3” lift now clunk

I just had a Bilstein 3” lift installed with SPC upper control arms

And about 75 miles after the install I hear a clunk
I’m 99 percent sure it’s coming from the driver side front wheel well area

I hear the clunk every time I go from a stop or hit a bump driving or speed bump
I can also feel it in the floor when it happens

Bilstein said it sounds like the grim joints from the SPC upper control arms

It feels and sounds like something is just slightly shifting but
I took it in to torque everything to specs 500 miles after install and my mechanic couldn’t figure it out
Everything Idk re torqued to specs and it’s still happening

Any ideas on what it might be

It’s a 2015 tacoma with only 40,000 miles on it
I just bought it about a month ago

 

It MAY be your ball joint or bushing in the SPC arms. A few months after installing my new SPC arms I developed a clunk sound during acceleration and hitting some bumps. I ended up having to send my SPC arms back to SPC for their review and they sent me a brand new pair of UCA's. Turns out one of the ball joints went bad.

The problem was SPC gave me two options. Either I send the arms back and be without UCA's or front the money for a new pair, they send it, I put it on, I send back the former and they'll refund me IF there's a problem they see. It was an inconvenience or gamble one way or another. Plus this didn't include another round of alignment costs.

One of the bushings also went bad and at the time, SPC didn't have them in stock (neither did Headstrong Offroad). I felt a bit stuck. I ended up just going to Total Chaos uniball UCA's since their parts are readily available and never looked back. I got the SPC arms replaced and instantly sold them locally.

For what it's worth, most people love their SPC's and never have a problem.

Hope you get your issue resolved.

 

Sway bar hitting the coil? Did you relocate (or delete) the sway bar?

 

Sway bar still installed?

I did the relocation kit on mine after test fitting, found the sway bar connected with the suspension ever so often... usually at full extension or full compression.

Just a thought.
I had a bit a clunk after I broke in the new stuff, turned out to be the top nut on the drivers coil over... did you grease the SPC balls after (or before) install?

 

x3 on the sway bar. Had a clunk with my lift, didnt notice the sway bar basically touching my coilovers at stand still until I got under and got a good look, which meant it was clunking at all different angles.

 

Swaybar, ditch it. Problem solved and benefits gained. Winning now.

 

I haven’t done anything with the sway bar
But it feels like something is loose and shifting every time I go from a stop

 

@Musubi3

Did SPC pay to remove and reinstall the control arms? That’s not a part cheap switch out

 

My sway bar looks like it has plenty of room and there are no marks on the sway bar or coilover indicating any contact

 

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0NcHJ3CzEccogJvNY4S7V2X9w

Here is a video of the noise

 

No they didn't. I believe I paid the return shipping of the original SPC arms too. Their warranty works through the company you bought it through, FYI.

Overall, they followed through with their warranty. It just costed me some to deal with it.

I remember I could replicate the sound by just rocking the truck hard (almost jumping on my sliders). It was only coming out of one side (the passenger side I think).

 

@Musubi3

Dang that sucks cause installation isn’t cheap

Well thx for the help and information

 

Check that your lower control arm bolts are tight. The front and back are different, one tightens with the bolt and one tightens with the nut on the back side. I don't remember which. I had to tighten mine last week because it was making a popping noise when I would go over a speed bump. Three of the four were loose. Not rattling loose, but loose enough that I got at least a half a turn out of them before they seated well. This took care of my problem.

 

Lose the sway bar and the clunk will go away.

And, no, you won’t die if take the swaybar off.