my 92 ford explorer has been making clanging noises when we hit bumps..most of the time its when we hit bumps while turning. the shop said they think the wheel barons are loose. they havent looked at it yet, but they will tomorrow morning. what does it mean if the wheel barons are loose?
Answer:
LOL, Kristen it is bearings, not barons. The bearings are like little steel balls in a housing that basically allows the wheel to turn and still be attached to the axle.
Boooooooo, you are mean. But I would like to have been a fly on the wall for that.
Wheel bearings, not barons.
wheel bearings loose makes no sense, they may be worn out but not loose!!
It sounds to me like a ball joint is going out! A bad ball joint will make the noise when you hit a bump or turn the wheel
ask the shop what "wheel barons" are
I very much doubt that it is the wheel bearings - I have never heard of them causing a clang under any circumstances, no matter how old they are (and I've driven some that were over 40 years old.) They usually make a muted thumping noise when driving at speed - and no noise at all when driving slowly. This is a very unusual diagnosis from someone who hasn't actually seen the problem yet.
It sounds more like the swaybar bushings are either completely worn out, or have fallen out - these bushings are basically pieces of rubber that insulate the bar from the clamp that attaches it to the chassis. This isn't an expensive fix, but if these are missing, it will cause the sway bar to bang on the underside of the chassis, especially when turning and over bumps.
I would strongly suggest that you take it to another mechanic for a second opinion before getting the work done..
Wheel bearings are not the problem.
They make a growling sound if they're going bad.
More than likely it an upper shock absorber bushing that has worn out.
Or, it could be front axle U-joints (fourwheel drive), or front brake calipers or pads. But not bearings.
this is common on these year fords i have a 92 ranger(same thing underneath. all they have to do is tighten the spanner nut to correct this. I'm not sure why these fords do this but they all do it I re tighten mine about every 30,000 miles usually change the brake pads at the same time. just remember if they need to replace any parts here they are very reasonable the wheel bearings are only about 5-10 bucks each. there are four of them. but yours probably only need tightened up. one other thing if you have had the front end worked on recently and they repacked the bearings they usually need to be re tightened up a short time later as the grease settles in. this is why ford stopped using this design a few years later. they are higher maintenance. i personally like them cuz the parts are cheap. and usually just need adjustment.good luck
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