[wolfey2k]

Hi Casper.
Just happened to check my email before hitting the sack.
Your GT is making that annoying Thunking noise eh?
I drove two GT's after I baught my 4.0 pony and they made that noise too but it was much more subtle.
However, I think they all do it but not so much until after you've put some miles on them.
It also seems that most people are oblivious to this problem. Guess they just accept that the front suspension is loud.
However, I have been thinking this over for some time now as when I drive my stang I am painfully reminded of it.
I think it's the strut bearings. Replacing them won't get rid of the problem because there is around 1 to 2mm of vertical play in the strut bearing. The mech's say that this is not a problem due to the fact that the spring pressure against it keeps enough up force on the bearing to keep it from rattling. The weight of the car would contribute to this also hence the thunking noise you hear isn't as loud as it is on the lighter 6 bangers.
The problem is inherrant in the stinking strut bearing and Ford won't acknowledge this. At least not so far.
If enough of us complain about it, then Ford will eventually take action, investigate and come out with a TSB for the fix.
One other guy that has been trying to fix his problem says he thinks he's narrowed it down to the A-Arms which are the lower control arms. I suggested that the bushings are fused to them and there is now way they would be rattling or thunking like that.
Could be something lose in the body or engine compartment too but I have looked into this and found nothing wrong.
There IS something wrong. Not necessarily lose but wrong.
I think the thunking is due to the slack in the bearing during non-damped suspension movement. This would be a moment when the suspension only flexes very slightly, I mean less than a 1/8th or 1/10th inch as when one is going over tiny ripples / bumps in the road as slow to moderate speeds.
The best way to find out where the slop is, is for Ford to simulate road conditions similar to that of when the problems crops up and fix the problem.
You are right. Spending the sort of money we have on our rides, Ford should be ashamed of themselves to allow such a simple yet annoying problem to exist much less persist.
I have already had the mech's at my Ford dealer take their shot in the dark. They replaced both strust assemblies including strut bearings and the problem didn't go away.
Just because Ford may say that this is a common problem doesn't mean there's nothing they can do about it.
Ticks me off when the say crap like that. It's just down right stupid think in my opinion.
For every effect, there is a cause. They have chosen to ignore it and allow this flaw to be incorporated into all the stangs. The number crunchers probably said it's cheaper to ignore than to do otherwise.
But do tell me of your mech's manage to get rid of the problem. Tell me what they did to fix it.
Keep in touch on this as I and one other guy are very interested in solving this annoying Thunking noise too.

Good luck!
Wolfey