Help Trouble shooting front end "Clunk"

So I recently developed a "Clunk" in the front end and have begun the fun process of figuring it out.

- My first thought was LBJ's and upon inspection they are both dumping some grease, but don't really have much play in them according to the ole' pry bar test. (Jacked up front end, used pry bar to flex the joint vertically)

Passenger LBJ:


Driver LBJ:


- I also noticed there's a little play in the driver side CV where it inserts into the Front Diff, but this seems normal amount from my research/experience. I'll try to post a video of that.

- passenger CV has what looks like some oil around it, but there was less play then the driver side. So who knows

Passenger CV:


- Tried to check the wheel bearings as well by moving the rim up & down, but didn't get any movement at all, so I think those are solid. But I've never had much success with is "test" unless they were completely shot In other vehicles.

Anyhow, would love some input from the gurus. Thanks for the help in advance!

 

CV movement is usually normal.

if your LBJs are original, non greasable, with age and miles, they are worn.

they are cheap and easy to replace.

On these trucks when worn they clunk, while not having detectable play on a pry bar test. I’ve had this happen two or three times.

Weldstaco on ig makes a diff mount reinforcement upgrade

 

Could check your sway bar bushings. I have a clunk and I think that’s my culprit but haven’t dived into figuring it out yet.

 

nothing to figure out sway bar goes in dumpster

 

If you can, get the front end up on jack stands and put your floor jack under one of the tires, then pump to compress suspension. Recheck joints (including anti-roll bar end links if you have 'em) for play. Another potential clunk cause is upper strut mounts. If they slip for some reason, like if some dingus put grease on them thinking it would be somehow good for the rubber to just have grease on it , they can make a clunk that resonates through the frame and is very hard to pinpoint.

If you STILL can't find the clunk with the tires hanging or compressed, then pop in the cab and start moving the steering wheel to different positions. Recheck while the wheels are hanging (no vehicle weight) and while compressed (to the point where the truck starts to life off the jack stand on that side, or further if there's still travel).

You didn't mention when the truck was a-clunkin'. Uhh. Tie rod inners are another consideration. They're sneaky.

If it's none of the above or associated connections, replace truck. If new truck has same clunk as old truck, inspect past for whether you upset someone who has/had a familial connection to a voodoo practitioner. If connection to practitioner is observed, replace self, re-inspect for clunk.

 

Front radiator mount/cab mount bushings? I chased the same issue for a couple months and eventually did the poly bushing upgrade from energy suspension.

 

Well, I can see you have adjustable Billies set high and aftermarket bump stops, so we (I) assume you're lifted.
Check your lower control arm bolts/nuts. Those bad boys need to be torqued to 100 ft*lbs. Do it with the weight of the vehicle on the suspension so it helps to have it on ramps.

 

Ah yes, the ephemeral "soul clunk", I do have a few of those. haha.

- going to remove sway bar today and see if that changes anything, installed a 6112/5160 lift about a year ago, so maybe the sway bar is binding a bit, but didn't notice it at all this summer.

- I'm not sure how to go about checking the inner tie Rods, but thinking it might not hurt to just go ahead and replace inners/outers any how since the truck is at 143k.

Thanks for the tips!

 

Good eye my friend! I only have the billies set to the 2nd to last setting, so not maxed out by any means, and inner CV boots aren't too bunched up. Good call on the LCA bolts, I'll go through and torque them tonight while I'm removing the sway bar in an attempt to reduce the variables.

Hoping it's not the dreaded steering rack, because we all know how fun that is.

 

I too have gone through the clunk saga. The first time I believe it fell into a bad bushing. Replaced all the bushings in the entire front end along with other installs (body bushings included) and the noise subsided. Now I'm experiencing it again but only off-road. Leaning more towards the steering rack at this time but can't prove it at the moment. Let us know the solution when you have it!

 

Yeah... I really hope it's not the rack because it's a major pain to replace. Good call on the body bushings, probably not a bad idea to replace those anyhow while I'm in there. I think I'm going to go ahead and just do lower control arms and Tie rods inners/outers, and then see where the wind takes it from there. Haha

 

For the rack inners, you can give 'em a tug back and forth like you're helping out a friend . The correct amount of play there is zero, because any would jeopardize/nullify your alignment. Wind up pigeon toed or the opposite of that. Duck footed? We actually have a duck and he's pigeon toed..

Body bushings sound like some work. Big thumbs up on the call to do ties and lca's. I've got my fingers crossed that'll fix it

 

! I only have the billies set to the 2nd to last setting, so not maxed out by any means, and inner CV boots aren't too bunched up.

that should be around 2” of lift. Where did the third come from? If you also dis a spacer, Any chance the shock is bottoming out on compression or there is too much droop with uca hitting the shock?

 

Hello everyone.
I have a 09 Tacoma LBDC 4x4 with 200,900 original miles purchased new. Recently I heard a clunk noise under the bottom left side riding on bumpy roads. The truck is completely stocked except for oversized tires. I got a new frame from the dealer a few years ago. I jacked the front of the truck up and let the tires hang. I then proceeded to use a 2 by 4 for leverage under the tire to check for movement by ball joints everything seemed tight. I never replaced any suspension parts except the passenger side wheel bear which I thought was questionable. I didn't provide pictures because there was nothing to see. I would appreciate any feedback you all might have. I did take it to a local shop he jacked it up and took it for a test drive he did not hear or find anything wrong. This truck is for pleasure driving never towing anything except a 5 by 10 trailer for mulch or light moving.