[04SVTThomas]

So I just recently purchased my first SVT. It was pretty neglected by the previous owner but I didn't mind the project. I've fixed 80% of the issues however this one is really giving me some issues.

The issue:
When driving down the road there is a very loud clunking noise the car makes. It's fairly bad too. It sounds almost like an extremely worn ball joint. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the driver side. At least it sounds like it. At 60+ mph it turns into more of a chattering noise. It goes away with about 1/3 - 1/2 throttle and when you brake.

What I've checked:
I had the car on jackstands this weekend and checked for work ball joints, tie rods, wheel bearings, sway bar links, motor mounts, and control arms. Everything seems pretty solid. The only thing that seems slightly off is there is a little bit of up & down and side to side play on the inner driver side CV shaft. Where it goes into the transmission.

The only thing I can really think of is maybe a bad carrier bearing on that driver side axle. I've looked through a lot of pages on a lot of Forms and I can't find anyone thats ever had an issue with the carrier bearings though. Plus at low speeds it seems like a pretty aggressive noise for such a little amount of play. Anyone have any ideas or had a similar issue? Thanks!

 

[pbfoot]

Sounds like upper strut mount to me. Axles problems usually present as a clicking when turning although really bad ones can do it under acceleration. The carrier bearing can really only be checked with the axle removed. Without knowing how many miles are on your car I can't speculate further.

 

[04SVTThomas]

Sounds like upper strut mount to me. Axles problems usually present as a clicking when turning although really bad ones can do it under acceleration. The carrier bearing can really only be checked with the axle removed. Without knowing how many miles are on your car I can't speculate further.

Sorry forgot to include the mileage, it's currently sitting at 207,xxx. The driver side CV has been replaced so it's not that. The struts were replaced by the previous owner as well. I'm going to get up back up later today and check everything again. Maybe I missed something. It sounds like sway bar links but the previous owner replaced those as well...seems like he was trying to find the problem as well by throwing parts at it...

 

[pbfoot]

If he didn't use a motorcraft upper mount or sway bar end links that is possible. Aftermarket parts seem to be crap for our cars. I'm sure the carrier bearing is tired at that mileage if the axle is original.

 

[04SVTThomas]

Yea that's definitely a possibility. The previous owner wasn't the most mechanically inclined. When I was replacing the timing belt (and accociated components) the alternator wasn't even tight. It's sad to see these cars so poorly maintained. When I find the issue I'll be sure to post it for future reference. Forms have been a huge help to me in the past with a large variety of vehicles.

 

[pbfoot]

Good luck. Yes. Please post your progress. My 168k SVT is silent over bumps and accelerating. So far so good.

 

[andersonmh]

If he didn't use a motorcraft upper mount or sway bar end links that is possible. Aftermarket parts seem to be crap for our cars. I'm sure the carrier bearing is tired at that mileage if the axle is original.

Moog end links are better than OEM, IMHO.

 

[andersonmh]

Yea that's definitely a possibility. The previous owner wasn't the most mechanically inclined. When I was replacing the timing belt (and accociated components) the alternator wasn't even tight. It's sad to see these cars so poorly maintained. When I find the issue I'll be sure to post it for future reference. Forms have been a huge help to me in the past with a large variety of vehicles.

If the end links are okay, I would venture to "guess" either sway bar bushings or, as someone else mentioned, upper strut mount / bearing. Good luck.

 

[Blokhead]

I had to replace a carrier bearing on my 05 ST. Bearing was bad, and the sheetmetal strap that holds it was worn out too. I posted the bearing number in one of my earlier posts, but it might not be the same as yours. I had play right at the bearing itself.

 

[04SVTThomas]

Sorry for the late response. I got caught up with some stuff at work. So I was able to get it up on all 4 jackstands and test every suspension component. Tie rods, ball joints, sway bars & links, EVERYTHING....then I ran the car in 1st... The bearings are definitely shot. While it idles in 1st, the axle will start to flop around as its spinning causing wheel steering wheel (and the whole drivetrain) to jerk around. There's no doubt that at the very least the bearings are shot... Now the question is do I pull it and break it down to replace the bearings, or start looking around for a used trans? I'm HOPING its just the bearings that are worn and nothing else.

Blokhead: Ill do some digging around and see if I can find those part numbers. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[04SVTThomas]

A

I had to replace a carrier bearing on my 05 ST. Bearing was bad, and the sheetmetal strap that holds it was worn out too. I posted the bearing number in one of my earlier posts, but it might not be the same as yours. I had play right at the bearing itself.

After looking for your post and rereading your comment, I see you are talking about the bearing on the longer P/S CV shaft. The one I'm referring to is the one physically inside the transmission. It requires that you remove the transmission and pull the bearings off the diff carrier... I wish it was just that support bearing! Thanks for the help though!

 

[04SVTThomas]

So I was doing some reading and I found the "how to" for installing the LSD in the Getreg. It lists the bearings needed for install as "(2 sets) NAPA part # BR35 or SKF #LM501310 and LM501349 (you will need 2 of each)". Can anyone confirm that these would work on the factory carrier as well? I'd assume as much but I would just like to confirm before ripping everything apart next weekend. Does anyone know the differance between the NAPA BR35 and the LM501310 and LM501349?

 

[04SVTThomas]

After some additional research I found the difference between LM501310 and LM501349. For future referance, LM501310=bearing cup, LM501349=roller bearing.