BMR Watts Link noises ?

[Gabe]

I have one of the earliest BMR Watts Link setups they offered, installed for years, lubed every season (which is about every 1-3k miles), and bolts checked for tightness just about every spring, before I really drive it for the year.
It is one of their poly/spherical end units, not all spherical.

For a couple/few years now I've been dealing with a clunk when I load up the driveline, either when I go forward after being stopped or after backing up, or also when backing up after going forward or being stopped.

I don't know for sure the clunk is coming from the Watts Link.
I hear it and feel it in the floorboard, and more recently I'm also hearing a squeak at the same time.
The squeak I was able to make happen today by moving slowly in first gear and giving the gas pedal a little whack, which loaded and unloaded the driveline quickly.

Car also has a 1-piece Ford Performance driveshaft.
The clunk I'm hearing is very similar to a noise I used to hear from the factory 2-piece driveshaft. When I replaced that with another factory shaft, the noise went away.
But the noise is there now even with the new 1-piece driveshaft being new in the car. Drove off for the first time and clunked.

So my question now is, anybody else in here with the same BMR Watts Link, and maybe with a 1-piece driveshaft, do you have any noises like what I'm describing?

I'm getting close to removing the Watts Link and reinstalling the Panhard bar to see if that's it

 

[07 Boss]

Well if you have checked your joints on the driveshaft I might start looking at bushings, especially the one on the diff for the UCA. This one tends to get overlooked and mine is a bitch to get my lube gun up there and attached so it gets neglected sometimes.

 

[QWKENUF]

I have a friend who also had a BMR Wattslink. He had a nasty noise out of the hind joints....maybe something to check out

 

[pass1over]

My car makes the exact same clunk sound when changing directions like that and I don't have a Watts link, but I do have a 1 piece driveshaft from PST.

It's not all the time on my car, but sometimes if I back out of a parking spot, then start to go forward, there's a very noticeable clunk. I just checked all my rear end bushings 2 weekends ago and they're all good (all poly bushings). I do have some backlash in my rear, car has almost 206k on it, which might be the culprit, but I don't know for sure. It feels more like body/suspension, but I guess it could be the driveline. I checked the joints about a year ago and they both felt fine.

 

[Gabe]

Well if you have checked your joints on the driveshaft I might start looking at bushings, especially the one on the diff for the UCA. This one tends to get overlooked and mine is a bitch to get my lube gun up there and attached so it gets neglected sometimes.

The rear diff upper bushing was replaced last year, the original one was showing some cracks. Noise was there before and still there after.
The UCA is an adjustable BMR poly-bushing unit, shows a lot of grease but not sure how much is left inside, I will have to try to get my grease gun up there and see if I can squeeze more in it.

I have a friend who also had a BMR Wattslink. He had a nasty noise out of the hind joints....maybe something to check out

The heim joints, being metal on metal, have been at the top of my thoughts as to what could be causing these noises, which is why I was thinking of removing the Watts Link and installing a noise-free adjustable Panhard bar that I have, to see if that was it.

My car makes the exact same clunk sound when changing directions like that and I don't have a Watts link, but I do have a 1 piece driveshaft from PST.

It's not all the time on my car, but sometimes if I back out of a parking spot, then start to go forward, there's a very noticeable clunk. I just checked all my rear end bushings 2 weekends ago and they're all good (all poly bushings). I do have some backlash in my rear, car has almost 206k on it, which might be the culprit, but I don't know for sure. It feels more like body/suspension, but I guess it could be the driveline. I checked the joints about a year ago and they both felt fine.

What year is your car and is it a manual or auto?

 

[pass1over]

The rear diff upper bushing was replaced last year, the original one was showing some cracks. Noise was there before and still there after.
The UCA is an adjustable BMR poly-bushing unit, shows a lot of grease but not sure how much is left inside, I will have to try to get my grease gun up there and see if I can squeeze more in it.




The heim joints, being metal on metal, have been at the top of my thoughts as to what could be causing these noises, which is why I was thinking of removing the Watts Link and installing a noise-free adjustable Panhard bar that I have, to see if that was it.




What year is your car and is it a manual or auto?

2012 manual

It feels/sounds like it's coming from the upper link, but I checked it and the poly still looks great, not deformed, and was lubed well.

 

[Shotokan1509]

Replaced I think a Coast 1pc with Ford one just recently and reduced clunk but theres still play in trans & rear end that allows some rotation by hand. The prior DS the slipjoint had play in only certain directions, like seemed fine but rotate it 90 degrees and it would knock by hand. Not sure the Watts link added any clunks over the previous adj panhard.

 

[Gabe]

Well, I was able to take some time over the last couple weeks and worked on the Mustang a bit.

Disconnected the lateral links on the Watts Link and rotated the center pivot so I could get to its grease fitting and stuck a bunch of grease in there. Replaced the broken grease fitting on the upper control arm, and stuck a bunch of grease in there too.

Clunk and squeak are still there.

It sounds like a metal on metal squeak, and I am able to reproduce it in first gear going slow, letting off the gas and then quickly stabbing the gas again, to shock the driveline.
Normally it happens when I engage first gear, unless I'm really slow about it.

Makes me think that the squeak is coming either from the driveshaft moving inside the rear flange or at the front mount, or something to do with the clutch.

Now, the clutch, it's been nothing short of amazing as far as I'm concerned.
The car is now almost 11 years old, original clutch, almost 57k miles on it, and the car's been supercharged since about 22k, about 600 rwhp since it had about 25k on it. And it's still holding.

