I have an 02 Dodge Ram 15002wd.I just had the front end aligned and new tires put on.Drives straight as an arrow problem is when I go over small bumps there is a constant clanking noise like something is loose.i only notice it on small bumps( parking lots,driveways,)Any ideas?

this is an indication of front end wear in tie rod ends and suspension parts . What you describe is castor wobble and comes from suspension faults and incorrect wheel alignment. have it all checked out in an accredited suspension/ wheel alignment shop

This is a common problem. The last time the aligned it the may have bumped the steering wheel and when they aligned it and tightened everything back up it was off center. The next time you get it aligned make them aware and they'll straighten it up for ya.

possible worn suspension rubber mounts, worn tie rod ends
take it to a suspension specialist shop for a check of the front end

Could possibly need the steering box adjusted. It might be a little loose. And tire balance usually makes it shimmy. Could have a broken belt in one of the tires. Jack up the wheel and spin the tire and check the run out. (look for a wiggle when spinning the tire).

You need a front end alignment.

What causes it? Your tires are out of alignment. Why? You hit a bump or a bunch of bumps? This is normal wear on a complex set of levers, connecting rods and joints that work under the worst of circumstances.

Thanks for your interest in FixYa.com

Toe, I believe is tires pointed in or out like your toes. Caster, think about the casters on furniture that want to point straight in the direction of travel. Here is a good reference: http://www.aa1car.com/library/wheel_alignment.htm

What you are describing could be a toe in, toe out problem or it could be weak springs or overload condition.

If the guy/girl that told you there was no toe adjustment was a front end alignment mechanic, I would be inclined to believe them. If you have not spoken to a front end mechanic, you should.

Thanks for your question at FixYa.com

Yep tie rod ends both control arms and a frame bushings. If you had time and could send some pictures I could be more presise and could give you a detaild ideal on how to test the entire front end, but you do not seem to want a lot of help as this would require me to give you two hours of instruction and testing parts that you are not aware of..

NEEDS A URGENT FRONT END CHECK AND MAYBE NEW TIRES

The bumps do initiate the shaking. When my 2006 Ram 2500 4x4 started shaking, I had just had it aligned that morning. A month or so before that alignment, my passenger side outer tie-rod broke while driving down a rock road. I replaced it with a heavy duty MOOG tie-rod end. Anyway, the same day I had it aligned I was driving back home from a job and towing my bobcat behind me. I hit a bump and the truck did the "death wobble" with the front end shaking violently up and down in an alternating fashion (one tire in the air while one tire on the ground and then vice-versa). I changed the tires first (which were worn-out 305/75/17 mud tires). Since the day I bought the truck new in Jan. 2006, I've had larger tires on the truck than the tiny 235/75/17s that came with it and I've done a lot of heavy towing with it and never had a problem until this alignment was done at Sears. I;m still trying to figure out if it was the alignment specs that they used or if the problem coincidentally started that same day. I also changed the steering stabilizer. Neither the new tires nor the stabilizer/damper helped the problem. So I changed the other outer tie-rod end and the upper and lower ball joints (all MOOG with grease fittings). I turns out they were worn out. So, the truck no longer shakes violently up and down when I hit a bump. That problem seems to be in check. However, now when I hit a bump the truck's front end wobbles side-to-side. I can do a few things to recover from it. I can hit the brakes pretty hard and sudden (which can cause an accident on the interstate), or I can **** the steering wheel side-to-side a few times (from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) and that stops it immediately...until the next bump in the road. Also, if I let my foot off the accelerator just before hitting a bump and let the truck coast over it instead of power through it, sometimes the truck will ride over the bump without incident. I found out yesterday on a 5 1/2 hour road trip that if I did 80 to 90 miles per hour and powered through every road blemish, the truck rode fine...no shaking at all. I suppose the high speed forces the tires to stay straight when they hit a bump. Lastly, to confuse my problem solving attempts further, sometimes the truck rides like a cadillac (for an hour or so) at regular speeds and no matter what bumps I hit. Then without worning, the front end will loosen up and get that sloppy feeling again and the wobbling comes back at every bump...until the next time it feels like tightening up and driving right again. I have no idea what to do now. I'm going back to Sears today to have them check their alignment. Other than that, all I can think of is to change the rest of the steering components and check the steering box for malfunction. I hope someone can help all of us Dodge owners out off of the road tested info that I've just provided. Dodge doesn't seem to care to address the problems with their trucks front ends, and we need a solution before people get hurt or die. I was almost run over by an 18-wheeler trying to figure out how to handle the shake. I can't afford to buy another truck. So I need to fix this one so I can keep working. If anybody has a concrete solution to these problems, please let us know. I've read 20 different opinions from mechanics on these blogs, but nobody has said yet that they fixed someone's truck with these problems and have since heard from that customer and everything is still working fine. Opinions are helpful sometimes, but they're also confusing when they're conflicting.

Have your front end aligned and your tires balanced.(I would try the tire balancing first)