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

[Lee]

gonna need a visual

[bamachem]

Ok, problem solved.

Last weekend, I swapped the Steering Rack Bushings to some Poly Performance Bushings from Wheeler's. Steering response was MUCH improved and it felt so much better driving down the road, but the clunk was still there. Not as bad it seemed like, but still there.

So this morning, I was planning on pulling the driver-side CV for a swap. Advance couldn't get one in until 1pm, so it was a good time to do an oil change (Mobil1 Extended drain mixed with two quarts of Royal Purple...) Anyway, while under there w/ the skid plates off, I was checking everything that I could.

Ball joints - OK
Steering linkage ends - OK
Pulled the boot off the DS steering linkage where it goes into the rack - OK
Checked the play in the CV shaft, bother laterally and axially - OK.

Looked around, perplexed. That's when I noticed it.

The driver front Alignment Cam bolt was in a different spot than where it was last weekend when I was working on the steering rack. Looked at the Passenger Rear Cam - SAME THING!

These two are the ones that the suspension compression movement will loosen up if they're not properly torqued. As the arm travels upward (typical movement when on-road, hitting bumps), the rotational direction that it moves is the same direction that will loosen the bolt. For the driver rear and passenger front, the movement is in the direction that would TIGHTEN the bolts. Therefore, only the Driver Front and Passenger Rear bolts require a higher torque than what's listed in the FSM. I torque these two trouble-makers to at least 80 ft-lbs and like to get them upwards of 90.

I tightened them down, and now the CLUNK is gone!

I never thought that those bolts being loose would cause such a horrible noise that would be absolutely next to impossible to diagnose.

Anyway, PROBLEM SOLVED!

[Bob98SR5]

andy,

sweet. hey, can you take/post some pics?

bob

[bamachem]

pics? of the cam/bolts? sure...

[Skrillah]

Yeah for us more "newbies"...

Although, I've been in my runner for 3 years now. ;-p

[corax]

Since those cam bolts control Caster and Camber and they've been moving around, you might want to get it aligned in the near future.

[bamachem]

yeah, they also control toe to some extent since moving either the front or the rear actually changes the distance between the wheels and since the steering linkages are a fixed distance, all three measurements of alignment are thrown out.

an alignment is definitely in order.

[bamachem]

pics:

can you tell that this thing has never been offroad? lol... look at those stickers from the MFG plant in japan...





now for the alignment adjustment cams/bolts.

to adjust the alignment, you loosen a bolt, then put a wrench on the nut/cam and turn it. the cam then pushes the a-arm either outboard or inboard, adjusting the distance of the bottom arm mounting points in relation to the top arm mounting points, which are fixed.

view from the front. the cam circled is the driver rear alignment adjustment, and the bolt head that you loosen for adjustment is on the other side of the frame mount for the arm.



view from the front. the bolt pictured ON THE RIGHT is the driver front alignment adjustment, cam is on the back side of the frame mounting point. the cam ON THE LEFT is the passenger rear alignment adjustment, bolt is on the other side, and is in the last pic as well.



view from behind the passenger tire. the circle on the bottom is the passenger rear alignment bolt, cam is on the other side of the frame mount, and is shown on the left in the previous pic. the circle on the top is the jam-nut for adjusting the toe. this nut should have at least 30 ft-lbs of torque on it. there is another one on the other side as well.

[Bob98SR5]

andy,

having never done this, is the vehicle jacked up while you are doing this?

[bamachem]

doing what? adjusting the alignment? no. it needs to be resting on a flat surface - as flat as you can get it like a garage floor.

i didn't do an alignment on it, i just torqued down the bolts. i know that they're not right, but i was just wanting to see if the noise stopped when they were tight, and it did. 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. once it's done, then request that they put at LEAST 80 ft-lbs of torque on the driver front and passenger rear adjustment bolts. i usually put a wrench on all 4 of them ASAP and retighten them all down before they can move and throw the alignment off.