Front end thud, clunk, thump when first starting to move.

Hey..

I have an 01 4x4 AC 5 Speed.. Was my dad's since brand new and now it is mine. Has 160k on it, stock suspension.

I do not remember feeling this until I just changed my brake pads and rotors... But does not really sound/feel like that is where its coming from? Napa rotors and Wagner Thermo cool pads.

When letting out the clutch, right before its fully released I hear/feel a thud. I can kind of feel it in my seat like its right below me. Does not matter how slow I let the clutch out or how slow I make the truck creep forward. Once I start moving and almost before its fully released, clunk. Not when the truck starts moving, but a little after it starts moving before the clutch is all the way released. Its a very dull clunk I feel in my seat and I can hear a little as well.

Only when moving forward. I do not hear it when reversing. I will have to test that more, since I dont reverse much...

Sometimes does not do it, but mostly it does it everytime. Sometimes pretty faint, sometimes pretty hard.

I greased all the zerks on the drive shaft and that did not change anything at all.

What could it be? Going to try sticking my Gopro under the truck and see if I can see/hear more specific where its coming from... Not sure if that will work or how to mount it under there.

 

Since you feel it under your seat, could it be axle wrap?

 

Not sure.. Any way to diagnose it as such?

 

Check the sway bar end links.

 

Thanks.. I know my way around a vehicle pretty good, but suspension is something I am lacking in...

When you say check, just grab and see if there is play?

How would I go about checking the driveshaft or the sway bar end links? Just make sure everything is tight and properly torqued?

 

Sway bar end links require a 6mm hex key and an 18mm wrench to torque. However, if they are thudding, you should be able to move them by hand.

 

Under what conditions is it faint and when is it hard? IIRC axle wrap is fainter if you baby the stop and baby the take off and gets louder/harder if you stomp on the brakes and then hit the gas.

 

I have the same exact problem on my 2000 V6 5pd 4wd, accompanied by a faint vibration at hard acceleration. Drive line diagrams are IMPOSSIBLE to find online.

Stupid question; is there a half shaft up front from the TC to the front?

Sorry for thread jacking, OP.

 

No problem Big!

Faintness seems to vary... seems like it would be louder if I stomped on it, but I get no accompanying thud when braking hard.

Seems like its getting louder now. Even really babying it off the line, I get a good thud now. Will crawl under tonight and start yankin on stuff. Ugh..

 

With mine, the thud has gotten worse over the past few weeks. When I let off the clutch hard and the truck kinda jumps, its a rather hard thud.

And I get vibrations at hard accelerations and decelerating. If I let off the gas, it vibrates as well. Smooth as butter at a constant speed. Almost feels like a u-joint but I just had my center bearing replaced and they said nothing about my rear joints being bad. So I'm thinking maybe the half-shaft up front.

Really don't feel like sinking an ass of money in this truck since I just bought the damn thing :/ lol

 

Any chance it could be engine mounts or transmission mounts? Just throwing out some ideas.

 

I'm trying to see what all is from the TC forward. My thud is deff coming from the front end and feels like a bad u joint but I can't find any diagrams as to what all is up there. Wanted a general idea of what I'm looking for before I get dirty trying to find it.

And not sure who you're addressing about the mounts, but I have noticed that my gear shifter and 4wd selector do vibrate and shift a lot. Mounts are on my to-do list but I don't think that's my immediate problem.

Once again, sorry OP for threadjacking. Just seemed like we had similar problems and didn't think we needed 2 threads on the subject.

 

No worries.. seems similar.

I am a 5 speed. I do not get any abnormal noises/vibrations at all. Just the initial thud when letting the clutch out.

 

The more I think about mounts, the more it kinda makes sense about my vibrations going away and coming back on acceleration and deceleration. Wonder if something on the tranny is hitting my floorboard or if its just bouncing on the cross member and making a noise?

I need to quit making assumptions and get it looked at before my tire falls off at 85 mph lol

 

A lot of people that I have found with similar clunks say slip yolk.. Lubing it solved their thud. Not mine though. I only pumped maybe 3 pumps into it.. I read not supposed to fill all the way???

How much should I pump into that? I dont think they were maintained really before this...

 

check the whole drive line the shaft the yolks the u-joints and carrier bearing...trust me...

 

What am I checking for? And how? Just for sloppiness? In and out or rotational? I can rotate the driveshaft by hand just a little, did not feel any in and out movement..

 

any movement at all near the yolks/u-joints you might need to oil them. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/274186-drive-shaft-blew-up.html

edit: or replace parts before that happens

 

I did just grease them and no change. I dont have any vibs or anything, just the first clunk off the line.

 

thats how mine started and then it became a vibe between 45-65 and then nothing after that. i would highly recommend to take it to a shop and have them check everything.