Rear end clunk **Solved**

[Cire2]

Hey guys,

Ever since I purchased my 4 runner, I've had a rear end clunk noise when I come to a stop and go. I've read on here that it is because of the lack of grease in the drive shaft. I've been putting grease in for about 1.5 years now and it only stoped the problem for about 1 week, then it comes back!

I lifted my truck this week and never had the problem since! My thoughts are when it was stock height, the drive shaft grinds against the Ujoint or what ever it connects to, every time you stop and go. Since the 3" suspension lift, I can't duplicate the problem. I believe since it's raise there is less stress against the 2 parts.

Is there anyone that can clarify on this? Anyone else have the issue solved by lifting their 4runner?

Anyways, I put on a 3" Toytec Ultimate suspension kit with procomp gas shocks for rear.

 

[BlairB]

Mine has had various lifts (2", 3" and is currently right around 3.5") and that never solved the problem. I know many guys with lifted 4Runners who still have the clunk.

 

[Cire2]

That sucks :/

I didn't do anything different besides the lift. Hell I didn't even lube it for 3months. When I had the problem, It would clunk about 7 times out of 10 stops... very irritating.

 

[Johnnie]

its the drive shaft (see other postings on this site about lubing the drive shaft slip spline with the synthetic grease) changing the angle probably brought it on

 

[Johnnie]

what kind of grease have you been using

 

[rick13]

Not being jerky, but did you just wake up an 8-1/2 year old thread?

 

[Vespula]

Subscribed [emoji39]

 

[kirok]

I remember reading something about the driveshafts and a factory defect. So I'm trying to remember although it's been a few years, but it seems to do with the tension or torque on the driveshaft. When stopped it releases the tension and that is where the clunk comes in. I do remember it saying that there was no records of the shafts snapping or anything. It seems the only fix was driveshaft replacement. I've greased mine several times, with really no remedy. I know sometimes my 4Runner will jump forward a bit, almost like someone tapped me from behind.

 

[kirok]

Just to add. Maybe when you lifted the truck, it changed the amount of torque on the shaft, therefore fixing the problem? Just a guess though?

 

[Vespula]

My clunk is gone as of five days ago. I was researching the many posts on here about it.... One post in particular basically implied that not enough grease was being pumped into the slip yoke zerks. This person talked about 15-20 pumps (or thereabouts) but the key was doing it until you actually saw the silver part of the metal shaft MOVE! Then he pumped a few more in there.

This got me wondering - I bet I didnt put enough in and if I did maybe thats the answer and I just needed to be pumping more.

I got under there and hooked up my grease gun to the front zerk and watched the shaft pumping in grease one pump at a time.... FINALLY after about 15 pumps I saw it! The shaft moved out about 1mm ... each pump after that I saw it move another millimeter... I proceeded to pump 4-5 more pumps until the shaft had moved about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from where it was. I did this because I wanted it to have a little extra logically assuming the thing was way under greased if it took that many pumps.

Then I moved to the rear wheel drive shaft and repeated.
Again, it was about 15-18 pumps of grease before i saw the shaft start to move. Same thing... 4-5 more pumps until the shaft moved out about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from where it was.

Went out and drove the 4r..... AMAZING. Even the brake pedal seemed slightly firmer, to which I dont have any understanding of why, but the clunk was GONE.

The next day, I threw it in drive from park and it went clunk, so I took the opportunity to go exercise the gears a bit (just made sense to me) so I went into reverse, backed up 3 feet, applied brakes, went into drive smoothly, rolled forward 3 feet, applied brakes, back to reverse.... you get the idea, a few times and soon it was even moving R to D very smoothly... I feel like I was distributing the grease.... This is unrelated and not required, but just sharing what I did thinking I was helping with the grease distribution faster.

Anyway, its been days now and my 4r is not clunking when I come to stops while driving and not clunking when i let off the brake at stoplights anymore at all.....no one "tapping me from behind".... makes me want to shout to the rooftops... GREASE GREASE GREASE and make it go away. If you have a clunk, maybe you just didnt grease enough... grease until you see the shaft moving with each pump.

Now, will nirvana last for me? I dont know. How long? I dont know. But the clunk I had when I got the truck 3 months ago and have been living with consistently is now gone just from putting ENOUGH grease in there. if it comes back I may assume the grease has been distrubuted and it needs more.... and if so, I will repeat the process again until I see the shaft move once... I assume and think at some point if it comes back, eventually I will grease enough that it will be full and I wont have to do this as much if at all.

Do you have the clunk? Thunk, tap, lurch, or whatever you want to call it???
Go do what I did and report back!!

 

[Jim_A]

I use the 5th wheel grease from liquid wrench, its a moly/graphite grease. I first pulled the driveshaft apart to clean all the old grease out then smeared the new grease on both male and female splines, put back together and added about 10 pumps or so of grease in the zerk and have had zero issues within the last 6 months.

 

[Zeke588]

I had the same problem. I picked up my 4th gen v8 about a month ago. It had a noticeable clunk and I thought it might be the tranny but it shifted fine. Drove around and I work at a mechanic shop so I pumped some grease into the drive line. One of my co workers told me about the drive line issue being undergreased on ALL GENS. Specifically 2nd gen front drive lines. Anyways I greased it and still no change. Put on a lift about 2-3 weeks ago and there is hardly any noise that I can hear now unless I really punch it from a complete stop. Maybe the change of angles on the drive lines is using a different area of the splines that were maybe worn out? Idk just a thought but I’m happy I don’t hear that noise anymore

 

[Vespula]

I’m happy I don’t hear that noise anymore

I know I posted yesterday but I did alot of driving today and it is like driving a new car without the clunk. :thumb: I need to keep bumping this thread just so everyone with the thunk clunk knows how easy it is to get rid of it and that they dont have to live with it!

