being new kind of destroyed that theory. You may also get a grinding rotational noise with wheel bearings as they get worse. Loose/cracked lug nut covers are possible as the top of the lug changes place. Center cap may be loose and sliding around. Valve stem covers shifting up and down. Could be almost anything. 2012-2013 toyotas with hub caps are being issued warranty claims that involve adding foam insulation to the steel wheels where the hub caps meet becsuse they stretch as the wheel rotates. Plastic is unpredictable
Might have to check into this. Ms.D's car has over 120K and is on the OEM.

[Haggis]

Maybe it is all in your head, screws are loose.

[Mr. Man]

Maybe it is all in your head, screws are loose.
Ms.D says there is nothing in my head so it can't be that.:o

[MyO4Rawdur]

Ms.D says there is nothing in my head so it can't be that.:o

Well said.

[Haggis]

Ms.D says there is nothing in my head so it can't be that.:o

Paula, is the smart one.

[Bruce Wayne]

What does this useless banter have to do with this clicking sound that affects a lot of these cars, lets isolate this problem without the goofy comments. How about U- joints ,could this be the cause of this annoying click

[Mike M]

I have the clicking noise as well, you can hear it sometimes when applying brakes and sometimes when foot is off brake but car is going over a bump. It sounds very much like a pad is loose in the caliper. I have checked every suspension bolt but no joy yet.
It is a very high pitched click. It has nothing to do with the seats.
I will be getting rear control arms as soon as Sparta and I can hook up on the phone and will investigate further soon.

[Rockettman]

Nevermind...I just read more of the posts.

[MyO4Rawdur]

What does this useless banter have to do with this clicking sound that affects a lot of these cars, lets isolate this problem without the goofy comments. How about U- joints ,could this be the cause of this annoying click

i doubt it would be the u joints. if they were grinding you would feel it in the floor not just hear them. there might be something that gets loose over time but the only thing i can think of may be like c clips or something. i cant remember what fords design is but the way that they are shouldnt be anything that moves freely. it might have something to do with the posi setup but i dont know if any of those people have rebuilt their rear end. what about front suspension parts? might just be echoing to the rear end.

[Krytin]

U-joints deffintely "clunk" when they are "gone". After the littile needle/roller bearings in the cap dry out they quickly turn to dust. The extra clearance allows the cross pin(s) to slap back and forth inside the cap(s).

The higher pitched clicking that the higher mileage cars are developing can also be traced back to sway bar bushings and/or end links.

[Stock03]

I had a click coming from RF wheel area. Apply brakes at low speed--click, click, click. Low speed over a bump--click, click click. Had visions of brakes/control arms/etc. being responsible.

Turned out that tightening the lug nuts fixed it. They were ever so slightly torqued below spec.

Sometimes it's the most trivial thing that's causing the problem; other times, of course, it ain't.

[Fman]

I had a clicking noise in my 03 last year (about 80,000 mi) that I could only hear at low speeds, but corresponded to my speed (faster clicks as I sped up). I could never really isolate whether it was the front or back. I took to dealer (under warranty); at first they couldn't hear anything, so I asked to drive with the techs in my car and then they heard it. After a couple of days, they announced it was my drive shaft (can't remember exactly what they said was the problem with it), but they replaced the drive shaft and I've not had that problem since. Not sure if that's a common problem, but worked for me.