Weird Front-End CLUNK... = UPDATE = PROBLEM SOLVED

[Bob98SR5]

andy,

ok, got it. i guess i did not understand the difference. thanks for clarifying. i have a horrible clunk on the right side that is getting worse by the day. also on the driver's side, a torn clickly cv boot.

thanks again

[bamachem]

mine was weird. it would CLUNK when i was backing up and made a slight turn, especially if i cut the wheel to the right. i would get that loud CLUNK and several smaller SNAP noises. it was not the CLICK sound that a CV typically makes, and it would only do it when moving forward if i was going very slow, partial turn and hit a bump, or if i was in the process of turning all the way to the steering stop, then it would do it as well. it would not do it simply turning like a CV does either. definitely tempermental and perplexing to say the least.

best bet would be to get a large wrench and see if you can tighten those bolt heads at all. it wouldn't take much to know if they were loose or not. i have a long 14"-16" crescent wrench that i use to tighten them. if you tighten them, even a little, and the noise goes away for a while, then you know exactly what's causing it. if that doesn't fix it, also make sure that your sway bar links are tight and the pivot joints are still good as well.

[Seanz0rz]

looks like its time to check mine! i know i need an alignment anyway. maybe next week...

[Bob98SR5]

mine was weird. it would CLUNK when i was backing up and made a slight turn, especially if i cut the wheel to the right. i would get that loud CLUNK and several smaller SNAP noises. it was not the CLICK sound that a CV typically makes, and it would only do it when moving forward if i was going very slow, partial turn and hit a bump, or if i was in the process of turning all the way to the steering stop, then it would do it as well. it would not do it simply turning like a CV does either. definitely tempermental and perplexing to say the least.

best bet would be to get a large wrench and see if you can tighten those bolt heads at all. it wouldn't take much to know if they were loose or not. i have a long 14"-16" crescent wrench that i use to tighten them. if you tighten them, even a little, and the noise goes away for a while, then you know exactly what's causing it. if that doesn't fix it, also make sure that your sway bar links are tight and the pivot joints are still good as well.

Andy,

You described my problem to a T in the first sentence. Man, I'm gonna get on this as soon as it cools down!

Bob

[corax]

i'll take it in one day this week for an alignment, where i'll stand next to the guy and watch to make sure that they do the caster first, then camber, then toe, then reiterate until all is within spec. most alignment places will ONLY adjust toe, then send you out the door. the reason? most quick shops that do alignments have staff that ONLY know how to adjust the toe. unless you find someone with LOTS of experience, they usually don't know how. the dealership with a veteran tech is the best bet of getting it done RIGHT.

I actually took mine to Sears about a month ago for an alignment. It was painful letting someone else work on my truck, but since I no longer work in a shop or have access to a rack I had to. I talked to the kid (early twenties) that was going to do the alignment and he actually did a pretty good job. One of the adjusters was frozen, so he compromised with a bit less caster on the driver side to get camber into specs (~.7 degrees cross caster total). He spent a ton of time trying to get that one adjuster to move and explained what took so long afterwards. Considering it was Sears, I was impressed and gave him a $20 tip.

BTW, if you can, take it to a shop that isn't flat rate. I think that's why I got a good job done at Sears, the techs get paid hourly. A flat rate tech just wants to get it done and out of his bay so he can move onto the next job and make money. Also, talk to the tech before hand - it puts a human face to the job. If the work is good, tips are always welcome and the tech will remember you next time.

[bamachem]

Andy,

You described my problem to a T in the first sentence. Man, I'm gonna get on this as soon as it cools down!

Bob

i'd get them at least tight ASAP. you don't need one of your critical suspension linkages to be flopping around loose. it's about 30-seconds each side to check them and snug them up once you take the skid plate off. (which i'm leaving off mine for a while. it just drops that much more weight and makes it easier for the tech when i get the alignment taken care of.)

until you get the time to get under there, tighten those bolts up and then take it in for an alignment, here's som good reading material on how it should be done PROPERLY. some have even printed this out and taken it to their shop to give it to the tech doing the alignment.

LINK to "Alignment 101 & FAQ Thread"

[Tanto]

Although you say you don't offroad in your 4Runner, it may be beneficial to bring a bottle of LockTite Blue when you go to get you alignment done so that you won't have to worry about the bolts backing out again.

[frydriceT4R]

very good thread bamachem and thanks for the follow up and the pictures to help us newbs out.

[p nut]

I had this same problem on my old 98 4Runner. I also experienced almost a death-wobble-like shake at speeds above 40mph if I hit a little bump on the road. Could this also be the cause of that?

[Tanto]

Yes. I had the same problem when my LCA bolts were loose after an alignment.