ChrisFromFloriduh

Hey y’all,

im trying to figure out this front suspension rattle coming from my wife’s 2016 Mustang. I’m at a loss and no shop can figure it out either. You can hear it pretty much throughout the video.

It happens at lower speeds on rough roads.

What’s been done:

OEM:
New struts, new mounts, original upper control arms, tie rods, and sway bar.

Steeda:
PP Style lower control arms.
Adjustable sway bar end links.

You may need headphones to hear it. It only happens on the rougher roads at lower speeds.

Everything seems tight, steering is pretty stout, no leaks after the repairs, everything installed is at torque spec.

Video:

proeagles

Can't really tell what I'm listening for to be honest. However, the two likely sources are the swaybar links and lower control arms. The lower control arms don't have rubber bushings which absorb vibrations better than what is used in this case. I made the mistake of putting lower control arms on my 57 Chevy with Delrin bushings and now I feel every little imperfection on the road. Secondly, if the sway bars where installed and tightened down with the wheels off the ground, it will introduce a popping noise in the front suspension. Good luck, I hope someone else has a better answer for you.

Derf00

When did the sound start, before or after the rattle?

I hear the rattle. It's sounds like either something is loose (brake hoses hitting stuff) or there's torsional stress on some bushings (creaking).

When you torque everything down on the suspension, was the front end at ride height or was everything just dangling/suspended and hanging down? Easiest way to get the suspension to ride height is to jack the car up on one side,, get the car to settle on a jack stand, remove the wheel, then use the floor jack under a knuckle to raise that side until you just barely start to lift the car off the jack stand. That's Ride height. Loosen the control arm bolts one full turn after they break loose. Do the same for the stabilizer link ends on that same side. Retightens everything to spec. Put the wheel on and lower that side.

Repeat on the other side.

Sway bar bushings should be adjust while both sides of the car are at the same height so, while the car sits on the ground. If not, you will get some flext from the suspension being lifted one side and not the other. That can cause those bushings to creak.

Also, I I see the sway bar but no mention of sway bar bushings. I presume those were replaced? #1 missed source of suspension noise.

ChrisFromFloriduh

not sure how I missed any notifications from this post, lol.

I was curious if it was the sway bar end links I bought from Steeda which is a known performance brand.

I personally tightened them lifted although, when a shop installed the a new strut, they confirmed they torqued them to the Steeda spec while on a dual lift. Which I saw. They are willing to look at it again if they screwed something up.

For me, I’m not sure what the sound is, it could be the links but it could not be at the same time.

ChrisFromFloriduh

Thank you for all the info!

So my mistake when I installed the end links was not at ride height. Although, this has been a rabbit hole. There were multiple sounds coming from the front end for a bit. There was a nasty clunk and then a small rattle. I thought it was odd but this car has been a mess for the 7 years she’s had it, suspension bits seem to be weak.

At first, I suspected the OEM sway bar end links. Which I believe made a different rattle than it does now. So, I swapped them out in my garage with the Steeda adjustable ones. Pre greased and all. A clunk was still ongoing after that install and after some tugging, I found the driver side control arm was bad. This arm was replaced in 2018, so, I bought the steed performance pack versions with a lifetime warranty, they are an upgrade and so, I replaced both (with the help of a shop got a alignment). It fixed the clunk but now this rattle appeared or is showing.

I can’t tell if it’s the same rattle from the bad sway bar end link bushing on the OEM one (which was bent). It’s not the same clunk it had before replacing the control arms (lower only).

The only shop near me that has good reviews (Orange Park FL) and that’s not a dealership, thought it was a strut or strut mount. They attempted the new strut (OEM of course) and inspected both mounts and the sound still appeared. They even swapped the new strut on both sides. They are at a loss and I’m at a loss at this point.

In short,
Loud clunk before control arm and sway bar bushing replacement. Now a rattle after replacements.

it’s hard for me since I don’t drive the car everyday she does. It doesn’t bother her (the rattle) but it bothers me, lol.

proeagles

Without actually being in the car, I'm at a loss for fixes. I hope you resolve the issue. Let us know if you ever do.

johnnybee

I had a clunk/rattle going over uneven pavement. I could also feel, and hear, a slight clunk rolling the car and gently applying and releasing the brakes. I took it to the dealer who swore up and down everything was tight, but, because I had extended warranty, they replaced the tension arms (the lower arms which are attached at the front of the chassis). Problem solved.

proeagles

Great, happy for you.

johnnybee

If you haven’t solved this, try emptying everything out of the car. By which I mean the glovebox, centre console and trunk, including the spare tire and jack if you have one. This will begin to eliminate anything that may sound like suspension but isn’t.