2014 Trail - clunk and loose feeling in steering wheel on gravel

G

gsteitz

Junior Member
I know there are lots of threads out there and I promise you I've gone deep down the rabbit hole, but I'm trying to find out if I'm going in the right direction for my symptoms.

2014 Trial Premium with 105k miles.

Started to experience a clunking in the front end that's mildly evident when going over bumps and VERY prominent once I get on gravel or off-road. So much so that I have zero desire to take the truck off of the pavement. I've taken it by three different mechanics and all say that nothing is wrong. Finally found one that thought it could be a worn LCA so we started down that route, but it has not solved the issue.

In the past week I've had the following done, and while the truck rides a bit smoother on the pavement it still feels awful on gravel. Steering feels loose and clunky:

-replaced both LCA
-checked LCA cam bolt torque
-replaced front sway bar bushings
-installed new tires

My current thinking is that the problem could be the intermediate steering shaft u-joint issue, but I cannot find anyone referencing the same symptoms. All threads mention steering issues on pavement lock to lock (which I dont have) and don't discuss off road driving.

Anyone else experience similar symptoms? Does this sound like it could be the issue?
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On my Honda Pilot I got that "loose" feeling at 80,000 miles. New links solved it.
My runner links got replaced at 60,000 miles because upper rubber rotted. The links were not mechanically worn because grease was still effective. But I had the money and time so I did it.
 
Ok, so I went and looked at my sway bar end links and did not feel any play in them but took a photo of each side and you can see the drivers side appears to have a torn rubber boot with grease coming out. I was not able to lift the truck so not sure if play could only be felt when lifted and not under load.


Additionally I had my son turn the steering wheel lock to lock while observing the lower steering column u-joint and I didn't notice anything unusual. However I did hear a hissing noise near lock and right when turning just off of lock. Not sure what that is.
 

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The suspension needs unloaded to check for any play in their little "ball joints". Because of the unsprung weight of the parts involved I suspect results will be inconclusive.
Wear and tear on sway bar links is probably affected by its lifetime road conditions. What condition were the sway bar bushings that I think you replaced? Did you stick with soft rubber or the harder "poly".
Just ideas that I hope will help.
 
Hungryhawk said:
The suspension needs unloaded to check for any play in their little "ball joints". Because of the unsprung weight of the parts involved I suspect results will be inconclusive.
Wear and tear on sway bar links is probably affected by its lifetime road conditions. What condition were the sway bar bushings that I think you replaced? Did you stick with soft rubber or the harder "poly".
Just ideas that I hope will help.
Click to expand...

Stayed with OEM rubber bushings. They definitely look & feel better than the worn ones.

Took the truck back out onto some gravel today to see if I could better quantify what I'm feeling. It's a significant feeling of looseness in the steering when the wheels get knocked around by the gravel. Loose and knocking felt through the wheel / steering shaft.
 
Ok, finally got the drivers side end link image to load.
 

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Update, replaced both sway bar end links over the weekend and the issue still persist. Still a noticeable clunk on front drivers side.

On pavement it's there and is just a very minor clunk when hitting bumps. But it's very noticeable on gravel and off road. If I hold the steering wheel in a constant turn I can really feel it through the steering an it almost feels as if there is a detached feeling or slop between the wheels ant the steering.

I'm curious if this could be related to the known intermediate steering shaft problem or a steering rack issue. But I don't have any binding in the steering and on pavement it seems ok.

Not sure where to go from here?
 
My 2010 has had a slight clunk off road since new. We never found the cause, it never got worse. I figured it might be KDSS related so I lived with it.
 
jp.vegas said:
Did you at least check for play in the steering shaft?
Click to expand...


I did get under the truck and had my son turn the wheel lock to lock but didn't notice anything suspicious. Regular road driving the steering feels fine too.


I'm now suspicious of a worn tie rod.....
 
SOLVED!

It was in fact a bad control arm. Wild that four different shops could including a dealership could not diagnose this issue. I finally found this outstanding video that goes through all of the possible front end issues, what they might feel like and how to diagnose. Mod's if there's a way to paste this video I think is a fantastic resource!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-kWRDJ34js&t=576s

Additionally, this article on tie rod replacement mentioned "While off-roading you may notice some knocking noises happening, especially when going over rocky terrain. That noise should disappear while on the pavement." which was almost exactly my experience. Although I could still sense it slightly on pavement bumps.
 
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