Clacking noise in front suspension- can’t identify
 

Something is making a clacking noise in the right front suspension when i hit bumps on city streets. I think it could be in the hub because i can’t find any answer and all the moving parts are new- ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, shocks, wheel bearing.

I’m thinking about rigging up a gopro to try and home in on it.

i had my son hang his head out the window while i drove and he confirmed right front.
i swear i’ve heard this noise before on my old 4runner decades ago and solved it but short of doing exploratory surgery on the hub, i don’t have any good ideas.

Worn or loose Swaybar end links.
worn or loose upper shock bushings.
Worn spindle knuckle bushings or lack of grease which causes the end of the axle shafts to bouce of the steering knuckle bushings. Seems to be more common with ADD. The bushings can be replaced with a combo of needle roller bearings and bushings to help alleviate the problem also.

...might as well check the control arm bushings in addition to the suggestions above.

Whenever I come across a funny noise complaint that includes the phrase "I just installed new parts" the first thing I do is recheck all of that work.
Recheck everything that was touched in the process, see if the alignment shop left your lower control arm camber/caster cams loose.
What we need to know is: Was the noise there before and you replace the parts trying to get rid of it? Did you have an alignment done after replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends and idler arm? Does the noise happen on bumps when going in a straight line? At all speeds? EVERY bump? Only occasionally?

I didn’t say “i just installed new parts”. All the suspension parts were replaced by me about 2 and a half years ago and now have about 12k miles on them. Yes, i’ve had about 3 alignments and it is a good point to double check the caster camber bolts considering the level of confidence i have in the alignment shops. I think the noise has always been there, i remember it from last summer, but now i want to get to the bottom of it.

After looking closely at it today, i am pretty well convinced it is coming from the locking hub because its the same “clack” you hear when turning the lock mechanism, just hearing it hitting bumps all the time straight ahead, hubs unlocked, 25-35 mph. I guess i will have to take the hub apart because only one side makes the noise.

A misunderstanding I guess but "all the moving parts are new- ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, shocks, wheel bearing." to me says "I just installed new parts" not, "almost 3 year old parts". Big difference.
Your original statement also doesn't say "I've been ignoring this clacking noise for over 2 years".
What else are you hiding from us and why?
How about locking your hubs and see if the sound goes away?

yes I thought about locking the hub for a test. But have not driven the truck today. Maybe tomorrow.
Again, did not say "i've been ignoring the noise for over two years". Maybe it's been there. Only that I recall hearing it last fall or summer before I put the hard top back on. My rig is not daily driven and rarely in the winter. Noises like this are hard to hear with the hard top on and difficult to get to the bottom of when the person in the passenger seat isn't too knowledgable with cars and is too young to drive.

"What else am I hiding from you and why?"...I hope you are not serious with that off-putting comment. I'll take that as an attempt at humor. Thanks for your help.

Yes, partially it was an attempt a humor, but I am serious about getting the whole story in order to help with diagnostics. It is even harder to get to the bottom of an issue when you are thousands of miles away relying on tidbits of information from the original poster. Even new parts are sometimes defective and years later with thousands of miles on them something may not have been torqued properly and loosened up, so it is important to avoid giving the wrong impression.
The best tool I have for diagnosing funny noises is my assometer, which I can't use in this case or loan out since I am very attached to it, so the more information you share the better.
Other helpful info may be something like: it only happens when... hitting bumps over 15 mph, going forward not reverse, turning hard over and hitting a bump, doesn't happen if I have the brakes applied at all, doesn't happen in 4x4.
I have run across clickety clackety noises from hubs that were one notch off from being fully disengaged, you might check that. Pull off the hub and see if you can turn the inner spring loaded collar more towards unlock (compressing the spring and making the collar sit closer to the outer hub flange).

Update on this: locking the hub definitely makes the noise go away. I’ll dig into it more as soon as time permits.

Well, after taking the hub apart and studying it, the clacking noise was simply normal locking hub/axle play when there is no grease in the hub. After greasing and reassembling, no more noise. 👍🏻😁