 

[Johnnie]

BTW I have talked to several owners of chevy trucks that have had the same problem

 

[kingofthehill]

My driveshaft clunk also went away after I lifted it. I haven't had it happen a single time since it was lifted.

 

[Todapwr]

My clunk is gone as of five days ago. I was researching the many posts on here about it.... One post in particular basically implied that not enough grease was being pumped into the slip yoke zerks. This person talked about 15-20 pumps (or thereabouts) but the key was doing it until you actually saw the silver part of the metal shaft MOVE! Then he pumped a few more in there.

This got me wondering - I bet I didnt put enough in and if I did maybe thats the answer and I just needed to be pumping more.

I got under there and hooked up my grease gun to the front zerk and watched the shaft pumping in grease one pump at a time.... FINALLY after about 15 pumps I saw it! The shaft moved out about 1mm ... each pump after that I saw it move another millimeter... I proceeded to pump 4-5 more pumps until the shaft had moved about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from where it was. I did this because I wanted it to have a little extra logically assuming the thing was way under greased if it took that many pumps.

Then I moved to the rear wheel drive shaft and repeated.
Again, it was about 15-18 pumps of grease before i saw the shaft start to move. Same thing... 4-5 more pumps until the shaft moved out about 1/2 to 3/4 inches from where it was.

Went out and drove the 4r..... AMAZING. Even the brake pedal seemed slightly firmer, to which I dont have any understanding of why, but the clunk was GONE.

The next day, I threw it in drive from park and it went clunk, so I took the opportunity to go exercise the gears a bit (just made sense to me) so I went into reverse, backed up 3 feet, applied brakes, went into drive smoothly, rolled forward 3 feet, applied brakes, back to reverse.... you get the idea, a few times and soon it was even moving R to D very smoothly... I feel like I was distributing the grease.... This is unrelated and not required, but just sharing what I did thinking I was helping with the grease distribution faster.

Anyway, its been days now and my 4r is not clunking when I come to stops while driving and not clunking when i let off the brake at stoplights anymore at all.....no one "tapping me from behind".... makes me want to shout to the rooftops... GREASE GREASE GREASE and make it go away. If you have a clunk, maybe you just didnt grease enough... grease until you see the shaft moving with each pump.

Now, will nirvana last for me? I dont know. How long? I dont know. But the clunk I had when I got the truck 3 months ago and have been living with consistently is now gone just from putting ENOUGH grease in there. if it comes back I may assume the grease has been distrubuted and it needs more.... and if so, I will repeat the process again until I see the shaft move once... I assume and think at some point if it comes back, eventually I will grease enough that it will be full and I wont have to do this as much if at all.

Do you have the clunk? Thunk, tap, lurch, or whatever you want to call it???
Go do what I did and report back!!

Thank you! I've been greasing my driveshaft and U joins multiple times since I've own my 4runner with no luck on getting rid of the "clunking". Yesterday I added about 15-20 pumps into the driveshaft, went for a test drive and it fixed the clunking!

 

[limeyjag]

Clunking in 4th gen Lexus part number

I am tired of greasing my baby 2008 runner ....I remember an old thread which said one can replace the shaft with a Lexus part as Toyota recalled the GX 460/470 which were the twins of the 4th gen runner ....does anyone know the part number and should one replace both shafts or is it just one shaft that clunks ? I’m ready to do it so I don’t have to lie on my back getting grease over the whole underside and myself every 3000 miles ....

 

[Vespula]

Thank you! I've been greasing my driveshaft and U joins multiple times since I've own my 4runner with no luck on getting rid of the "clunking". Yesterday I added about 15-20 pumps into the driveshaft, went for a test drive and it fixed the clunking!

Awesome ain't it... You are welcome!
I am still enjoying clunklessness 8 months later !

I am tired of greasing my baby 2008 runner...so I don’t have to lie on my back getting grease over the whole underside and myself every 3000 miles ....

I do have to lie on my back, but my grease gun snaps on the zerks tight and unless the gun isnt fitted on there or at a bad angle and grease isnt going inside the zerk there is no grease "over the whole underside and myself" .. it goes inside the shaft via the zerk. if you see it forming outside the zerk, its failing, wrong angle, dirty zerk, clogged/failed zerk and not going in there.

You either need a new grease gun, or new zerks, or both.... try to depress that little ball bearing at the tip of the zerk to break the seal or something and you definitely shouldnt be doing this every 3000 miles if you are doing it properly, as long as the zerk is performing properly allowing the grease to enter and as long as you are injecting enough (read above). I am still clunkless 8 months after greasing as mentioned above.

 

[limeyjag]

Clunk greasing is Ok

I grease with a special locking attachment that holds on to the nipple so the grease is going in and takes about 15 pumps until it comes out of the shaft ...so then I quit ....it proceeds over the next 3000 miles to spray all over the underside of the truck and then begins to clunk again ....so it’s not a greasing problem ... just fed up with doing it ...need to find the old thread and which Lexus part number ...maybe I can find it on recalls for the Lexus GX 460/470

 

[mjotrainbrain]

I grease with a special locking attachment that holds on to the nipple so the grease is going in and takes about 15 pumps until it comes out of the shaft ...so then I quit ....it proceeds over the next 3000 miles to spray all over the underside of the truck and then begins to clunk again ....so it’s not a greasing problem ... just fed up with doing it ...need to find the old thread and which Lexus part number ...maybe I can find it on recalls for the Lexus GX 460/470

Do you have any idea what that special attachment is called? I absolutely hate the standard zirk grease gun fitting.