ASFB Clunk

[ViPER1313]

Yesterday I replaced my worn engine mounts and SFBs with extreme mounts and ASFBs. Tightened the subframe bolts hand tight before lowering the car onto the ground, torqued the bolts to 85lb/ft with the car on the ground and the MM nuts to 55lb/ft. I now have a major clunk while going over speed bumps and while braking that is coming directly below the pedals where the SFB meets the car. Tried retightening the rear bushings to 95lb/ft with a jack pushing the subframe against the car to make sure there was no slack - no improvement. Should I have used grease while installing these bushings? The bolts are not backing out - they are still tight after hard driving. Is this normal for ASFBs? Any suggestions?

Also, the sway bar end links and outer TREs are new and the clunk did not exist before I replaced the SFBs.

 

[David Dorr]

My newly-installed ALSFBs are making a little noise, but not much. Primarily a small amount of grinding when I turn hard at slow speeds, but that's about it. I haven't noticed any clunking over bumps, but maybe I just haven't noticed and I've been paying pretty close attention. We torqued the subframe bolts to 75 lbs, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong, Doug).

 

[SHOMA]

Does it do it when you turn the wheel side to side at idle? Mine does, and has for the past year. I had had all the bushings in front replaced with TPR thinking it was that strut rod bushing, and it was not. I finally turned the wheel back and forth, while it was making the creaking, and put my hand ON the bushing. It moves approx 2-3mm, maybe even 4mm,but it makes a HELLUVA creaking against the floor. I have to pull mine down, I am fearing it was overtightened at one point, and it coned the floor down, so I have to pound it back up, then most likely use a washer between the nut and the floor, to spread out the weight. I know how you feel, just be sure it is that one bushing, and not something else moving around.. :
kevin

 

[SHOMA]

NOt trying to hijack the thread here, but I took mine apart and FINALLY figured out what the heck it is today! Upon pulling the recall rubber plug out of the floor, I saw that the unt plate was UPSIDE DOWN! The nut was actually facing down into the hole, so there was very little of the plate actgually putting force down onto the floor to hjold the bushing tight. I turned it over, and torqued it to ~80-85 ft/lb and it seems great. I didnt put my bushings in myself, I had help. One of the two of us put it in that way, I dont think it was me, but who knows.

 

[ViPER1313]

Well, I finally got around to finding / fixing the problem. For some reason one of the rear subframe bolts was binding on the nut and it created a tiny bit of slack between the subframe and SFB. Different bolt / nut, bushing is tight against the body and no more clunks . Now, I can also see why people love these bushings .

 

[SHOMA]

Glad to see you found your problem. I enjoy my car so much more without that darn clunk in the front:

 

[SHOtimer]

75-80lbs is all that you want to torque these bushings to otherwise it can cause problems. Depending on if you have had the recall done or not they can slightly move when a lot of pressure is put on them (hard turns when not moving). This also depends on the condition of your unibody and the subframe hardware... some have noise others don't.

Glad you got it fixed....remember at Ford quality is #1

Doug