crazy popping noise from rear end when suspension is flexing. Help!

Okay guys. Ive endlessly been researching everywhere to figure out this sound and I just can not get to the bottom of it. My rear end makes a crszy popping noise when the suspension is flexing, such as turning up into a sloping driveway. I rarely hear it on level surfaces. My instincts say leaf springs, but ive inspected them dozens of times and everything looks fine. This is a 2019 trd off road with only 60k on it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Heres a link to the video: https://youtube.com/shorts/c6aJhJQN_-4?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/dq3rPq18VNE?si=MwFSWu-lMhL56ROb

 

Is your truck bone stock? List your mods, or at least all the suspension/wheel/tire related mods if you have any. Any work that may have been done, was it by a shop, or you, or?

 

So, I bought it with a modest lift installed by the previous owner. Was told by the dealership that it was "done the right way" whatever that means. Have had the truck for 3 years and it just started doing this recently. Not exactly sure on the specs but it isnt much of a lift. Maybe 1.5 inches? Nothing crazy. No wheel or tire mods.

 

It means the dealer wanted to sell you a truck. Not saying it was or wasn't done the right way, but can pretty much guarantee they don't know what they are talking about, hahaha.

To me, it almost sounds like tire lugs popping against a fender liner. Can you look up in there and see if there is any rub marks on anything? Sounds like it correlates to popping faster when driving faster, right?

 

Ive actually never heard it at speeds higher than what I was going in the video....so very slow.

Seems to only be low speed on uneven terrain. Never flat surfaces.

 

I don't mean high speeds i mean the difference between Pop Pop Pop at 2 mph and pop...pop...pop at 1 mph.

 

Right, sorry.

I think thats a fair assessment, yeah.

 

My front tire can catch and pop against my aftermarket mud flaps and sounds similar when the tire is semi-stuffed, which is why I was thinking MAYBE a loose fender liner hitting your tire when the suspension is compressed a bit.

 

Thats not a bad thought.

I see no evidence of rubbing there, however.

The sounds seems to come from both sides intermittently, and specifically from the front portion of the leaf springs. Or thats the best I could pinpoint it so far. Haha

 

I think you're gonna need a friend to watch and listen, or drive and you watch and listen. I'd volunteer but I'm a couple thousand miles away, lol.

 

There are certain bolts, such as the lower shackle bolts, that should not be torqued after a leaf spring install until the truck is off the lift or jacks under full load. Is it possible these were improperly torqued prior to this and the bushing is what’s making the noise when the rear suspension flexes? Or possibly somewhere there is a bolt just not tightened properly, u bolts, other bolts holding the leaf springs in place?

 

It doesn't sound like tire rubbing thats fore sure.

I'd re check torque on rear suspension stuff first.

 

If that was pointed at me, I'm not talking rub. Talking a piece of plastic that gets caught on a lug, then bent until it pops loose, making a pretty much identical sound. When I'm crawling slow and stuffed, that's what it sounds like. Kinda like a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle.

 

do you have armor on the bottom? video doesn't really narrow down that its coming from the rear

 

Do you mean skid plates or a bed liner etc? If so there is skid plate covering the gas tank and under the engine up front. Both are secured.

No bed liner. I havent yet checked the bed bolts yet. Could that be it?

Thanks

 

After watching the video a number of times it seems like something is catching during the flex and then popping loose. I'm not sure if the leaf spring is binding in some way as it flexes or maybe something isn't torqued down right (u-bolts or shock). I've heard fasteners bind and make a popping sound if they have some play in the attachment when pressure is applied but never on a truck. At first I thought it might be something to do with the spare but I don't know what would make that popping sound in that location but it might be worth checking as well.

Did they install an AAL and not remove the spring clip that interferes with it? If you have an attachable GoPro camera it might be worth repeating the flex to get a close up look.

 

All good suggestions. I am in the process of checking the torque of all the bolts in the suspension....so far nothing has been loose.

There's no AAL.

The popping noise turns heads at the boat ramp when I'm launching my boat, thats for sure!

Quite a mystery

 

I would take the engine skid off and see if it still makes noise. There may be other suspension issues causing the actual noise but skid plates amplify and masks the source of the binding you hear.
Could also be the slip yoke behind the carrier bearing indicating it wants some lube.

 

It doesn't sound plastic at all.

Sounds metal on metal.

 

Here's another angle from under the truck, looking rear-ward. Seems to definitely be the springs! But how they create that popping sound is beyond me!


https://youtube.com/shorts/dq3rPq18VNE?si=MwFSWu-lMhL56ROb