 

[Shotokan1509]

Disconnected the lateral links on the Watts Link and rotated the center pivot so I could get to its grease fitting and stuck a bunch of grease in there. Replaced the broken grease fitting on the upper control arm, and stuck a bunch of grease in there too.
.

Weight on the axle rather than drooping you can get to it, for future reference... ask me how I learned this lesson.

 

[Gabe]

Weight on the axle rather than drooping you can get to it, for future reference... ask me how I learned this lesson.

Tried it that way first, just backing the car up on ramps. Still couldn't get the grease gun on that pivot grease fitting

 

[Gabe]

Update on this nonsense. Removed the Watts Link today, reinstalled the J&M adjustable Panhard bar and OEM bracket I've had sitting in the garage for years.
Test drove, squeak and clunk still there.

Got back under the car, put the impact gun on the trans mount bolts, the rear bolts for the front subframe, and turned one of the driveshaft rear bolts a little more.
Then looked at the connecting brace under the car that ties together the A-arms or the rear parts of the subframe.
Grabbed the half inch ratchet and 15mm socket and tightened all 4 nuts, found the 2 on the driver side had much more to tighten than the 2 on the passenger side.

Took the car back on another test drive, and the clunk was gone, and the squeak was only heard a tiny amount, and only once or twice.

So, I might have a BMR Watts Link for sale. Apparently nothing wrong with it, lol, but I don't plan on autocrossing this car again, which was the main reason I got the Watts Link in the first place.


@stkjock can you please rename this thread? Change the title to something like "'13 GT clunk on take-off" ? Thank you ...

 

[crjackson]

Great detective work Gabe. Mine has a very similar clunk. I’ll check those bolts on my car too.

 

[Gabe]

Thank.
Took the car to work today
Squeak made itself known as soon as I pulled out of the garage. Clunk seems to still be gone.
Got to work.
Backed up, squeak present engaging reverse.
Pulled forward, squeak again.
Was able to reproduce it again a few times, each time as I first engaged reverse and then forward, or the other way around.
Leads me to think that something is shifting, and rubbing metal on metal, as torque gets applied.

Diagnosis to be continued.

 

[pass1over]

my car does a weird clunk/thud every now and then when first engaging from reverse to forward or vice versa as yours does, just not a squeak.

I'd be curious to see if this a-arm connecting brace is loose on my car as well. My rattle is coming from the rear passenger side. I'm trying to picture the part you are talking about, but can't.

 

[Gabe]

Front of the car, accessible from behind the front tires.
Not my picture but this is the brace and the nuts that I found slightly loose.
15mm socket.

 

[Pentalab]

That oem Ford A arm brace actually ties the rear ends of the K frame together. I installed the BMR A arm brace as well, which resides a few inches in front of the A arm brace. The BMR A arm brace actually does tie the A arms together.

On my 2010 auto (with small M90 blower), JBA ceramic coated LT's, catted H, twin 62mm TB + 94 tune) I installed the DSS-DS, and the eaton tru-trac LSD...and also the Whiteline watts link. Added the catch can for the rear axle on the pass side. BMR LCA's and BMR UCA. No clunking. The BMR UCA has the poly at front end....and oem ford rubber bushing at differential end. The BMR lca's are the rectangular boxed types, with poly at both ends. BMR LCA relocate brackets used...in middle holes.

That rubber bushing at the differential end of the UCA is prone to failure. The only options are another rubber oem bushing, a steeda spherical bushing, or a bmr poly bushing. Kelly at BMR read me the riot act and said not to use a poly to poly combo on the uca...( they will bind when twisting). Kelly said to use the steeda spherical at the differential end, if a BMR poly is used at the front end. Spherical to spherical will also work, but you will not like the NVH.

I installed the whiteline watts link well before the BMR version was released. The whiteline version is dead simple, and the new differential cover they provided is extremely thick. Plane jane 75W-140 dino oil used in the tru-trac.

So far, so good, but I only have 386 rwhp / 370 rwtq...which is a helluva lot less than what you have.

 

[pass1over]

Front of the car, accessible from behind the front tires.
Not my picture but this is the brace and the nuts that I found slightly loose.
15mm socket.

Oh, on the front. I was confused as I was trying to picture a brace in the rear. Pretty sure mine was tightened with the impact after clutch job. This noise definitely sounds like it's coming from passenger side rear, but I can't find anything loose. Only over bumps/potholes when going slow. I don't hear it while driving on the road.

 

[Gabe]

Well, got back under the car today.

Removed the axle clamps left over from the BMR Watts Link, theory being that maybe when torque was applied, the axle tubes would slightly twist and make noise inside those clamps.

Tightened up a little on the bolts and nuts circled in the pictures below (pictures are not of my car), including some more on the 4 nuts on that underbody brace, especially the ones on the driver side.

Sprayed a bunch of Amsoil Metal Protector (kind of their WD40) lubricant, onto the rear section of the driveshaft where it meets the rear diff, onto the front driveshaft u-joint, and onto the transmission flange where it meets the front of the driveshaft.

Went for a short drive, took a right turn out of my subdivision and heard a different clunk in the right front that I had never heard before, but after that I didn't hear anything else, no more clunks, no more squeaks.

Here's hoping I got it for good, whatever it was that did it.

(and I never tripped over my jack handle and had it roll down the driveway, so that's always a bonus)