FOUND IT! Post lift clunking and knocking.

I'm glad you finally got it on camera! I'm sure that gace you some piece knowing what it is now

 

Yes great shot. Satisfying I bet

 

Ok...anyone found a way to diagnose the LCA bushing without removing the LCA or a camera mounted?

 

I still had some clunk after new LCA bushings in my prerunner. Like I said before, there seems to be a number of sources so you fix one but still hear/feel another.
I had done a lot of stuff trying to chase it all down in my old prerunner and sort of wonder if maybe the angle of the lower ball joint changing after lifting does something. Like maybe the it doesn't ride centered in it's pocket anymore so it less stable? Just guessing...

 

I have been lifted for years, and this clunking has been very recent. And yes, Very happy to find the culprit. I was so focused on the UCA, I took the front end apart 3 times Good to know my upper is even better now
Been happening since I put 285s and let the guys at Goodyear do my alignment. Twice. They fucked it up the first time, so I took it back to make it right. So now i'm not sure if I get some factory bushings, or go all out and get the Total Chaos stock length LCAs

 

I'm pretty sure all this post-lift racket isn't from a single cause. Even up front, relocating the sway bar got rid of SOME noise, but not all of it. Your thought reminds me of a post I read somewhere about the caster angle causing the clunking noise. The caster on my driver's side is not within spec...the alignment guy said he couldn't get it in spec with the stock UCA. However, he was able to get the passenger side in spec with stock UCA. I don't know enough about alignments, but that sounds like a cop out answer to me. The two sides should be nearly identical, no? Anyway, most guys running aftermarket UCAs are running them maxed out, which might explain why the clunking seems to be independent of stock/upgraded UCAs.

 

I looked into replacing LCA bushings with Energy ones last night. Seems like it CAN be a PITA to press out old bearings, though mine don't look rusty, so I toyed with the idea of new LCAs. The TC are $$$$. I'm not putting that much into the LCAs of my mostly stock truck right now. Makes sense for you judging by the look of yours, though!

 

I agree that some can be a pain in the ass to remove. Since your pretty low milage I hope yours ain't seized. I hope mine ain't either!

Once I remove my LCA, I'm just going to take the whole accembly to my mechanic to do all the dirty work. He's got all the right presses that I don't and can make a hard job look easy. So I would rather pay him a little instead of those LCA whooping my ass for hours on end

 

I think with a press with different adapter sizes, and an impact wrench (which I have)...I can press out the old bushings. My 887 springs get here on Friday, so I need to decided if I want to go ahead and do the bushings at the same time. Then I'll need to find some ES bushings and probably get the greasable Moog cam bolts, too.

 

It's never ending huh!

 

New u joints fixed my clunk!!!

 

U joints in the rear?

 

Got under the truck again this morning and cranked the LCA cam bolts to 100ft-lbs (4x4 spec) plus a few degrees. Nothing was loose. While I was under there looking around, I remembered that the rack and pinion bushings on the 2nd gen suck and a lot of people have replaced the bushings with ES or some other aftermarket poly bushings. Been thinking about it, and since my clunk results from steering and lateral forces, the rack & pinion shifting makes more sense than LCA bushings. I don't get a clunk when I start/stop, and from the videos of bad LCA bushings it seems like that's a definite symptom. Could also explain why I pass the figure-8 test.

 

I haven't read through the whole thread, but I got a clunk over bumps from my OME setup because the top nut on the strut wasn't tightened down fully. It allowed the shock to drop a bit going into the bump then return with a clunk on the other side.

 

I've checked the top nylock nut on each of my front struts. My clunk isn't always caused by suspension articulation, but some other folks here might benefit from checking those nuts. Thanks!

 

mine usually happens on bumpy roads going really slow, after coming to a stop and at take off, not so much on turns. pretty sure its the lca bushings.

 

That sounds more like LCA bushings. I get nothing on starts/stops. Every video I've seen of worn LCA bushings, the LCA slides forward/backward on the cam bolts and knocks on the frame on either end.

 

Yes sir. The u joint connecting my driveshaft to my rear differential was shot.

 

Did that leave any witness marks on the LCA or Frame? Seems like it should be taking of paint...

 

@jtweezy any updates, I have gone over every bolt in my front end. Nothing... I recently swapped to ICON's on 700# springs with ICON UCA thought maybe with this new set up my slight clunk would go away.

I feel it more on the passenger side than the driver. It's only on a slight latteral shift as you mentioned. My lower ball joints are slightly leaking, could this be the problem..? Where is the stearing rack bushing...? The 2 big ones in front of the rack...?