Nerf Bar Installation?

[lewis9378449]

I recently installed some Westin nerf bars on my '07 Crew Cab. After the install, I am noticing an annoying "popping" sound. There is no rhyme or reason to when I hear the sound. It pops when going straight or turning.

 

The bolts that came with my kit where too small in diamater so i used the factory bolts that were already on the truck.

 

Has anyone else experienced this problem and if so, what was your fix? I'm thinking that I might have tightened the bolts back too tight.

 

Thanks in advance for help.

[TexasAl]

Did you bolt the nerf bars to the body or to the frame?

 

-Al

[lewis9378449]

They were bolted to the frame.

 

Also, the sound seems to be coming from the passenger side...have not noticed it on the driver side.

[Bostonsfavson]

This is a fairly common problem Charlie. The popping sound is caused by the torsional forces that chassis flex exerts on the nerf bars. I had the same problem with my Westin nerf bars when I first put them on. If you do a search, you'll find some fixes. Using a torque wrench to tighten them properly is the first thing you should try. If that doesn't work (it helped mine, but didn't solve the problem completely) you still have a few options. Personally, I had to grind down the collar around the middle body mount bolt. The brace for the nerf bars was rubbing against this collar on the driver's side and causing the noise. Once I grinded the collar down a bit, the problem was solved. Good luck!