Front end suspension clunk

[PNWRunner]

This is my final thread about this noise. I have run out of assumptions and bolts to tighten but still it persists and is driving me crazy. I dont feel as safe in my truck because of this mystery noise and am looking for any clue as to what it may be.

It seems to happen with any rapid suspension movement on the front passenger side (potholes, washboard roads) but not with slow movements like a rolling dip in the road. Whether this is because I have super stiff E rated tires that are bouncing around something on the body or because there is actually something loose in my suspension linkage I cannot figure out.

This noise did not start immediately after installing my Toytec coils, and doesn't seem to get worse or better when I adjust them up or down.

Here is a list of things I have replaced or removed trying to isolate this noise.

LCA Bushings- replaced with Energy bushings
LBJ- replaced OEM
Outer TRE- replaced OEM
Rotors/Pads- Brembo/ESB
Steering rack bushings- Wheelers off road
Sway bar- removed
Skid plate- removed
Bumper- removed
Air filter- tightened
ABS module- tightened
Radiator- tightened


I have tightened every nut and bolt I can find, and still the noise persists. It sounds like someone is beating the frame as fast as they can for about 1 second with a small rubber hammer.

If anyone can lead me to a solution I will mail you a 12 rack of your favorite beer. :reddance:

My runner makes plenty of other noises that dont bother me, because I know what they are. I have NO idea what this noise is and it freaks me out. HELP!

 

[SliderNH]

I and a few other people have had a front end clunk over abrupt bumps. I personally noticed it driving over speed bumps at 20+ mph. What it ended up being was the outer part of the front coil making contact with the inside of the upper ball joint bracket. Check your coil. I mean.... really inspect it. If its the same thing, you should see paint chipped off the coil near the ball joint bracket. At resting height when the truck is parked, this spot on the coil should sit somewhere around 2 inches higher than the ball joint bracket.

Basically what happens when the shock extends and the load is taken off the wheels, the coil extends down and out, at which point it makes contact with the ball joint bracket. I talked to Steve at Sonoran Steel about it, the fix is to rotate the coil so the very bottom part of the coil must sit on the outside. The side closest to the wheel. The will make the suspension travel in a vertical direction rather than the "down and out".

For your sake, I hope it is as simple as this. I racked my brain awhile about this before finding the solution. If your problem ends up being something different, good luck! And let us know!

 

[PNWRunner]

I dont see any missing paint or signs of interference, theres about 1.5+ inches of space between the spindle and the coils with the coil sitting at about 3 inches of lift.

Ive heard of this problem with the SS 1.2 system and im pretty sure the coils you use with that setup are alot wider than the Toytec adjustables. I will jack the Runner up tomorrow and double check though!

 

[LittleCaesar]

Check these:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/67349-cv-replacment-pics.html

 

[Huskey]

I'll share my clunk experience with you having no clue if this will help you out.

I'm not so sure what the toytec coilovers look like, but I had the clunk for the longest time and it was tough to find as it always settled in the same spot in my garage. My clunk came during slow turns and with any articulation or sway in the front end causing the coil to slide forward and aft over the bolt sleeve within the upper mount. In the pic you can see how it is slid forward (to the left in the pic). This actually caused two clunks, one for each side or the T4R that were always a split second appart. No paint damage was noticed and as easy as the idea came to me to fix it, I had to remove the entire coilover to fix it... just to install some homemade rubber washers on both sides of the sleeve to keep the coilover centered. There was a very small clunk noticed after, but now that I have a winch and bumper there is no more clunk

 

[Drcoffee]

Try this fix.

How to: Replace steering rack guide

 

[Millerad1651]

Are you 100% its from the suspension? I had a clunk every once in a while on startup, and over real hard bumps. Looked over everything, and noticed my exhaust was hitting a crossmember of the frame. The sound came from front passenger side, and it took me a while to figure it out. One of the rubber "clamps" that hold the exhaust up had broken, and that caused a section of pipe to sit/hang real close to the frame. Maybe follow your exhaust and see if thats the problem.
I'll go out and take a pic a little later so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

[cmlesschwab]

People keep posting about where the clunk, or banging noise is coming from in the front end after they lift there Tacoma or 4Runner. Just so everyone know it's the front end abruptly stopping at full droop. Think about it, your coil spring is compressed under a lot of load. When the suspension gets to the bottom of it's cycle, or "droop" all the way, it then stops quickly causing the banging noise. Your stock struts and springs will do the same, but it will take a larger bump, as in stock form it has more down travel then when we lift our trucks 2 to 3 inches. Which, therefore limits the amount droop and increasing up travel, making it more common of a sound sound, even when driving over small speed bumps. The only solution is to run a limiting straps, where the strap will allow just enough GIVE to eliminate the loud banging noise.

 

[jamess]

Drcoffee nailed it. Steering rack guide.