Clicking and Clunking noises

Tracer · 06-02-2008, 09:19 PM

Well been a while since i've been on here but strait to business.

Had the LS focus about 9 months now and havn't had any problems with it except it makes 2 noises a clunking and a clicking.

Usually when you release the clutch after taking off or breaking, often you'll hear a kind of metallic clunk. Sometimes its soft other times it quite audible. Sometimes it will happen while driving and not touching the clutch but usually only happens after you let it out. Coming from the front of the car in the middle to the right side it seems to be in different places sometimes but the same general area.

2nd you'll also often hear a clicking sound that sounds like a plastic type of click (not a clunk like the other it's distinctly different) when you press the break down. It's coming from the right wheel.

Anyway when i put it in for its 15km service I told them about both the sounds and at the end of the day they said they wern't sure as they've never had a problem like that before but they think the right engine mount might be getting knocked or something so ordered one and off i went.

A week later take it in and get it changed but the problem still exists so he says they're pretty sure now that its the cv joint so they're ordered a new shaft and see how that goes.

Anyway seeing the clicking sound is when applying the break and not when turning is it likely to be the cv joint? And could it account for the different metallic sounding clunk as well?

Just hoping this doesn't turn into one of those episodes where your taking it in every week for 6 months and still have the problem.

On the plus side the service ppl have been really good about it and the actual service only cost me $220 while i was expecting a bit more and that they arn't trying to scam me out of a labor cost every time they look at the car :P

Okay did some more googling on cv's and seems thats prob def the clunking sound when letting off the clutch. Will have to check and see if it clicks while turning as well as breaking too.

Does seem odd to be wear on the cv so soon though as it's been doing it for quite a while (the clunking anyway) but I guess i was just too use to old bombs and figured it was just the sound of the gear box like it was in those cars :P

BlackLS · 06-02-2008, 09:32 PM

A member complained about a clunk, when braking or turning, it ended needing the drive shalf to be "glued" into place.

On acceleration or letting go of the accelerator, it can be the aircon pump engaging/disengaging or it can be exhaust heat shield hitting the exhaust. If it happens regardless of aircon being on, its most likely the exhaust shielding or drive shalf. On a lesser scale, it could be the rear engine mount (the Mazda 3 guys seem to replace this with solid rubber or poly mounts, the Mazda 3 has virtually identical engine bays with the Focus.)

If you seem to get some intermittent tapping/rattling coming from the wheel arches at 100ks, its probably the rear of the plastic wheel arch cowling having the screw come loose.

Tracer · 06-02-2008, 09:44 PM

Yeah its not the aircon that makes a distinctly different kind of clunk when i hear it coming on or off.

And I don't think it would be the wheel arch as it's a really crisp snapping kind of click.

Couldn't imagine a tapping or rattling sounding the same and it doesn't matter what speed there will be a quite loud (sometimes softer) crisp snap when you apply the break and then when you take your foot off the break there may or may not be another one. Go any speed and press the break relatively hard and it will do it the majority of the time.

BlackLS · 06-02-2008, 10:22 PM

I've got that as well if you really listen for it: - either shalfs, mount or shielding. It does not annoy me

Tracer · 07-02-2008, 01:01 AM

Half the time you can't notice it but the other half its really loud, even annoys me with the cd player on.

And do all focus make that loud click every time the wipers bloody cycle!

BlackLS · 07-02-2008, 01:08 AM

Yeah the relay in intermittent mode?

Uni · 07-02-2008, 03:59 PM

dad has an S40 which has a clunk letting the clutch out, our thought was that it could be a thruster bearing in the clutch which is shifting just a tiny amount - with the forces involved only a small shift would need to occur to create the clunk. his was on the front left though, and im fairly sure that the clutch location is the same on both vehicles...

as for the clicking sound, CV is the first place i would look.. could be a brake line banging against something hollow?.. this would really only occur if the brake line became unsecured and was a braided item - are the focus brake lines braided or rubber?

Uni/.

Tracer · 07-02-2008, 05:55 PM

Yea in int mode and ofcourse (exception of past week) most of the time its not raining enough to take it off of int mode.

