Rattle in front

[bogsback]

i hear alot of rattle coming from the front .. also from the rear but that was only the bushing's.....

So WHAT IS IT PLEASE ?????

I hear it when i drive on rough roads or small bumps :mad: please advise

[ekooke]

Most likely loose tie rod or ball joint(s). Get it fixed, SOON.

[bogsback]

i know it's not the tie rods nor the ball joints.. i know its mostly coming from the front near the struts, are there any bushings for the struts or located around the struts??

[franco]

Sounds like the stabilizer bar(a.k.a. sway bar) bushings at frame.
That suspension system has a bunch of bushings that could be the culprit(s).
I'm not real familiar with the combo air spring and shock set-up on the mark 8 so I'll leave it at that. smile.gif

[pro-five-oh]

How old are the airbags on the car? I am in the same situation as you...our 93 has the rattle and it is because of worn out front strut mounts and possibly leaky airbags.

I noticed that the front upper control arm boots are also trashed so I sent it to my trusty mechanic. He found out that the control arms need to be replaced, not rebuilt. The mechanic also mentioned that my inner tie rod ends are toast...I anticipate we are gonna spend $1500 and get most of the front end rebuilt.

I really miss the elegant simplicity of the Mark VII's front suspension sometimes. :(

[bogsback]

sorry i couldin't respond soon.. I JUST HAD A BABY :D i,m so so happy i could fly & hit the sky.. NOW I,M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE RIDE OF MY CAR...

I WENT TO MY MECHANIC TOO.. he said i needed to change the front struts, and right inner tie rod , inner tie rod is $27.00 at the dealer, ($17.00) in AutoZone) :rolleyes:
i prefer the dealer.. nowthe other question is " how goodis your Mechanic " I really think your mechanic is better than mine.. can you make sure the rattle is from there ?? becouse my mechanic looked at the car and said.. "YOU NEED NEW FRONT STRUTS"

[ May 05, 2002: Message edited by: bogsback ]

[pro-five-oh]

Congrats bogsback!!!

Well after $2000 of parts and labor I got the Mark VIII back with a new front suspension and a fresh set of brakes. That's not chump change but the car drives like new.

This is what I needed up front:
Upper control arms (ripped boots let dirt get into the ball joints)
Springs/shocks
Lower strut bushings (MOOG makes a redesigned part better than Fords)
Inner Tie Rod ends
Sway Bar end link bushings

Check all those things in your car. Mine now rides and drives like new!!!

[DaKat]

Sounds great, pro! I'm about ready to find a way to bring you up here so you can figure out what's wrong with mine!

[sotexlscman]

Congrats Bogsback on y'all's new baby!

I just bought a '94 Mark a few weeks ago, and I have the same rattle. I took it to a front-end shop down here and they could not find the source of the rattle. They said the front-end was fairly tight. I asked them if the strut/air bag was the problem and they finally figured out that the top bushing that attaches the strut to the body must be worn. I ordered some replacements and a dryer and will replace them soon. It looks to be fairly easy to do, but I got a quote of $60.00 for them to change them out. I might let them do it. They didn't want to attempt the drier, so I'll do that. I've done a few Town Cars, and I've heard that these are no worse to do. I hope this helps.

Dean

[pro-five-oh]

Kat, I am just lucky to have a good mechanic down here. There is no noise that a full front end rebuild won't cure!

I am betting that most of the noises is because of those strut mounts, both lower and upper. I'd get MOOG parts, they are great.

[bogsback]

i feel i,m on top of the world right now.. :D as you can see i have not replied to the group in a while.. * sorry guy's *

but i was so busy with my baby, i can't even scratch my head.. i have not gone to work for 2 weeks "which is cool" and i,v been awake for the past 3 day's and nights..

but you know what.. hugging my baby makes me forget everything that ever happend to me, i feel like a dad but i still can't believe that i,m a dad thanks guy for the nice word's and advice.. smile.gif