Ford Focus (1998 - 2004) - 2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 19:51
2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise - Mickey1975
The front suspension on my Focus has started to make a knocking noise when going over anykind of road surface that isn't totally smooth, which to be honest must cover a good 85% of the road around here. The noise appears to be more prominent when going over older rougher uneven road surfaces as apposed to say potholes or speed bumps (although it is still noticeable over these just to a lesser extent).

Is anybody are of a common issue with the front suspension of the Focus? A friend of mine who has a different make of car has replaced the suspension drop links to resolve a similar issue.

Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 20:33
2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise - Galaxy
It's worth checking you haven't got a broken front spring, a very common fault.

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Thu 8 Nov 2007 20:40
2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise - bathtub tom
By drop links, do you mean the links to the anti-roll bar?
I had this problem, and it's very easy to see if a ball joint has gone. Remove the wheels, and wiggle the link. Any play in the joint will be obvious. Replacement's straightforward, no special tools required. I found the parts readily available from motor factors.
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Thu 8 Nov 2007 20:45
2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise - mikej
I had two of these go on my old Cavalier - you can hear the clunking as you go over bumps or potholes, as the anti-roll bar bangs against the suspension.

In the first instance, the bolt that emerged underneath had completely sheared off so this was easy to spot. The second one sheared with a bang as I was driving and put a hole through the wheelarch liner !

Not heard of this as a common complaint on the Focus, but it sounds like the kind of thing that might be common to many cars if the suspension is set up the same ?
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Thu 22 Nov 2007 18:52
2003 1.6 Zetec Front Suspension Noise - Mickey1975
Thanks for the advice, it was the suspension drop link. Only took about 30 mins to change and all quite now, no knocking noise :)
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