Clunk/Clank Rear End - Side to Side Movement

[jascott]

All,

I have a 2011 F-350 CCSB 4x4 w/ 20" Wheels and the electronic locker. I have had for some time a noise when I go over small bumps (pulling into garage up a 1" lip) at slow speeds. It sounds/feels like side to side movement. I have traced this down to what sounds like looseness inside the rear differential.

To recreate, I lay down and shove hard on the spare tire. This pushes the truck side to side. I can hear a clank/clunk at both wheels around the brake area.

Anybody else seen anything like this? I'll be discussing with the dealer tomorrow.

[WildStyle]

Rear wheel hubs could be loose.

[jascott]

I'm going to go by the dealer and talk to a tech today. I'm hoping to get it in this week early as I need the truck this weekend.

[jascott]

Update:
-There are two noises that I asked the dealer to look at. The first is the side to side clank/clunk. This is most noticeable when going over small bumps, such as pulling into my garage and slowly going up the 2" or so step up into the garage. I can hear and feel this. The dealer was able to duplicate this issue by shoving hard on the top side of a rear tire. The clanking noise can be heard from either rear wheel hub/brake area. However, they can find nothing wrong and said it happens on the other 2011 trucks they had there in for service. They could not get it to happen on the 2012 new trucks on the lot... They are supposed to get a area field rep to come and look/drive the truck.
-The second noise is a clunk when driving 40+ and crossing some sort of bump in the road which causes the rear suspension to compress down significantly. The tech believes this issue is my Bilstein 5100 shocks bottoming out on the rear of the truck. He pulled a new Ford/Rancho shock and my left rear shock off and the factory shock has an additional 4" of compression travel. I'm not sure what to think about this as I had these exact same shocks on my 2008 F-250 and I have verified the part numbers are the same between them.
-They did flash the computer with the new NOX recall.

[jascott]

I asked the tech specifically about loose rear wheel bearings. He said this was not possible without the axle seals being damaged and leaking. Is there any way I can verify this myself?

[jascott]

I’m still fighting this noise. I know it is not major, but it is driving me nuts and I should not be dealing with this kind of stuff on a one year old truck…

I’m curious if others are experiencing this issue. Have someone get in the bed of the truck and shake it side to side, heavily. You will likely hear some clunking coming from the rear wheel hub area. This is to some extent normal, but not cool. However, the clunking/clank I am hearing and feeling seems to be coming from the springs. Specifically, between the two layers at the front/rear hanger areas. Stick your head above the wheel and listen and watch.

To duplicate this while driving, go over small changes in the road, at an angle. I experience this while pulling into my garage and going over the garage floor “step-up”, if I pull in at an angle. I also experience this while turning into my alley or some parking lots.

Take a look at the video…

20120517_184701.mp4 - YouTube

[TheBoss]

Jack the rear end and put it on jack stands and grab each wheel and see if one moves.

[jascott]

Update:

There are two noises that I am hearing from the rear end of the truck. The first is kind of a clunk from the left rear when going over bumps in the road where the suspension compresses significantly. The mechanic believes this is caused from my Bilstein shocks. He removed my shock and also removed a shock from a new truck. He explained that the Bilstein shock bottoms out about 4” sooner than the factory shock.

The second noise was caused by the leaf springs. They two main leaf springs would turn side to side against each other. They would clunk/clank when they hit “holder” brackets which keep them aligned. The dealer ordered new inserts to go between the springs. (Part # 2C3Z*5586*AA) They also applied lube between the springs. The mechanic said it looked like these parts had been redesigned and the invoice refers to SSM 22281.

I still have the other clunk from the first noise. I installed Firestone Ride-Rite airbags and the Airlift wireless compressor yesterday. If the noise persist, I’ll attempt to locate some factory shocks to install and retest.