Clunking/Popping from drivers side wheel.

I’ve had the problem that seems somewhat common where my truck pops a bit in the rain when turning and hitting bumps. However, in the past two days, it has been pretty dry and the truck is popping when I hit most bumps going straight, turn sharp, turn on rough turrein, or even when I brake hard. I can hear it coming from the front drivers side wheel. I’ve read about the UCA bushing bulging from grease but mine doesn’t seem to be bulging at all. That is if I’m checking the right part which I believe I am. Pictures anyone? I should know but I’ve never done anything with UCA’s before. This is my first truck and I’m learning what’s what everyday. How do I check if it’s the ball joint? Or what else could it be? Is it worth bringing to my mechanic? I even read someone saying to check the battery mount which I did and my battery is loose enough to move if I push it but I find it hard to believe that’s where the noise is coming from. Doesn’t sound like that at all. Thanks for the help!

 

jack up the truck by the lower control arm until the tire is about 1 inch above the ground. Place a long rod under the tire and have someone start moving the rod up and down. look under the truck and see if the LBJ or UBJ are moving. Pretty simple.

 

LCA bushings are also a culprit. Have any of the bushings ever been replaced? How many miles on the truck?
Have the lower ball joints been replaced? If they're clunking, they're definitely overdue.
If your battery is loose, fix that first. Sounds can translate through the chassis in weird ways, that might be the issue.

 

Most likely ball joint like he said. Also, check strut towers. Could be a worn out strut mount.

 

safety note: Be careful if you crawl under the truck.

 

The truck has 160,000 miles. I have to assume nothings been replaced since the previous owner is no longer around so I’m not sure. I know a lot of the truck has been replaced since it was flipped before the new frame but that was many many miles ago.

 

I'd say fix the battery and check it again.
Then maybe look at ball joints. Control arm bushings are fairly easy and cheap to replace too.

 

is it 4x4? check cv's if so...like others said ball joints, Upper and lower control arms etc...

 

Yes it’s 4x4.

 

I wouldnt rule out the Cv's then also.

 

Well I fixed the battery and it’s still making the noise. I guess I’ll check the ball joints and bushings next.

 

Probably good to just go ahead and replace the lower ball joints anyway, you've got enough miles on it... They're super easy to replace. The upper ball joints are more finiky, and a PITA, but with a free tool rental from the auto parts store, it's not too bad.

I first used this method from bajataco to replace the BJs, but installation is a PITA. I suggest renting the proper BJ press from the auto parts store. For removing the upper control arm from the BJ, use the same 3 arm puller (page III), but wrap bailing wire around the arms at the base and twist it tight. It'll help keep the arms from popping off.

His use of a pitman arm puller to remove the LBJ and tierod end studs works great.

http://www.bajataco.com/tech/control_arms_02.html

^^ this guy also cheats and replaces the entire control arm with pre-installed bushings, but I just burned out the rubber ones and replaced them with a set of poly bushings like this.

I did a much better job that this guy of cleaning up the old rubber, and was more careful at not scratching up the metal inserts. Poly bushings have pros/cons, tho. They have a slightly more "harsh" ride, but give more precise steering, suspension feel. They tend to squeak if you don't lube them, too. I also did it just because it didn't require pressing in new bushings (I don't have a press), so it was all DIY.

It took most of the day to replace the bushings, but 90% of that was removing the old rubber and cleaning it up. Now, if I need to replace or grease the bushings, it's maybe an hour job.

 

This happened to me when my sway bar was loose. Pop/click/clunk when turning or going over bumps. Check your sway bar if you still have one on.

 

Well I brought it to my local family owned mechanic since they are super nice, helpful, and honest and they don’t really charge me to look at my vehicle. We first checked the ball joints which seemed like they are in really good shape actually and had no play or sounds. Then we checked the bushings in the UCA, LCA, tie rods, etc. strut mounts, everything, My mechanic who like I said is very smart, could not figure out why it is making this noise. He took it for a drive and could hear it but couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t find it. He checked the brakes and anything random underneath that could make noise like skid plates, cv’s, brackets, etc. Everything is actually in very good shape. He said it could be a bushing that appears to be in good shape but is in fact causing the noise. However, they all do look good. I’ll take it back to him if it gets worse but I guess it’s nothing that is going to cause a failure or accident. Knock on wood.

 

I had a noise that I couldn't diagnose for the longest and it ended up being lower control arm bushings. I ended up replacing UCA/LCA bushings with energy suspension, upper and lower ball joints, shocks, springs, etc... I really like the energy suspension poly bushings, but they can be a turd without proper tools/oxy acetylene torch...

 

I just did the Whiteline bushings in my LCA, way easier than doing the ES bushings because you don't need to reuse the stock bushing sleeve. They definitely helped tighten everything up down there.

 

How much play is expected on those rubber lca bushings? I hear flexing is normal and have seen it in many videos. Is this too much?

 

That's what mine looked like when they were busted. Seems like excess movement to me.

 

Yeah that seems excessive. I don't have rubber bushings to compare to, but the polyurethane bushings have almost no translational movement at all.

 

Just to be clear, I cannot move the arm at rest. It seems very rigid, but when encountering forces from the weight of the truck moving it shifts like that. Would be interesting to see more videos from others to get a baseline.