jimrockford

I have an annoying rattle coming from my front end. I hear it when travelling at a constant speed between 15-25mph. The noise gets worse when I brake. I haven't been able to figure out what the problem is, so I've taken it to two mechanics. Neither one has fixed the problem.

Today, I took it to the local Toyota dealership and they told me that the front shocks are worn out and causing the noise. The shocks are about a year and a half old (Rancho RS5000s).

I've had quite a bit of work done in the past six months - wheel bearings and races replaced, rotors turned, new brake pads, idler arm replaced, wheel alignment, etc. The mechanic says everything is in perfect working order - except the shocks and some feathering on the tires.

Does this sound like it makes sense? Can anyone explain to me what part of a shock would wear out and start rattling?

tystoy

Make sure the pins that hold your brake pads in the callipers fit right. My '91 pickup has a rattle in the front end also but its the brake pads rattling inside the calipers. I don't know why it does it but everything works good and I will fix it when it needs brakes again.

jimrockford

That's a good point. On my 4Runner, each side has one spring that holds the pads away from the rotor. It looks like there should be two of them. The springs go over the top of the pins and look like they might keep them from rattling. Are there supposed to be two pins?

tystoy

I don't know about the 4runners but on my '91 pickup there are two pins that go through the pad to hold it in place and one spring to keep them from chatering.

jimrockford

That's the same with mine. I had the brakes done at a shop with some other work. I couldn't remember if there were two springs or just one.

The pads seem to be installed correctly. The pins don't seem to be worn at all and fit through the brake pads without a lot of play. There is a retention clip on the inside of the brake caliper that goes through the pins to keep them in place. That clip doesn't look bent or anything, and the spring that keeps the pads from rattling also looks ok.

Do you still get the rattle when you press the brakes? When I do, the rattle gets worse.

Del

I have that same problem with my 94. I am pretty sure it's that the bushings need to be replaced. I've checked little thing in the front and can't find anything even remotly loose (which makes me think it the bushings). Unfortunatly I don't have the $$ to replace them so I won't find out for a while.

tystoy

Check your pads. The holes in mine that the pins go through wore enough that it let the pads move up and down in the caliper wich is what was makeing the clicking and chattering noise. I put new calipers and pads on the yota to make it stop.

jimrockford

Thanks for the help. I'll give that a try.

Firefyter-Emt

But you guys are forgetting the tire wear.. Can you unbolt the top of the shock your self?? IF you can, it should have some good preasure to push it down.. If they are hard to compress, they in at least decent shape.. At least enough that they will not rattle... But I had 100k+ on my front ones and they had no resistance at all.. I did not rattle. If the shocks are good, you may want an alingment...

jimrockford

My tires definitely have some irregular wear patterns. They make all kinds of noise. I believe most of the feathering and cupping is from idler arm and bearing problems. I replaced the bearings (along with the brakes) and had an alignment around 8 months ago and have put very few miles on it since then.

I had the idler arm replaced last week and another alignment done at that time. The dealership told me the idler arm was loose and causing steering parts to hit the oil pan. I thought that was bull, but knew the idler arm was loose, so I had them change it. Like I thought, it didn't fix the rattle.

I've got less than 20k miles on the shocks and haven't noticed any degredation in performance since the day they were installed. I'll probably check the shocks anyway to see if they seem like they've worn. I'm thinking about just replacing the damn things to see if the problem goes away, but I'm getting a little tired of throwing money at the thing.

I wish I would have spent the extra money to get Bilstein or Edelbrock shocks. But the Ranchos were so much cheaper... In the short run, anyway.

Firefyter-Emt

I understand the "just do them anyway" But seriously.. All a shock is, is a damper.. It needs some resistance, if you take it out (or unbolt the top) and you can push it down, in a nice firm/hard feeling and it comes back in a nice fluid motion, then the shock is fine.. If it is fine.. Buring this to their attention and ask them what is their basis on the shocks (that only have 20k and have been bench tested to be just fine) being "so bad they rattle" I mean they very well could be shot, Ranhco is kinda a el-cheapo shock.. But they should not of gone so bad yet.. Is their any oil on the shock??

jimrockford

In another thread, kxpaul said:

I hadn't even thought about the steering stabilizer. When I installed the Rancho shocks, I didn't replace it. I've still got the stock one on. I've got the symptoms he mentioned, and "death rattle" describes the noise perfectly .

I may be taking a shot in the dark, but I ordered a new OME steering stabilizer tonight. I'm going to install it this weekend. I figured since I'll be getting dirty, I might as well go all the way. I've got Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks and Downey HD coils on order too. I'm planning to pick up a set of low profile bump stops at Central 4WD tomorrow if I can get there before it closes.

Busy weekend ahead... and I'll be taking pictures to post.

CTB

Do yourself a favor and start shooting the bumpstop nuts with PB Blaster now. I had a hell of a time getting one of mine off!

jimrockford

I'll definitely try to loosen those suckers up before this weekend. I like things to go as smoothly as possible.

First kink already though. I talked to Mike at www.xtreme-offroad.com and he told me that Downey didn't have the HD coils in stock. They expected them last week. Bummer. I guess I'll wait a few days.

jimrockford

I replaced my stock steering stabilizer with an Old Man Emu and my front shocks with Edelbrock Performers. I've still got the rattle sound. Dealership was wrong again.

I think it might be getting worse. I'm going to take it back to the dealership and take the mechanic on another test drive. I can't believe these rattles can be this hard to figure out. Loose things rattle. Tight things don't.

I've spent almost $1800 over the last year. Most of that has been in an effort to get rid of rattles and noises. Ok, some of it was just an excuse to upgrade stuff. My wife only understands replacing things when they're broke. But still, I can't just keep throwing money at it.

Anybody have any more ideas for me? I'm pulling my hair out.

Kevin

Del

Like I mentioned before, maybe the bushings? I know it's a longshot, but I've checked all around mine and cant find one thing that's loose. If I had the $$ I'd get the bushings replaced and let you know but I'm broke. I'm completely stumped also.

jimrockford

I drove around and used my digital camera to record the rattle. The quality is not that good, but you can hear the rattle fairly clearly. Has anyone heard this noise before?

Rattle Video (2Mb - URL Fixed)

Kevin

UKMyers

Kevin if it makes you feel any better every second gen I have rode in has a rattle from the front end including mine. Mine only does it when going about 20 mph over a rough surface streeet. It sounds just like the center caps are loose but they are not. Everything underneath is tight. I can only hear it with the window down and have learned to live with it. Once it get's bad enough I can actually figure out what is causing it I'll replace/fix and hope it didnt' screw anything else up!

all4runner

This is a very common problem in the 2nd gen 4 runners. I spent ages trying to find the same rattle in mine and it was located in the Aisen free wheeling hubs. The hubs are not the cause of the rattle but symptom of worn bushes in the steering knuckle. Easily fixed if you can get the knuckles out and to a workshop with a press. Good Luck

jimrockford

The URL I posted for the rattle video was wrong. Here's the correct link:

Rattle Video (2Mb - Right click and "Save As")