Control Arms for Lifted 2015 XLT

[2015owner2015]

I started lately to get like an intermittent noise only when I cut the wheels to the right backing up or pulling into like a parking space. Like a metal on metal clank. I don't see any obvious cause.

 

[eddytheexpy]

check your sway bar links. After some rough terrain following replacing a bunch of front end stuff mine rattled loose. I would only hear it when hitting juicy bumps. I couldn't find the source of the noise, took it to a shop and they blamed the IWE, which was actually bad so not a total waste. But, after I replaced the IWE the sound was still there. I got pissed and laid under the vehicle (which at this point I was worried about something in the suspension folding on me) while I had my buddy jump up and down on the grill guard. Found it in 2 seconds! I was immediately relieved to learn that this wouldn't cause the vehicle to drop on me if it gave out and also because it was a 1 minute fix.

With the lift we both have, it actually stresses out the sway bar and it doesn't want to be where it's supposed to live, so there's way more tension on the links than the stock configuration. Go take a socket to the sway bar links (both sides and both ends) and try to really crank down on them. If it's loose it'll still have a reasonable amount of resistance since the sway bar not wanting to be there provides some tension/friction against the nut. It sounds like it may be just a little loose which is why it takes something extreme, like full lock or an entire dude jumping on the front end in my case, to ease up on the links enough for it to have that play which makes the rattle.

good luck, hope you find a 1 minute fix too!

 

[2015owner2015]

check your sway bar links. After some rough terrain following replacing a bunch of front end stuff mine rattled loose. I would only hear it when hitting juicy bumps. I couldn't find the source of the noise, took it to a shop and they blamed the IWE, which was actually bad so not a total waste. But, after I replaced the IWE the sound was still there. I got pissed and laid under the vehicle (which at this point I was worried about something in the suspension folding on me) while I had my buddy jump up and down on the grill guard. Found it in 2 seconds! I was immediately relieved to learn that this wouldn't cause the vehicle to drop on me if it gave out and also because it was a 1 minute fix.

With the lift we both have, it actually stresses out the sway bar and it doesn't want to be where it's supposed to live, so there's way more tension on the links than the stock configuration. Go take a socket to the sway bar links (both sides and both ends) and try to really crank down on them. If it's loose it'll still have a reasonable amount of resistance since the sway bar not wanting to be there provides some tension/friction against the nut. It sounds like it may be just a little loose which is why it takes something extreme, like full lock or an entire dude jumping on the front end in my case, to ease up on the links enough for it to have that play which makes the rattle.

good luck, hope you find a 1 minute fix too!

The links seem very solid. My ICONs are creaky. I am going to lubricate them next weekend. I wonder if the noise I'm getting is related to this? Possibly getting bound up in just the one position.

Anyway, I think I will need a shop to troubleshoot the cause, will be taking it in soon.

 

[2015owner2015]

Did you install the 3"/2" ReadyLift Leveling Kit, or something different?

Asking because I installed the 3/2 kit on my 2012 EL and since then have gone through two Upper Control Arms due to ball joint failure. ReadyLift has assured me on two different phone calls that this kit works with stock-geometry UCAs, but mine are only lasting approximately 2 years.

I don't have any scraping noises like you describe, but do get a "clunk" sometimes (not always) when turning the wheels to the full limit, so if you determine a different UCA is required for the 3" front lift, I would love to hear about it.

The UCA seems like a must have, it did solve the problem.