popping sound when driving

Hi I have a 2012 tacoma v6 with the trd off road package 235k miles. Recently I've heard a loud popping sound that comes when I turn and occasionally when I step on the brakes. This sound doesn't come every time I turn or brake but atleast once everytime I take the truck out. I changed out the tie rods believing they were the cause but it still continues. What else could be the cause of this sounds. I noticed the saw bar link boots are ruptured, could that be the cause?

 

Possibly. I had 1 leaking it’s grease, right rear. I was getting a clank noise over bumps. The noise went away after replacing the end links.

 

Take a look at the ball joints and UCA bushings. Jack each side of the front end up (one at a time) a few inches with the jack plate supporting the lower control arm, take the wheel off, and put a prybar or something on the ground under the LBJ itself. Probably helpful to put a piece of scrap wood against the ground. Lever it up and see if you get any play in the LBJ. If you do, that's a likely culprit. Then see if there's any play at all visible in the UCA bushings by grabbing the UCA arms and giving it some good pushes/pulls/twists - again, also a possible culprit.

 

I did what you suggested. There is a clunking noise coming from the lower ball join on the passenger side and the back joint boot is ruptured. Do you have any recommendations for an Upper ball joint and Lower ball joint replacement.

 

Most people replace the entire LCA/UCA rather than deal with pressing BJs and bushings, which can be a serious pain in the ass even with the right tools. The bushings in particular often have to be burnt out.

Quality of aftermarket BJs is also hit or miss, with a lot of people getting junk even from well known brand names. The general consensus is go with the OEM - they cost more than aftermarket but tend to last much, much longer.

I believe Beck Arnley is a decent aftermarket brand for control arms on these trucks - overall definitely better than Dorman or similar.

 

If I had this done at a mechanic, how much should the labor cost to just change our the lower control arm

 

Make sure the boot on your axles are good. torn boots lead to pops. pops lead to clicks, clicks lead to click-click-click-click-click, usually when turning.

 

It depends on how bad the camber bolts are seized, which is a very common problem. If they are seized badly, and they spend a lot of time monkeying before cutting them off, it can double the labor charge easy. If they come right off no problem, probably 3-4 labor hours for both sides, assuming it's just LCAs. Possibly less if the mechanic is familiar with the job and the shop bills for actual hours if they come in under estimate. I've done them a few times and can do one side in maybe an hour or an hour and a half without a lift, if the bolts come off nicely, but don't necessarily expect that from a shop.

If you live in a salt state, it's probably best to buy all new hardware along with the LCAs and tell them to just go ahead and cut them off rather than even trying to reuse them - the $30 or so in hardware will head off a lot more in potential labor charges. Buy a little tube of anti-seize and ask them to liberally coat the bolts where they sit in the sleeves when they re-install, so the new ones won't seize.

The same thing applies to the UCA bolts - because of the way they're installed at the factory, they can be a real pain in the ass to get off, and are much easier to put back on.

Since a lot of the labor is wheel removal, undoing the knuckle off the spindle, pulling the spindle/UCA out of the way, and so forth, check your steering rack boots and tie rod ends to see if they also need replacement at the same time - you'll save a little on labor in the long term that way, since they'll already be in there.

 

Hey brother… I’ve a similar situation going on but think it in the back. It’s more so when it rains, but stepping on the gas, or braking, I get this “pop” or “clunk” noise. Since I’m hard of hearing (Vet) I can’t really tell where it is coming from. Anyway to put a short video of what you are describing above? I’m learning as I go… or point me in a direction with more details?

 

Here's a video explaining how the front steering and suspension components work and testing the LBJ for play. He sets it up slightly differently (supporting the frame and wheel instead of jacking by the LCA) but the concept is illustrated.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VbtXgOx2eUQ&pp=ygUdVGFjb21hIGNoZWNrIGxvd2VyIGJhbGwgam9pbnQ=

 

ok thanks. Greatly appreciated!

 

is it necessary to change the whole lower control arm, or could I get away with just changing the lower ball joint. Money is kinda tight right now and I just need it in a safe working condition

 

It's possible, but will still require the LCA to come off the truck, and removal/replacement even in a shop press can still be quite a production. LBJ replacement on the OEM arms is usually only a money saver if you're doing all the labor yourself, and most shops won't actually do LBJs only on these trucks.

 

https://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-rk621293

Is this a good control arm. Does it Include everything the mechanic will need for installation?

 

I’d advise against using anything moog. My end links boots broke 10 months after installing. The general consensus is quality went downhill after they got bought out.

 

https://www.carparts.com/details/To...QelQ8wI1PmhAzohhE3waAt0KEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

is this better?

 

UPDATE!!!
Ok so, after getting the the truck on jack stands, I completed the 12&6 and 9&3 wheel check both on the ground and off the front tires. Solid as could be. (It was like 99 degrees outside which sucked dog balls). I inspected every ball joint, bolt, boot and tie rod for something damaged or has play in it. Nothing. So I decided I would try to replicate the angle of the tires were I would get this horrible grinding sound. Lmfao!!’ On the first try I got it. Stopped the truck and inspected the drivers side tire to see if it was touching anything, if cables where getting pulled …. Anything. So to my surprise, I found that the very bottom corner of the drivers side plastic guard was rubbing the tire only when the wheel was at just one specific angle and mostly in revers. Since I’d done the 2.5” lift a few months ago… I’d figured that the suspension had already settled. Did it take that long to settle or is there something else going on? Like this is a leading indicator of something wrong? Since it was such a small area, I put the heat gun to it and just bent it back a little out of the way. Not noticeable since it’s the underside of the truck. I could see where the tire was rubbing the plastic. After the adjustment… the sound is gone.