Wobbling/Thudding sound

Hello! This is my first post to the thread. I was wondering if anyone could help me diagnose an issue with my 1998 Tacoma PreRunner.

My driver side front tire makes a strange thudding/wobbling sound when I am at about 3600-3800rpm's going uphill/when the tires are under load. I'm not entirely sure what is going on, it sounds like something may be off balance or loose. The sound happens only during 2 strange circumstances such as: previously mentioned going uphill and driving the car for the first 15 mins in the morning(while it's cold still).

I was maybe thinking it would be the lower ball joints, but the car shows no other signs of LBJ's failure. The car drives pretty straight, no steering wheel wander, and the suspension isn't awful either(for being a 27 year old truck).

Other than that, I'm not entirely sure and it's hard to diagnose because of how infrequent and inconsistent the sound is. However, when the sound is happening it is very prominent. If going uphill and the sound starts, I'll let off the gas and the sound disappears.

If anyone else has had this issue I'd love to know. Thank you!

 

I never had that issue. How many miles are on the truck?

However, LBJs are easy to check. Search this forum or the internet for procedures on checking LBJ play. Be aware that this is a visual check and not everyone's eyes can detect play, and I don't know what "other signs of LBJ failures could be. If you have the slightest doubt as to their condition, that doubt will only grow as you put more miles on the truck and soon you will start obsessing about it.

Rule of thumb: If you suspect worn LBJs, replace them and only use Genuine Toyota parts and new Toyota bolts in the process.

 

Okay thank you! The truck has about 240k miles. I had my mechanic buddy check the lbj’s for me and he said they look fine, but a mechanic shop said they need to be replaced. I’m assuming the shop just wants my money and says they need replacement at the slightest sign though ‍♂️

 

I didn't think mine needed replacing right away till it separated in a grocery store parking lot last month. I replaced one in the parking lot that day and one the next weekend. Major improvement in steering BTW. 270K and counting daily.

 

Oh wow! Yeah I’m not sure. My steering is actually pretty good, like I said it doesn’t wander and the steering wheel doesn’t really shake a whole lot either. I’ll try and test the lbj’s though. Were you experiencing any of the wobbling sounds before yours failed?

 

No sounds or noises, but my steering was a little loose like on crappy roads and windy days. I really couldn't pinpoint. It was all 270k old and not loose but not bad ass tight. Now with the new shocks (I put on about a month before the LBJ let go), new LBJ's last month and I went ahead a replaced both UBJ's 2wks ago. Drives bad ass now. Oh and new tires last week walmart coopers sounds like alot but I'm an excellent deal finder and the repair guy. I put 80 miles a day on my truck going to work and back.

 

Got it, thanks so much!