SOLVED: another clunk diagnosis thread.

I watched the video and mine sounds similar but it's only when I hit or roll over big dips. Good luck figuring it out.

 

What bothers me is that if you notice in the video, no mechanical parts in the frame are jolted when the 'clunk' happens, but the camera is? Usually when a moving part makes the sudden clunk you see it bind up then release. It's almost like whatever the camera is mounted to gets the jolt? Anyone else notice that?

 

same clunk here. passenger front. usually only does it once. mostly when people are watching. i know my cv's have a small tear from dry rot, waiting to replace them. the lot i got it from had a leveling kit put on just before i bought it, so i feel like suspension may be in play. also had this on a subaru with coil overs after a brake job. never figured that one out either. traded it for a taco with the same problem.

 

A little update:
Sorry that i sort of fell off the face of the earth for a bit, the start of school has taken a lot of my time.
I still haven't found any solution to this. My dad did some of his own research and he thought that maybe it was the U-joints, but I never had any other symptoms of bad U-joints. We did replace them though, and it did nothing to help, which is fine because they've never been replaced with 169k miles on them.

We are next looking for other things that will not require an alignment. I just don't have the money for one right now. However, we think it has something to do with something we replaced -LCAs and Bilsteins- whether it is one of the parts we bought that was bad or if we installed something wrong. I think it is either the Bilsteins, the LCA's, or maybe the coils aren't seated right. As soon as I have the money I'm going to pull off the bilsteins and set them back to stock height and re-seat the coils to see if that makes a difference

And if that doesn't work, then I'll just lose my mind.

I am still worried about one of the alignment tabs being installed upside-down, though I read as long as the alignment is in spec it shouldn't matter. It just doesn't look right.

Also, I can't remember if I mentioned it before when someone asked, but it still occurs in 2 Wheel Drive, 4x4 high and low.

This clunk, along with a ticking/clicking noise from the aluminum bumper (under the plastic bumper cover) is driving me crazy, especially since i have to park in a parking garage and every noise from my truck is amplified.

If anyone else has a tick/click coming from their front end it is likely the aluminum bumper. I read on ttora, i think, that the tack welds holding the bolts on the bumper break and when the frame flexes it causes the welds to move. I went and got it welded around the edges and it still does it. Old truck, tons of problems

 

I noticed this as well. We have considered the engine mounts, they look awful and rusted. That's just something we don't have the ability to do, unless someone can point me in the direction to an easy DIY write-up for that.

 

My clunk is the same way, for the most part. It will do it once (of course when people are around), but after driving for a while or letting it sit, it comes back. I can't make it clunk and then do it again immediately after, which makes diagnosing with a camera a bit difficult.

 

i find that back out of the driveway will do it. i have to go down a short sharp hill and turn sharp. and then when i leave work, turning sharp going forward. one pop and done. has to have been sitting for a while or at a sharp twist angle.

 

i'm glad i'm not the only one with this issue. i was just about to post a thread when i saw this one. mine just started doing this last week, seems to be similar to everyone elses. the sound is exactly the same as in the video and it happens when there is a significant shift in the vehicle's weight it seems like. doesnt do it every time, but like other people said when i'm turning sharply, backing out of my driveway, braking hard, all things that create a quick shift in the vehicle's weight. Also sounds like its coming from the front passenger side.

 

Interesting that there are so many people with this problem. I should have the money for alignment in a week or 2 so I will hopefully be able to share a solution to this.

Danteisme is yours stock or do you have bilsteins as well?

 

stock trd sport.

 

I had random clanks/clunks exactly as you described for almost a year before I found out what it was. It only started after lift install (OME 885's/shocks, TC UCA's, Deaver AAL). I thought it was my sway bar, so I removed that, and still had the noise. I also bought new strut mounts, LCA bushings, and went over all suspension components 100 times, wasn't cam bolts, transmission mounts were good, body mounts were fine, and it turned out to be the fucking DIFF DROP!! Pulled that bitch out, and WHAM!! NO MORE CLUNKS!

I sleep in peace now.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

Are you braking when this noise occurs? Mine makes very similar noise. Low speed braking. It's right behind front right tire

 

i fixed mine tonight. i checked the lower cam bolts, one was at least 100 ft lbs, the other i had to crank about 4 or 5 cranks before the torq wrench clicked. not sure how one got loose. however, the frame was replaced on this truck and then it was traded in at a dealer a week later and it basically sat there. maybe it was missed during the frame replacement? either way, no more nosie.

 

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you do this without changing the alignment?

 

i'm sure the alignment was already out of wack if it was that loose. i'll get it re-aligned when i get new tires.

 

So I finally listened to those of you on here that said to tighten the lower control arm bolts and the clunk is gone! The problem side had one bolt that was barely at 20 ft lbs and the other on the passenger and drivers side were about 40 ft lbs. I got them nice and tight. I think when I went in for my alignment at Mr. Tire *face palm*, months and months ago, they didn't tighten them properly. Then when I went in for new leaf springs the tech that did my alignment didn't bother to check the lca's because at the time all I did was change the tie rods. Very frustrating that it took so long to figure out and took me so long to get under there and tighten them. I almost like my truck again...My Flowmaster just rusted off. One thing after another.

Thanks for the help!

 

Could someone post a picture of the lca bolts? What size are they and what torque lbs should they be at

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-torque-spec-guide.318116/

 

well, mine is clunking again. i'll have to crawl back under there this week sometime...

 

when I go over negative speedbumps (dips) at ~10mph my pass side front clunks and sounds like a loose
bolt somewhere. zero problems anywhere else...drives fine, tires wear fine, highway and dirt roads fine...

I do also hear the steering stops grind when doing a maximum turn in parking lots,
the clunk in speed dips ain't that...