front differential clunk
 

So I have spent some time reading through different threads trying to diagnose what is wrong in my front diff but I haven't been able to figure it out.

I have a clunk that occurs when shift from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. It is just one clunk. When I put my 4runner in 4 Low, the clunk comes on when driving forward every 5-10 seconds when I am going about 5 mph. It started after I replaced my OEM CV axles with Napa CVs. I know it is in the front and probably has something to do with the CVs but I am not sure what it could be. There isn't any clunks when I jack my car up and spin the tires. No leaks from the front dif and I regreased the driveshafts as well. The CVs don't have any play in them either. I was wondering if my front U joint happened to come to the end of its life at the same time I replaced my axles. Any ideas? Thanks!

Would be helpful to include your vehicle details.

You sure it's in the driveline?
the 4th gen calipers/pads make a clunk often when switching from R/D and vice versa.
That wouldn't explain what you are hearing in 4L but it could also be something with the axles binding. Are you typically just driving straight?

Ya, we need to know if its a V6 or V8. Did you do any fluid changes at the same time during the CV change?

2004 v8. I did change the fluids and double checked that the fluid is at the proper level. I have checked the brakes before and there is nothing I can see that is wrong with those. I went for a pretty long offroad drive this past weekend. Clunking is still there but its not effecting my ability to get over and through obstacles. I am wondering if the CV just isn't made to the same tight dimensions that a OEM CV is.

Is the clunk in question coming from either side of the vehicle? Or is it specific to only driver or only passenger?

Hmmm...Think i've got the same issue going on. Bought my 4Runner last November, but the front diff was bad when i got it. Replaced the front diff with a brand new one from the Toyota dealer. "While at it", I also replaced both CV avles, front calipers, pads, and rotors; all from Napa. Since then, i've been noticing a single clunk or pop type noise that is coming from the front end. Almost always happens first thing in the morning when backing out of my driveway and then shifting to drive. Some random mornings, it doesn't do it at all. When it does do it, it always does it on the change of direction and will only do it one time. Usually never does it the rest of the day unless it sits for a longer period of time. Sometimes the noise sounds like its coming from the driver side and other times the passenger side. I was thinking that maybe its simply brake pad shift causing the noise when changing directions, but really not sure and I've honestly done nothing to look into it any further. It does drive me nuts though! If I actually take some time to look into it and figure something out, i'll let you know...