And it sounds nothing like a brake line banding would, sounds similar too.... if you got a plastic model kit and took a piece of the plastic that holds all the pieces you actually use and snap it in half.

Didn't click once today which was odd and definately none when turning the wheel but was still making its regular clunking but at a nice soft level this time.

BlackLS · 07-02-2008, 06:37 PM

The Focus is suprisingly rugged, my old Pulsar, driving it the same way, blew a gearbox after 30,000kms

Turbodiesel · 07-02-2008, 08:46 PM

I've noticed a slight tapping sound coming from the front somewhere if I do a quick serve to the left or right, it taps once when I turn and then again when I straighten it.

Must be some kind of movement somewhere, is this a similar issue?

Uni · 08-02-2008, 01:24 AM

you do understand that cars are made up of thousands of moving parts, and that these parts are inclined on occasion to make audible noise? car hypochondriac... !

the tap is probably being caused by an overloaded power steering pump moving knocking on another close-by component, but thats just my guess...

Uni/.

BlackLS · 08-02-2008, 10:02 AM

In a newer car is less likely to have worn suspension bushes, more likely suspension bolts may not be tensioned enough.

Uni · 08-02-2008, 10:58 AM

but they would be rattling pretty much ALL the time, and the noise would be getting worse

Uni/.

More revs · 08-02-2008, 08:49 PM

mine does the clicking noise too... has been diagnosed as CV jounts - both sides!

I'll book it in when I get the time and let yooz know if anything profound happens.

Turbodiesel · 08-02-2008, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by More revs

mine does the clicking noise too... has been diagnosed as CV jounts - both sides!

I'll book it in when I get the time and let yooz know if anything profound happens.

All the time or only when you turn quickly?

Another development today, I went round a tight bumpy right turn today and there was quite a scraping noise coming from the front accompanied by my ESP light flashing. After I straightened out it was ok, but I'm really worried now.. what do you guys think and how serious is it?

I've never had any issues so far but now this :(

scooby · 09-02-2008, 09:40 AM

Mine makes a clicking type sound when on/off the accelerator. It was bugging me so took the car to Ford who of course couldn't hear or see anything. The noise is still there but I've learnt to ignore it.

BlackLS · 09-02-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbodiesel

All the time or only when you turn quickly?

Another development today, I went round a tight bumpy right turn today and there was quite a scraping noise coming from the front accompanied by my ESP light flashing. After I straightened out it was ok, but I'm really worried now.. what do you guys think and how serious is it?

I've never had any issues so far but now this :(

Do you have mudspats installed? Was the scraping sort of constant or was it only on the bumpy bits?

Turbodiesel · 09-02-2008, 10:08 PM

Thanks for replying, no I don't have mudspats but I think I know what's going on now.

I went for a drive today and did a lot of swerving and full lock turns to see if I could replicate the problem but I couldn't.

It turns out the scraping noise was actually the ESP working, going over bumps on a wet bend must really set it off. It says so in the booklet that "You may hear a grinding noise when DSC is activated", I guess I missed that part the first read through :O

God it sounded horrible though, it went for a good 2 seconds too. I'm going to go around the same corner next week but with ESP turned off just to be sure

More revs · 11-02-2008, 02:03 PM

Mine clicks every time it's reversed or driven at full lock like when reversing out of the driveway or parking bay. It's not getting any worse and doesnt do it during normal driving...

mudwaa · 13-02-2008, 06:29 PM

unfortunately the focus is all clicks and clunks

64ORD · 22-02-2008, 11:19 AM

Tracer, have you had any success in sorting out your clicking problem. Our Focus Zetec is a clicker as well. Like already mentioned here the sound it when moving forward or backwards for the the first time. There is also quite an audible rattle coming from the clutch area while the car is stationary and idling. It disappears when you depress the clutch and reappears when you release it. Its due for it 15K service so we'll see what they have to say. I'll be printing out this topic and presenting it to the service dept.

More revs · 22-02-2008, 03:30 PM

The rattle at idle is most likely gear backlash, mine does this too. I dont worry about it at all.

moving back or forward that gives one click is probably just the disk pads dragging, again nothing to worry about.

