Popping sound on rough roads.. (cab mnt?)

I've developed this popping sound that occurs in the front end of my truck (2wd, 33" tires, lift spindles, chaos arms). It only occurs when I'm driving along heavily rutted roads which shift the truck side to side (Indiana Jones style driving). I don't hear it driving on asphalt unless I turn into a drive abruptly at speed. It doesn't seem to affect my alignment as the steering wheel never changes alignment after. I'm thinking cab mounts (But I'm 08' & tsb is 05'); Or wheel bearings (but I don't hear/ feel it on the asphalt); or alignment cams (can't see any shiny spots from wear).. WTF??

How would I check cab mnts?

Suggestions? I'd really appreciate any that might steer me in the right direction. Thank You

EDIT: Culprit!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4lduZmPABo



No Gap (Good)


With Gap (Bad, indicates bushing is moving under driving conditions)

 

Push the cab?

I would get underneath and shake everything that you can shake. Look for bad bushings, upper and lower control arms. Grab the tires and try shaking the truck back and forth, side to side from the tires, I bet you find your noise. At a stop, wrap your steering wheel back and forth quickly.

 

It must take a lot of force to pop those bushings. If I wanted to service them or mod them to iliminate my possibilities.. any idea what is available?

 

Check the lower spindle bolts mine loosened up causing a popping sound while turning occasionally. I have to take the bolts backout and put thread lock on them.

 

It could be A ball joint. My truck sometimes make a pop sound when I turn it right, and it sounds like my ball joint on my tie rod.

 

Sounds like a similar issue i am having. would love to find out where this random pop comes from!

Initially, i had a pretty bad pop/clunk while breaking or on bumpy roads. Turned out to be the LCA bolts were too lose and allowing my arm to kind of slide up/down in the brace there.

Maybe the bushing there are dead now? What still persists today is occasionally, when I hit something, usually while turning with my right front wheel i get a damn loud pop noise. Often happens if i do a quick 3 point turn into someone driveway and my right wheel nails the lip of a driveway while im braking. Its loud, this is no "floating brake pad" noise.

 

I was so sure that that was were the noise was coming from I had my buddy tig weld the spindle to the BJ carrier.. no joy. Still clunks.

All the ball joints seem snug when I jack up the truck. The left side has been replaced with a moog; unnecessarily I'm afraid. I haven't done the right side but it just doesn't seem like that is the problem. My buddy had bad ball joints on his ranger but they rattled around all the time and it was so obvious. This is only on occasion under hard turns into a driveway or offroading. Could that still be a ball joint?

Sounds exactly my situation. My friends went with me while I drove up this jeep trail behind my place. One of them rode in the bed and swares the sound is coming from under the bed. The only thing there that I think of that would make a metal on metal clunk is the leaf springs. I guess the noise can vibrate through the entire frame making it difficult to spot. Everybody swares they hear it in the back end when they are outside of the cab. Now I haven't a clue.

 

Here is a video of the sound. It occurs only once at 25 seconds. The sound is not loud in the video but believe me it becomes much more obnoxious in the cab. Still haven't a clue what causes it. http://youtu.be/aSHTlOrezpo

 

Interesting. Kinda sounds like an upper control arm issue because of when it happens, maybe the ball joint there. I'm not convinced on it though. Not quite the hollow sound id expect. I don't think its a cab mount though. I would jack it up on that corner and see if you can trace it down.

 

Probably the stabilizer end link (between the spindle & the sway bar). I've had that problem with my 350z.

 

Is it bottoming out? I couldn't hear the sound in the video (no sound at work) but it seems the only time the front suspension collapsed that far was at 25 seconds in.

 

ball joints, upper and lower

tie rod ends

bearings

sway bar linkage?

control arm bushings

sway arm bushings

suspension bushings.

 

I agree. Doesn't sound quite like a cab mount. The UCA is a chaos uniball. I've yanked on but it seems tight as can be.

It's nearly impossible to replicate without driving it. I was tapping the parts with a rubber mallet yesterday and didn't get anywhere.

 

Swaybar has been removed

 

I've heard the same sound just making a sharp turn into or out of a parking lot. I think that would illiminate the bottoming out theory. Even if it was bottoming out, why is there a double click? It's like tick tock. The tock doesn't happen until it's fully extended in the video. Strange...

 

I'll regrease the upper control arms but it sounds almost like a frame pop..

 

Here's another video, but of the steering rack. The noise is much more distant, but atleast you can see the steering rack isn't moving. The sound occurs once at 43 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpnFKXOyNXA

This video shows another angle. The sounds occurs at 24 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOpFiqUKPl4

 

Intrested in seeing the outcome on this. I have the same noise coming from my front end...

 

well, from the first video, it sounds like its when you hit speedbumps, when theirs alot of articulation. Id be curious to know that your frame is in perfect condition, crossmember is solid, coils are seated square in their retention plate etc etc

also, im just spouting out ideas

 

Spout away! If I had the answer I wouldn't be posting . I notice it mostly during articulation as you say. The video was taken while driving down the street where the street dips down for water diversion and than rapidly changes to an ascent. So the road was like a "V". There was no speed bump. Though I've often heard this sound when turning into a drive with a lip that bumps the suspension a little. I too am wondering if it's the frame. But how the hell do you check a frame. I mean there's no cracks to be seen. I've had my head up in there a million times. The motor mounts are not buckling like the 2005s were doing; primarily because toyota got their shit together and reinforced that area.