ToolmanJohn
New member
It's been a while since I've posted, but I am wondering if others have had problems with front end "clunk" when going over washboard road. I have a 2003 4runner Limited, 80,000 miles.
Last November, I started hearing the noise but couldn't localize it , except that I could hear it strongest in the front and feel it through the floor occassionaly. When I fnally investigated, I could see that I had a leak in the driver side lower balljoint.
So last March I took it to the dealer (still under extended warranty) and they ended up ordering the entire lower suspension arm AND both front shocks. One week later and 2 full days in the shop. ($1300 in parts if anyone is wondering, but out of Toyotas wallet thankfully)
BUT , after a couple days driving the truck, the clunk remained...I guess they were in a hurry and didn't do a road test?? So after a couple weeks I read up on methods for testing the suspension myself. I discovered that I could reproduced the noisy clunk by lifting the passenger side wheel with a 2 x 4 and suddenly release it. The driver side wouldn't do it.
So back to the dealer, telling them how to reproduce the noise, they decide it might be sway bar bushings or connecting links. So after 4 days waiting for parts, they finally installed them, and the clunk is gone. It took them about 1 hour.
In the meantime, I ordered rear sway bar links and bushings myself ($68) and will install myself. Might as well, becasue if the front ones were worn, the rear can't be far behind.
Last November, I started hearing the noise but couldn't localize it , except that I could hear it strongest in the front and feel it through the floor occassionaly. When I fnally investigated, I could see that I had a leak in the driver side lower balljoint.
So last March I took it to the dealer (still under extended warranty) and they ended up ordering the entire lower suspension arm AND both front shocks. One week later and 2 full days in the shop. ($1300 in parts if anyone is wondering, but out of Toyotas wallet thankfully)
BUT , after a couple days driving the truck, the clunk remained...I guess they were in a hurry and didn't do a road test?? So after a couple weeks I read up on methods for testing the suspension myself. I discovered that I could reproduced the noisy clunk by lifting the passenger side wheel with a 2 x 4 and suddenly release it. The driver side wouldn't do it.
So back to the dealer, telling them how to reproduce the noise, they decide it might be sway bar bushings or connecting links. So after 4 days waiting for parts, they finally installed them, and the clunk is gone. It took them about 1 hour.
In the meantime, I ordered rear sway bar links and bushings myself ($68) and will install myself. Might as well, becasue if the front ones were worn, the rear can't be far behind.
