my IFS in my yota has been making some noises and i can't figure out what it if. when the suspension compresses, it makes a clunking noise in the floor board near the body mount/ x-member. i thought it was the sway bar so i took that off and the noise seems to have not been happening as often. its still going on and i cant tell what it is. my balljoints are fairly new and i dont think its steering. i cant figure it out and i need some help!

 

Not sure if this is the same thing, but mine makes a similar noise when turning the wheel all the way - as if turning into a parking space. If I am backing out of a space and there is a bump in the sidewalk or something, the "clunk" noise is even louder as the wheel is turned and the suspension compresses.

My dad's '93 2wd had the same problem forever. He never inquired about it to our local Toyota mechanic, instead just "being sure not to turn the wheel all the way so it doesn't happen again."

I would love to know what this is, because I assume it is a common problem...

 

my truck never did it until after wheeling a few trips.

 

KtrainHurricane, your "problem" is the steering stops. They come from the factory with rubber coverings to keep them quiet, but the rubber fairly quickly wears out and is all gone long ago on trucks of our age. When you crank the steering all the way, you have metal on metal and it makes a horrible, but fairly harmless sound. You can put some grease on them and it'll help for a while, but most folks just live with it. It's nothing really to worry about.

Steve92, can't help you without a bit more info. You might need to crawl under it while someone bounces the suspension to see if you can observe anything moving that shouldn't be.

 

There are rubber (?) bump stops that limit the travel of the A-arm. They are attached with one nut. If that nut loosens, you will get what I describe more as a "rattle" sound than a "clunk." Easy to check for; if loose just tighten them up (and check them again after a month; if the threads were wrecked it may not stay tight.)

 

I have had someone jump on it while I was under it. Over chatters in the road it makes the noise sometimes. Going in and out of driveways, cruising through woops in the desert (slow) and basically whenever I hit any bumps.

 

And where are the limit stops?

 

i believe the steering stops only come into play when you have the steering wheel cranked over to its extreme—at least that is what happens in my truck.

check your shocks. a bad shock will give you a clunk sound.

 

The control arm (a-arm) upper limit is a 2" radius dome. On the first page, look above the word "Upper" in "Upper suspension arm." http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...27frontsus.pdf

The lower limit is also rubber but smaller, and not shown in the drawing.

You have four steering limit stops. The four plastic caps are sometimes called "anti-groan" caps, because the sound on many trucks is best described as groaning. You can grease the metal once the cap is worn away, but it doesn't work well. The caps are very cheap at the dealer, and will last for years (unless you're constantly jumping curbs with the wheel held tightly to one stop.)

 

x2 on the shock check sometimes they come loose as well.

 

Ok. I think it probably is time for new shocks anyways. Ill check after work. Ill try to locate and check the suspension droop stops too

 

Shock top bolt was loose. Tightened but didn't get to drive it yet

 

^-- Good find.

 

Still a noise...

 

Do you ever jack your truck up by the lower control arms? I have read on here that doing so can destroy the lower ball joint in short order, even if it is newish. I had a bit of a "clunk" in my front end, and it ended up being a loose LBJ. It is easy enough to check with a long prybar.

 

Really? How would that work? Checking the lower ball joint requires lifting the lower control arm by the control arm. http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...28balljoin.pdf (not the same as jacking, but that would be a good place for Toyota to insert a warming if jacking by the control arm was a bad idea).

 

I am getting my information from Mudhippy's posts in this thread:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...joints-269220/

As I wrote, it only takes a minute to check for excessive play in the LBJ, assuming you have a decent prybar. On my truck, the play was very evident.

 

Well ˟˟˟˟. Maybe it is the LBJ. Gosh I've
Done those things too many times I'm about over them haha. How do I check them?

 

Yes, really. It works by loading the lower ball joint in the "wrong" direction. Due to the torsion bars, which would then apply an excessive "pushing" force to the LBJ(pushing the ball joint together, top to bottom). The LBJ is only designed to sustain minimal "pushing" force. Basically just the force required to extend the shocks(if/when gas pressure is insufficient). It's main design requirement is to sustain a "pulling" force(pulling the ball joint apart, top to bottom).
Toyota specifies the lift and support locations of the vehicle for a reason. The above being one of them.
http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b.../5vehiclel.pdf

Checking the LBJ requires leveraging the LCA against the wheel/rim. Checking for vertical play greater than 2.3mm. Basically, the spring inside the ball joint which preloads the stud(forces it outward) shouldn't compress more than 2.3mm. If it does, this signifies damage to the spring and/or bearing surfaces beyond which is allowable.

To the OP, as well as inspecting the LBJ, check the wheel bearings for play. They could be too loose, and/or need replaced. This issue is often misdiagnosed as a faulty LBJ. And could be the cause of the noise you're hearing.

 

Just checked and tightened them/ re-packed them last week.