Brianstrawberry

My 1986 4Runner is getting a loud clunk when I depress the brake pedal. I was hoping someone could help me figure out what is going on!

Here are some details:
Clunk feels like it is in the driver front wheel well or somewhere near it.
The more aggressive I am with the brake pedal the harder the clunk hits. Conversely, if I am very gentle it may not happen.
Sometimes as it hits, the truck will try to pull right briefly.
Squealing sounds from the suspension are getting worse. It was limited to reverse a few weeks ago, now it may squeal at any time or direction.


Other things you should know:
I recently noticed and replaced a broken driver front strut (thinking this was the problem but was not).
Truck is automatic with approximately 220K miles; it has been a daily driver for the past 2.5 years.

myyota

The best thing to do it crawl under your 4Runner and start inspecting the steering and suspension, check the A-arm bustings, tie rods and everything else, also check the wheel bearings for excesive play.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Obvious thing is to check the braking system, starting with the pads.

Brianstrawberry

The truck is with a mechanic at the moment. I am forwarding your suggestions over to him as they come in.
What do you think about ball joints? I came across this post over in a Ford forum which seems to describe the same clunck.
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/90...-breaking.html

After talking with my mechanic yesterday he is concerned it could be the transfer case.

cootees

do you get the clunk when hitting bumps in the road or just braking? If you get it with bumps a ball joint would be a good candidate.

I have had similar symptoms to you before and found my caliper shifted and had lost a bolt. Definitely check the brake system first.

Brianstrawberry

Speed bumps are much more harsh since this started happening. I will reccomend he check out the calipers first though.