Is this normal?

[Falcon]

okay extreme noob here rtfm? wait wait ok quick yahoo search lol i think this is normal for the tahoe though cause the one we rented this weekend felt the same way

Whatja expect SPS? Its a CHEVY! <G>


Seriously Cowboy... look at it this way.

1. It is a brand new machine. This is the best it will ever be, and that is dependent upon engineering and quality manufacturing. It doesn't get any better than Ford, and least for Trucks, and especially for a flagship SVT vehicle that isn't SUPPOSED to make a buttload of money... but to raise Ford's image in the consumer's opinion.

2. "Clunk" is indicative of two solid objects, accelerating over a gap of air, that are smashing together. Nothing in the Raptor suspension is designed to do that.

3. When you asked other owners... and you know we will be honest with you (I don't understand the RTFM cartoon either, disregard it as irrelevant is my advice)... no one is experiencing anything similar. Brian and Jason made their typical thoughtful inputs, but I don't see what they brought up as applying to a BRAND NEW truck with a blue oval on the steering wheel.

The truck is warrantied for good reason... Ford stands behind their product. Sh*t happens... maybe somebody missed a bolt during install of the suspension. Maybe some weird metallurgy issue caused a part to break. The issue I would be concerned with is repeatability. Find a mode of driving that causes it to make the sound consistently. Then go to the dealer as a faithful Ford man and say "hop in and listen to this... I don't think it is right."

It IS a serious issue, even if it is only your perception that it is a problem. Believe me... Ford pays guys 70,000 plus bucks a year whose only job is to find customers like you, and alleviate their concerns. Go get it checked... it's your right, and Ford wants you to.

Falcon

 

[pirate air]

no one is experiencing anything similar.

Really?

 

[bstoner59]

I know the horror...no one wants to take a truck to the dealership if it's a normal issue. I think that's all he was trying to find out Falcon. Not only that it's a wise idea on a truck like this to narrow down the issue to a specific area. Most service advisors don't know the Raptor is let alone a specific issue such as this. If you can't be specific on what it's doing and where it's coming from it's almost worthless to take it in to have the warranty work done...IMO

 

[Falcon]

Really?

Don't for sure Pirate Air, I guess I should have said that no one that has responded to the thread is experiencing it in the same way that Cowboy is. My mistake. Sounds like you know a LOT about the steering gear from your post. After re-reading your post I guess you are hearing it too, to some degree? And the intermediate shaft on the GM's you referred to are all vehicles that have some miles on them, I assume? I think any clunking noise on a less than 2 weeks old truck is not normal, but that's just my opinion. In any case... thanks for not arc welding me, I certainly didn't have my ducks in a row it seems.

Falcon

 

[Madcowranch]

Does the clunk noise sound like its coming from the steering column or down by your feet? I get a clunk/rattle on mine over choppy like bumps I take at slow speeds off camber, or while turning. I am about 99% sure its the steering intermediate shaft (one of the shafts that connects the steering wheel to the rack and pinion, it has splined slip joint to allow in and out travel. The spline portion is where the noise and play emits). GM's are VERY bad about this......

Pirate Air---that is Exactly what I was trying to describe! Rattle is a much better word. Your diagnosis sounds very plausible and like there is not a lot that can be done about it. Again, it's so subtle that I worry I'm just nitpicking.

Falcon, thanks for the concern and I will swing by the dealership next time I'm in town to have them check it out...can't hurt anything.

 

[pirate air]

Don't for sure Pirate Air, I guess I should have said that no one that has responded to the thread is experiencing it in the same way that Cowboy is. My mistake. Sounds like you know a LOT about the steering gear from your post. After re-reading your post I guess you are hearing it too, to some degree? And the intermediate shaft on the GM's you referred to are all vehicles that have some miles on them, I assume? I think any clunking noise on a less than 2 weeks old truck is not normal, but that's just my opinion. In any case... thanks for not arc welding me, I certainly didn't have my ducks in a row it seems.

Falcon

I would't say its "typical" or "normal" for Fords. But VERY common on GM's. Its not so much a certain mileage that the problem starts, but what type of terrain you drive over and how often. The more bumps= more wear. The GMs just had a ****ty intermediate shaft where the splines would develop play way sooner then they should have. When I worked as a tech at a GM shop, the procedure to "repair" the shaft was to remove the unit, squirt some dense grease down it, install a plug and compress the shaft with your body weight till the grease oozed out the splines. Then re install. I called it the temporary fix to a permanent problem, because the customer was always back in a few thousand miles with the same complaint. Eventually after a, year or so, GM had us replace the shafts with a slightly less ****tier one.

I'm not sure why the steering shaft in my truck (and possibly madcow's truck) is noisy so soon. Mine made it the first day I owned it. It maybe normal and others just haven't picked up on it because it is subtle. Either way I will get it replaced eventually, but I want to wait to see if it gets louder. Then I can see how the new one performs and make a determination. Was the first shaft faulty?, is it a normal concern?, did the second one progressively get worse like the first one (if the first one DOES get worse)? is this going to be a common problem for the raptor down the road due to the tire size/weight and terrain it drives on?

Leveling my truck didn't help mine out either, I lost some caster when I raised the front. Because I lost some caster I will get more feed back through the steering wheel, which will help add to the wear.

Pirate Air---that is Exactly what I was trying to describe! Rattle is a much better word. Your diagnosis sounds very plausible and like there is not a lot that can be done about it. Again, it's so subtle that I worry I'm just nitpicking.

Falcon, thanks for the concern and I will swing by the dealership next time I'm in town to have them check it out...can't hurt anything.

Won't hurt to have the dealer look at it. If it gets worse, you could always mention "steering intermediate shaft" to the advisor, once again, wont hurt. It bugs me mine does it, makes me feel like I'm in a GM. But, I will get mine replaced soon enough so I can start my experiment lol

 

[AndyR]

I'll admit that I was surprised at the harshness of the steering setup the first time I took the Raptor out on rocky trails. I feel (don't hear it) on bad pavement too.

 

[BIRDMAN]

It shouldn't feel loose but it does feel a little sloppy because of the squishy suspension you're getting a lot of wheel travel which might to a feeling of slop or being loose? And make sure that's 44 PSI [cold]