The CV click should be looked at however and let Ford determine what to do.

64ORD · 22-02-2008, 07:04 PM

Thanks for your input more revs

This is my wifes car so I don't drive it all the time. I just took it for a quick test drive and the click is definately not the brake pads. If I drive the car back and forth on the driveway just using idle without using the brake the click happens on take up in each direction. It even clicked a few times as I drove off along the street. The click concerns me because it never happened until about 2000k ago. The rattle in the clutch area has always been there since it was new.

Cheers Johnny

20focus05 · 23-02-2008, 12:30 AM

64ord, blackls refered to us with driveline noise. ours sounded like a dry ball joint and only happend at walking pace and turning slowly i.e. car park manouvering. said to have been a driveshaft problem and was loctited in place!!! over heard the ford guys saying there was a TSB about it

Tracer · 03-03-2008, 12:32 PM

Well when I went in there last they said a few days before they had another one in with the same problem and they just locktight the bolts on the hmm what was it... lol can't remember but they did that and let it set and it fixed the problem for that car they said so they were gonna try that and if that didn't fix it then put in the new shaft.

Anyway soon as I took my foot off the break to go out there was that nice plastic sounding click which is supossedly just something to do with the break calipers or something and no need to worry about. So didn't pay any attention to that but soon as I got on the road there was that nice clunk sound :(

Good news is it's been a couple weeks now and while it's still doing it it's not doing it near as often as it was so I havn't bothered to get the new shaft put in yet I figure i'll give it a few more weeks and see how it is and if its still doing it enough to annoy me then take the car back in.

64ORD · 03-03-2008, 05:02 PM

Thanks for the update Tracer. My Zetec goes in for its 15K service in a week or so. Not to Ford BTW I'm taking it to a friend who owns/runs a Repco Service Centre. His guys have been servicing my cars for a few now years and I trust their workmanship. I have mentioned my issues to him and he said during the log book service anything they find questionable including my concerns will be added to a report on the service invoice. If anything needs to be looked at under warranty I can then proceed to Ford. He did mention that things in the front and rear suspension need retensioning on these cars at the first service. I'm just not interested in taking the car back a forward to Ford time and time again for the same issues.

Tracer · 03-03-2008, 09:15 PM

Well kloster ford didn't know anything about things needing retensioning though it seems that shouldn't be surprising.

Let us know what the problem is when you find out to see if its the same.

64ORD · 18-03-2008, 06:35 PM

Well Tracer, I had the car in for it's 15K service today. I had it done by a Repco Service Centre in Brisbane owned by a friend of mine. They couldn't pin point the click in the drive without dismantling. They said the noise is definately coming from drive shaft or CV on drivers side so I took it straight down to Bryan Byrt Ford at Mansfield to book it in for diagnosis/repair on Thursday. I will follow up after I get it back.

Cheers Johnny

Stugots · 21-03-2008, 06:50 PM

I notice the same thing now also. Usually when I put it into reverse and just as the clutch grabs, I get a few light, snappy sounding clicks. I can hear them because i'm right near a Colorbond fence and it reflects the sound into the cabin. Not really concerned at this stage but I'll make note of it at next service.

64ORD · 24-03-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

I notice the same thing now also. Usually when I put it into reverse and just as the clutch grabs, I get a few light, snappy sounding clicks. I can hear them because i'm right near a Colorbond fence and it reflects the sound into the cabin. Not really concerned at this stage but I'll make note of it at next service.

This is what our car has been doing. I also hear it click a couple of times as I drive off, esspecially if I have just turned the steering wheel e.g reversing out of the driveway

I had my car in at Bryan Byrt Ford Service at Mansfield on Thursday. The forman came out and listened to the noise. Within an hour they were on the phone telling me I could come and pick up the car. A driveshaft assembly was on order for the drivers side. I asked the service manager on my return what the problem was but he wouldn't explain what the actual fault was he said they just replace the whole lot from engine to hub because it is cheaper. He did say they have had a few cars in for the same problem including an XR5T owned by an employee there. Since replacing the drive shaft assembly there have been no further problems?? I wonder if the owners had put another 15k on their new drive shafts yet??