1998 4x4 Tacoma rides horrible, noisy suspension

Ok, we're talking about a 1998 SR5 4x4 tacoma, ext. cab, 5spd. Stock height.

I bought this about 2.5 months ago with 160k miles on it. The one thing I knew it would need is some suspension work. The truck felt like it was going to shake to pieces going over bumpy city roads and potholes, but drove smoothly and straight on highways. Here's what I've replaced (all this stuff except the TREs was worn anyway, not a fishing expedition):

-both upper ball joints (one 555 brand, one from O'reillys)
-both lower ball joints (both 555 brand)
-sway bar links (from O'reillys)
-sway bar mounts (Energy polys)
-steering rack bushings (Energy polys)
-outer tie rod ends (555)
-shocks and struts (Bilstein 4600s)

After all this, it definitely rides better, but it still chatters and shakes, sometimes to the side, when I hit big bumps in the road and still feels like it's not planted to the road like it should be. If I'm accelerating over a bump that traverses the road, it feels like the rear end is falling off (like the wheels are leaving the road for longer than they should). I'm also still getting multiple kinds of noises from the front end. It's hard to describe the noises I'm hearing, but it sometimes sounds like everything is falling apart up there. There some rattling (multiple rapid impacts), some squeaking, some knocking/shifting. I've verified that nothing I installed is coming loose nor has failed. The noise isn't constant, but some bumps make lots of noise, some the truck goes over silently. Haven't figured out the pattern yet.

I haven't done control arm bushings. The uppers on both sides are tight. The lowers are tight, too, though I can see some cracking in the rear ones. I can't imagine this is where the noise I'm hearing is coming from, but can't rule it out yet.

The front axles have a bit of lateral and axial play. This might account for some of the noise I'm hearing, but not all of it.

I'm out of ideas. I don't want to throw anymore time and money into this (or bother getting it aligned) until I can be more certain about the source of my problem.

 

does that have leaf packs ? because, replace leaf packs, ubolts, and shackle hardware.

 

Potential sources of movement/noise could also be: wheel bearings, upper and lower control arm bushings, leaf spring bushings, and shackle bushings.

 

Your leaf pack will account for a lot of what you're experiencing in the back - put some weight in it and see how it does. New body mount bushings can help and going through the interior and undercarriage looking for loose bolts can help - a video of the noises would help too.

 

I'm no expert but motor mounts also come to mind.

 

Check you steering column/slip joint. Reach under the dash and grab the column, then wiggle your steering wheel. If there's play, the tack weld or roll pin mod will help you.
Also, all the other things that have been mentioned, plus get an alignment.

 

Tack weld or roll pin? I think that might slow down the action of the slip joint. To compress in a frontal collision so the steering wheel doesn't wind up in your chest. That joint shouldn't rattle, especially if lubed properly.

 

The design of it allows for play that becomes excessive over time. A lot of guys tack weld or now it's been found you can drill out an existing hole and press in a 1/8" roll pin to keep the two parts from creating slop in the steering. The risk is known, to each his own. I haven't heard anyone complaining of rattling with this problem though.

 

CV's too. Like the others have said, a lot of the steering wheel chatter is caused by the steering column's collision safety mechanism that allows it to parascope into itself so it doesn't go through your chest in a head-on. They all chatter though (at least mine does)

 

I figure that some play combined with bumpy roads would cause the rattle.
But yeah, head on collision in a vehicle that's almost old enough to drink- you could look at it as a) it's a moot point, you're probably dead anyways, or b) you need all the help you can get.
Some people who have looked at the overall design (not engineers, just Tacoma enthusiasts) and say the slip joint wouldnt be effective anyways, because you'd have to shear a few bolts first. Not sure, I haven't looked closely. It's up to you what you want to do with your vehicle.

 

OK, here's where I'm at with this since my last post. Let's set aside the rear end, which I'm less concerned about and focus on the front end, which I think I'd describe as more of a "clatter" than anything:

-Checked front wheel bearings, no play or noise there
-Had the steering column tack welded. Feels great now, but didn't make any changes to noises from front end
-Motor mounts: I'm ruling that one out because I hear no noise at start up and they look OK on visual inspection
-Got an alignment. The guy said I did a good job of replacing everything and was unable to identify the source of the noise. Drives nice and straight.
-Control arms: I'm just not convinced that what I'm hearing has anything to do with the control arms. The noise seems to be coming from something that's fairly loose. I think I could stand to replace the lower bushings, but I pried on them with a 3ft pole a bit and got very little play--certainly not enough to account for the clatter.

How much play is acceptable in the CVs? I don't hear any rotational noises with the hubs locked that would normally indicate worn CVs (i.e. clicking) and the boots are all good so no grease has been lost, but there is a bit of play in both of them if I grab on an move them. Is this acceptable?

 

one additional thing to consider is the steering rack guide bushing. Toyota replace the guide plate with a bearing some time back and the upgraded bear is avalible at the dealership. There is a write up on doing a steering rack rebuild her some where...

 

When you did your struts did you replace the mounts? I could see them getting worn or hardening and allowing a bit of wiggle when you hit a bump.
I'm replacing my shocks/struts, strut mounts, UBJs, LBJs, and sway bar links next weekend in an attempt to get rid of a trace of front end play. Mine doesn't sound like your problem though.