Creaking/cracking sound from front suspension: 2016 tacoma OR

Oops, my bad. I didn't notice the original post was an old post from 2017 and OP already found the issue. So, no, the 6112's have bushings I believe, not spherical bearings, so doubt that would be the cause.

 

sorry if I sound dumb, but does tightening them mess with the alignment? Is there a certain way to tighten them?

 

No, you'd have to loosen them first.
Simply get a 22mm and torque it down. The nut, not the bolt.

 

torque number? Or just good-n-tight? And also, both bolts on each LCA?

 

Just gudntight and yes both bolts.
Hope this works for you!

 

The 6112's don't have a spherical bushing just a rubber one. I have 6112's and I'm not using a sway bar relocation bracket. I had some noise and installed one and it didn't fix the issue so I removed it. Mine looks close but doesn't touch. From what I've found after I grease everything it will squeak a little they go away. I did have a bad squeak and it was always right after an alignment. I've found that the tightening the LCA bolts did the trick for me and I mean tight. Just remember this needs to be done with the truck on the ground. If it's not then the bushing will be twisted when at normal ride height and that will cause squeaking.

 

I've torqued them to spec and they were really squeaky. My friend works at Toyota and he cranked them down really tight when he does my alignment now because I told him they were squeaking.

 

thanks man. If thats the case, I'll def have to try it since we have the same setup.

 

Did you have a sound like the OP's video?

 

Mine wasn't that bad but you would hear it squeak all the time. I originally thought it was the sway bar to frame mounts but I removed the away bar and it was still there.

 

But was it a squeak, or a click/creak like the video? I'm asking because I don't have a squeak... more a metal on metal, click/creak kind of thing like the video.

 

I'd have to say more of a squeak. I did put painters tape on anything I thought might be touching to verify if it was.

 

I have the exact same setup (Kings + BK UCA) and the exact same noises - I greased and torqued EVERYTHING without luck. I never thought about the skid plates, I'm going outside to check that right now.

 

Still trying to figure out if OP had aftermarket skids

 

I had a clunk when turning sharp left, regardless of bump or not, more pronounced with a bump. I just took the nuclear approach on my truck and loosened/adjusted/torqued the skids (RCI AL trilogy), torqued front and cab body mounts, and torqued the LCA bolts. Not sure which one did the trick, but my clunk is gone. Thanks for this thread and all the info in it.

 

I have RCI skids (Front and Trans).

Damn, I also have that clunk. It’s good to know that you solved it. Honestly I never thought it might be the skid plates.

 

Post #14: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/squeaky-kings.542511/

this was 100% my issue on my King coilovers. Cleaned the lower heim joint and the creaking/squeaking was completely gone! The noise temporarily went away with power washing FWIW.

 

Update:
Double checked Sway Bar relocation brackets - definitely on correctly with a space in the back - Didn’t fiddle too much but sway bar still knocks the coilover when the wheel’s cranked to the right. Also, still getting creaks on uneven ground, bumps etc even after blasting lube just about everywhere I could see.

Still need to check the mounts AND tightening the LCAs. Also getting SPC UCA’s in a couple weeks so there might be something there too.

The truth is out there!

 

When tightening the LCA bolts, which exactly? All of them? Doesn’t that affect the alignment?

 

I tightened all 4. I checked both the bolt side and the nut side. I had a hard time accessing the nut side on the forward R/L due to my T-wrench/socket hitting the CV joint. If they are tight and you are just torquing them to 130ish ft/lbs, they shouldn’t move. I marked my alignment cams with a paint pen so I could tell if they moved when I did mine. Still quiet a few days and ~100ish miles later.