2013 Lincoln MKS thumping sound from front driver side (not tires) help!

biodole

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Good Evening ladies and gents. Thank you in advance for helping me out.


I have a 2013 MKS Ecoboost loaded up with everything. Love the car and loved the smooth ride, but after hitting a pothole on the way to work one day, the ride quality changed and became more rough. After a while I noticed that the car developed a harmonic rhythmic thumping, which seemed to come from the front left side (definitely not the rear). It is most prevelently heard from the driver seat, but also from the front passenger seat (it is nearly not heard at all in the rear). I can also feel it, especially when decelerating from speeds above 40mph. The sound is most similar to the thumping that a tire with bad flat spots would make. I brought the car into the dealership and an independent mechanic who both concluded that I needed wheel balancing, alignment, and had one bent wheel (right rear).

I got the wheel fixed and it's now back to 100% spec, perfect in every way, and had the balancing done on all four wheels/tires, as well as a full alignment. I replaced two of the stock Michelin's with BF Goodrich GForce Comp-2 A/S tires (rear) as the Michelins were about to be bald. I still have the two factory Michelins in the front for now (still have plenty of tread).

Despite all of this, the sound and feel still persists. As I hit around 30-40 mph, the sounds starts (rhythmic thumping) and including some vibration and an overall rough ride. It has got worse over the last few weeks, even after the wheel repair, two tires replaced, good balancing/alignment, etc. FYI, I had the cart checked twice after the new tires/balancing/alignment and it checked out fine at both places (they had no idea what was causing the sound/vibration).

My local dealership has the absolute worst service department I've ever had the displeasure of using, and they constantly give me the run around (despite being under warranty), so if I go back, I'd like to have a direction to point them in to avoid more headaches.



Does anyone here have any suggestions as to what could be the problem? I was thinking a bad wheel hub? However, I'm not getting the constant hum that usually accompanies that.


Thank you all in advance :)
 
Since you stated NOT THE TIRES, how can you be 100% sure. In the past I hit a deep pot hole that damaged a wheel and suspension parts. There was no way to determine that the tire was not internally damaged. Therefore I replaced the tire as it's cheaper to replace a tire than to have it fail on the road. I also experienced a rhythmic thumping just before one tire had thread separation. Hope you resolve your problem soon.
 
Yeah, you can' be 100% sure it is not the tires. Just as the member above me stated, sometimes there are no symptoms coming from the tires. However, did you checked the axles?
Also, it is very possible that your problem is due to changes in the suspension's geometry.
 
Yeah, you can' be 100% sure it is not the tires. Just as the member above me stated, sometimes there are no symptoms coming from the tires. However, did you checked the axles?
Also, it is very possible that your problem is due to changes in the suspension's geometry.


I'll have the dealer check the axles and the suspension and see if they can identify anything. I'm running out of ideas and the dealership is a pain in the ***
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So the guy who does the "free/included" oil changes is checking out your issue? I see the axles and suspension--looks ok to me---sort of thing. I still bet your issue is tires as a visual inspection tells you nothing.
 
I am having exact same sound on my 2009. Replacing wheel bearings tomorrow and crossing my fingers.
 
Any updates on this? I'm having the same problem.
 
Since you stated NOT THE TIRES, how can you be 100% sure. In the past I hit a deep pot hole that damaged a wheel and suspension parts. There was no way to determine that the tire was not internally damaged. Therefore I replaced the tire as it's cheaper to replace a tire than to have it fail on the road. I also experienced a rhythmic thumping just before one tire had thread separation. Hope you resolve your problem soon.
The only way to inspect the tire is to dismount said tire. You may very well have a defect that can only be seen from the inside (for example, low tire pressure).
A sudden failure @ xway speeds. Better to check so your failure won't look like a Nascar crash scene.
 
The problem is sway bar bushings.

Nope. It varies with speed; not road surface. I've got new tires, and had the hub and bearing assy changed. Noise is still there. After 35k miles, I'm not worried about it; it's just annoying.
 
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