Another 'clunk' thread...04 Taco w/clunking front end

I've done tons of research on this and tried some fixes but I'm still battling this issue...

2004 Tacoma 4x4, manual trans. Few months ago I developed a clunk in my front end, mostly when turning slowly into a parking space or something similar. Rarely happens at speed, if ever...but happens often and loudly when turning slowly. It's gotten to where I can feel it in the steering wheel and even feel it kind of "hop" a little if the turn is slow and tight enough.

At first I suspected my CV axles were binding up...I installed my Kings a few months ago and the lift was a bit too high/angles were pretty severe. I added a diff drop eventually and lowered the preload on them to a safe angle, but the clunking continued. Figured it was too little too late and eventually one of my inner CV boots tore, so I went ahead and got my CVs replaced. Thinking this would solve my clunking, but it did not...clunking continued (and continued to get worse...)

I then decided to look at my steering rack bushings thinking maybe that was the culprit, but upon inspection (removed the bolts and looked) they all look fine. One of them still looks brand new even.

I have new OEM lower ball joints as of last year, no sway bar, new LR UCAs as of last year, and no play in my wheels when checked (lifted off the ground) so I'm not suspecting any of those things.

Given the feel and sound of the clunk I'm inclined to think that it might be something with my steering...maybe the tie rods or a bad steering rack in general? As far as I can tell my steering feels fine, but maybe I'm just used to it after all this time. I've always had issues with staying in alignment (I get them frequently) but I also go offroading nearly every weekend so I never thought much of it.

Any insight would be appreciated...anyone who's battled a mystery clunk knows how frustrating this is, I'm sure.

 

Don't expect new looking bushings on the rack to be ok. I just sent a newly remanufactured rack to an alignment customer for a Tundra and the bushings it had were really loose and the rack moved a LOT. Luckily, we had sent him some polyurethane bushings from Dorman, which after installing held the rack perfectly in place. The reman bushings that were returned for credit seemed to be too soft for what should be on a component that handles thousands of lbs PSI. I would say have someone turn the steering wheel while you're underneath the truck to try and identify the part. Good luck

 

Thanks! Yeah I intended to replace the bushings while I was in there (I have a new Energy Suspension set) but I couldn't for the life of me get that long bolt to come out of the first bushing (the one directly under the driver's seat). Every video I watched showed the bolt just sliding right out when the nut is removed, but mine was stuck in there. Even with a punch and a big fucking hammer, I could only get it halfway out before it was just jammed. Ended up just putting the whole thing back together because I ran out of time, but I'll give it another go here this weekend maybe.

 

You could try removing the outer tie rods from the knuckles to give the rack a little more play as you try and remove the bolt. The rest of the suspension should hold itself in place so you don't have to worry about it falling or anything.

 

Also, if you got a diff drop kit, you may want to look into a rack drop kit as well. I think i saw something somewhere around these forums about it. Maybe someone else can chime in on this one

 

huh, interesting...I don't think I've heard of a steering rack drop. I'll look into it. Yeah I tried doing the bushings without disconnecting the tie-rods, as per a video on here I found where it could be done that way. But it may be good for me to disconnect them and replace them as well while I'm under there, one of my tie rods (the driver's side outer one) looks like it's been weeping grease for awhile (big stain around it). That could be my problem right there, but I can't really check the tie-rods without being on an alignment rack, or so I've heard.

 

You could check the tie rods. Just get your truck on a level surface, put it on a jack stand, pull the e-brake, and chock the wheels and then just try and turn each wheel by hand while looking at the tie rods of each respective side. that will allow you to see if there's any end plan at the actual ball joints of the tie rods. If your rack was bad, yes, it would sort of "hop" but that would mean the rack is skipping teeth and would be HORRIBLY out of alignment with your steering wheel after every single time your truck "hops". Not likely.

 

Do you know who makes the rack drop kit? Thank you

 

Awesome, thanks for the info! Got a DIY weekend ahead of me

 

I'm going to have to look into it, I'll get back to you guys.

 

Ok, so I just remembered. it wasn't a rack drop kit I was thinking about. It was a sway bar drop kit. It had a couple of "U" shaped brackets. That's where I was getting confused. Sorry about that, guys.

 

Sounds to me like your LCA bushings are shot.

I would think ball joints but you said that they're only a year old. I did my bushings last month and it fixed the clunk and alignment issues I had.

I'm willing to bet your rack is fine. Alignment issues point more towards ball joints and control arms then the rack. Anything is possible though

 

There's a way you can check your lower ball joints while you're checking the tie rods as well. While the truck is lifted, grab the tires at 12 and 6 o' clock and try to pitch/move them vertically. You'll want to either get a mirror or put a camera behind the wheel to see what movement there is at the lower ball joint. Additionally, moving the tire while holding it at 9 and 3 o' clock will let you see any play at the tie rod.

 

I've had front end clunk that sounds very similar to what you're describing for almost a year after I first picked up my Tacoma, all the ball joints checked out fine and even replaced the steering rack bushing (might as well, truck feels much more stable at speed after).

After checking basically everything related to front suspension, I finally found out that my clunks were caused by lower control arm alignment adjustment bolts not properly torqued down. I've had this trucked aligned twice prior and my guess would be that most alignment techs just "hand torque" with a combination wrench to only about 50lb-ft that most cars usually need (from my experience), but Toyota's FSM specified 96lb-ft.


I torqued down all 4 lower adjustment bolts (there were two that I couldn't fit my torque wrench onto, so I torqued those by feel) and the clunk disappeared instantly. The last few alignments I've had I specifically told the techs to torque down those bolts to 96lb-ft and I have yet to hear a clunk for the past 6 years.

 

This happened to me too.. factory LCA cam torque is an even 100 lb/ft on my 2015.

 

Crap that reminds me, I wanted to check that last night when I had my skid plate off...thing is a pain in the ass to put back on. I'll check that this weekend, along with the bushings in the LCA (visually they looked okay).

I get alignments somewhat frequently (lifetime package with Firestone) because I wheel so often I usually need them. They don't do a great job though, and that's putting it lightly. I'll definitely check the bolts for torque.

 

The stock rubber bushings can look fine but if the rubber is torn inside they way still have a ton of play.

The front bushing on both my A arms had a little bit of play but weren't horrible. The rear bushings on both were completely shot. I couldn't even tell until I had the arms off and used a screwdriver to pry on them

 

Sounds like LCA bushings to me. Same thing mine did before I replaced upper and lower with energy suspension components.

 

How complicated of a DIY project is it to do your own LCA bushings? I'm trying to avoid taking it in to a shop if I can..I'm comfortable with doing the steering rack bushings if it's about as involved as that was.

 

A little more involved. You have to remove the air box and I few other components under the hood and you will need a torch of some type to burn out the old bushings.