clunking noise

I have developed a clunking noise that seems to come from the rear of my 2001 Tacoma 2 wheel drive. I have pulled all the brake drums and checked all the suspension and shocks. The noise only occurs when I come to a stop. The more I brake or cause the suspension to shift the louder the clunk. I put the rear on jack stands and could not duplicate by braking that way. it seems to have something to do with the vehicle shifting weight when braking.

 

Are you sure it isn't the suspension? Check the u-bolts on the leafs, look for cracked leafs, etc. Does it only do it when you are braking, not medium to hard acceleration?

 

Only when I stop I can bounce on it and load it up with weight or pull trailer and has not effect until I brake. If I am careful and lightly apply brakes it does not do it. Harder I brake the louder the noise.

 

Axle wrap? How long have you owned it? I stills suspect leafs (center pin not in the axle properly as a possible issue) or U-Joint. When it has a load, does it still do it? Have you had the drums turned?

 

Load does not have effect. I have noticed when I had on the jack stands and braked hard the rear end did seem to have a lot of twist in it. But no noise unless it has the trust of weight shifting. Drums are fine with very little wear on them. I have even went to the point of strapping front tow hook to tree and backing up trying to imitate load shift but no noise. Concerned it could be from drive train, but have no other issues with them and rear end oil looks very clean and full.

 

My gut still says suspension/leaf issue. Have you checked the frame where the leafs are bolted to see if you have a rust/corrosion issue that has caused a failure?

 

This is pretty typical for older Tacoma leaf springs. They were never great, even when new but as the miles pile up, they get weaker and weaker.

Here is an image that shows the energy the brakes transmit to the springs. The rotation of the axle during braking becomes more pronounced with age and harder braking. The noise is the release of this binding, when you let off the brake pedal.

This is what is commonly referred to as axle wrap.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/goodbye-axle-wrap-mod.108316/

Here is a write-up I did a few years ago on a quick, easy, and most importantly, inexpensive short term solution to Axle Wrap. This fix is not meant to last forever, but will last you many years or until you upgrade your suspension, whichever comes first!

 

Wow, this could be what I experience sometimes when I stop quickly (hard braking) and once I am stopped at a light, there is a clunk and it feels like I am bumped from behind by another vehicle, but no one is there. Could be the leaf springs unloading from axle wrap ?

 

Yes, this is very common. The braking causes the springs to curve, forcing the pinion downward and extending the driveshaft splines. If these splines aren't EXTREMELY well lubed, it tends to stick in this position until you let off the brakes/apply the gas; the splines break free and the pinion pops back upward. This is the "clunk.'

 

Thank you for the explanation .. it sure is nice to finally know the root cause. I was worried it had something to do with the transmission. I'm currently getting ready to order Bilstein 5100's all around from Wheeler's Off-road and guess I'm gonna have to add new leaf packs too.

 

No worries. Drove me crazy for awhile trying to figure out where it was coming from.

Lift springs tend to help a bit, but even with my OME Dakars with the extra load leaf, they still do it on occasion when the splines get dry. Only real way to fix it is to eliminate the axle wrap with a traction bar, IE BudBuilt's: http://www.budbuilt.com/index.php?p...tegory_id=23&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=170

 

As mentioned above as well - U joints can loose their lubricants over time... (Dry up) and the wear causes slop in the joint that results in a noisy clunking drive train as well. So if the leaf spring exam doesn't reveal a problem, check the U joints front and rear on the driveshaft. Likely the rear, but if you are replacing the rear, go ahead and do the front as well. If doing it yourself make sure you mark the alignment of components before removal of the shaft.

 

I think you enablers are enjoying spending my money .. Ha, ha, ha !!!

But thanks for the heads up. At 15-years old, these components have all served their serviceable life and deserve replacement.

 

I put new rear springs on mine, completely stopped all the clunking on stops & starts. I used General H D's, they lifted the rear about 2.5" tho. 750 miles so far & have settled about 1/8". I used Rancho Spring/shock assemblies up front, 2.5 lift
up there, ended up with a 1/2" rake & 750 lb increased load capacity. The front shocks are adjustable firm/soft. Rides smooth & firm. I like.

 

Same on mine. Glad to know what the cause is

 

I'm considering this my 15-year car payment. New Bilstein 5100's all round, upgraded 5-leaf rear spring pack and all bushings / bumper stops, in addition to all new belts and hoses throughout the engine compartment and an ICE32 charge for the A/C.

 

Clunking noise still here. I replaced the center carrier bearing and added the spring helpers or the leaf springs. Looking a universal joints dont seem the problem, but they are original. This drive shaft clunk from the drive shaft hanging in splines how can I tell if that is the issue and what is the cure? Not every time I stop, but sometimes very loud clunk and feel it in passenger floor board.

 

Have a go-pro? Strap it under the truck pointing at the driveshaft/rear diff and go drive around. As I stated above, short of keeping the driveshaft splines lubed every other day, the only way to cure this is a traction bar that eliminates the axle wrap.

 

New General HD's back in December. Clunk was gone until May. Now it's back and it sucks....slip yoke is beyond lubed. I give up.