Mystery clunk demystified

I'll cut to the chase: it was the sway bar end links.

For the past two years I've been hunting for the source of a maddening clunk. It happened when I hit bumps, potholes, turned the wheel this way or that way, hit a speed bump, whatever. There are a million posts from people trying to solve the same problem.

The clunk sounds like it comes from wherever you think the next batch of bushings is bad. The Tacoma Migratory Clunk.

In the past I replaced steering rack bushings, shocks, cab mount bushings. Most needed to be done, none made a difference. My sway bar bushings looked pretty good, the end links seemed fine.

I decided to stop throwing parts at the problem and just deal with it until I happened to do the maintenance project that happened to fix the issue. Or until I knew for sure what the problem truly was.

Then on Friday I got a new, louder clunk that sounded like my driveshaft was binding. I also got a rubbing noise when I turned right. Also the handling got kind of mushy. Scared me enough to make me pull over and take a peek. Couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Once I got home I pulled off the front wheels and took a good look. One end of my passenger-side sway bar link had popped out of its socket. The now loose end was rubbing on the front axle when I made a right turn.

New links this afternoon and now it seems the clunk (which sounded like it had been coming from center bearing, I mean leaf spring bushings, I mean upper control arms, I mean steering column, you get the idea) is gone. Gone gone gone. I love my truck again.

I hope this helps someone.

Jonathan

 

Nice post, brother. This will surely help someone in the future.

 

I think I had the same issue after I lifted my truck, took the sway bar off and it went away. I put in new bushings and a little custom sway bar bracket "spacer" and seemed to have solved my problem. glad to hear you got it sorted and thanks for posting for anyone else that might have the issue

 

I've been through the same thing over the past couple yrs. So was it the sway bar links or was it the bushing that hold the sway bar to the truck? But my truck is a 2nd gen.

 

Hillbilly, it was the links that were making all the noise. The bushings are in ok shape. I was going to change them yesterday when I did links but the bolts weren't cooperating so I figured I would wait on that until I have replacement bolts and bushing brackets on hand.

 

Another cause of the "mystery clunk" is the rubber bushings that hold the sway bar to the frame. A little bit of spray grease is helpful there until they can be replaced.

 

Hey guys I just replaced my sway bar bushings and finally after 1 1/2yrs the clunk is gone. I've replaced cv axles, coils, control arms, and the whole time it was a set of $18 bushings. Thanks for the info

 

Been there.

At least your clunk actually ended being a suspension part. Mine was my aftermarket intake (k&n "cold air") clunking on the heatshield on acceleration. Maddening. Also embarrassing when the mechanic called and said what it was. Took me about a year or two to figure it out, too.

 

How thick was the spacer you added?

 

I think I welded 3 pieces of 1/8" so around 3/8

 

Did sway bar bushings years ago. Have a new clunk the lower strut bushing needs replaced. Probably end up just doing a 3 inch lift when I get to do them

 

Actually if you have other Toyotas in your stable the sway bar links are the most common cause of front end clunks after about 125,000 like on Corollas and CAMRYS.