Hi, this is my first post here - so I hope I'm placing this thread in the right forum location.

I've been searching through other threads on this site to help me try to answer the issue I'm having with a series of thunking noises. I'm not really sure if any of the other posts discuss my particular thunk thunk thunk case, so I'll put down what details I can:

'95 4Runner, V6, 5spd manual.

Thunk No1.
When making tight turns, ie: pulling into or backing out of parking spaces and I have to turn the steering wheel hard over it makes a LOUD creaking/thunk noise. Is this a matter of steering fluid or the sign of something serious starting? (No signs of leaking fluids here.)

Thunk No2.
Sometimes, not all the time, I hear a quieter thunk when shifting into 2nd and 3rd gear.

Thunk No3.
After shifting into 2nd gear (yes, after) I sometimes hear a thunk or multiple thunking... and it seems to happen mainly while making left-hand turns.
Now, a mechanic did recently tell me my front and rear shocks should get replaced, could this be the trouble here, worn shocks?

Thanks for any help or recommendations.

 

1. Steering Stops.

3. Steering Stops.

Grab some grease and look for these right behind the front tires: http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/mainte...ront_end/lube/

 

Thanks Game, I'll give that a try, hopefully that'll solve my issue. Any ideas about the 'shifting thunk'?

 

i have a a "thunk" when shifting sometimes coming from my rear end. might be the rear end but as its quite other than that thunk i'm not too worried about it. i'm thinking its at worst the limited slip stuff worn out.

i'm not schooled in what's going on back there, yet. but i will looking at everything back there in the near future.

 

Checked the ujoints?

 

not u joints in my case.

 

I like these steering stops: http://www.ebay.com/itm/86-95-TOYOTA...-/321179365054

Grease your driveshafts to start if you haven't for #2. If you go to quick oil change places, odds are that you aren't getting your zerks greased regularly. I get a thunk when stopping sometimes from rear driveshaft slip joint -- 2nd to last zerk before diff, zerk before last u joint. Think Toyota calls for them every 7k.

 

I was just thinking about it again, and was going to post the same thing! You beat me to it. They say every 7k or 1-2 years (depending if you off-road or not) so it should be regular maintenance. I just did it on mine last year for the first time, it took so much grease to fill it... I'm surprised my driveline was still functional!

 

Yep. Pretty disgusting that 15 min oil change places don't do it. The zerks are clearly visible but over the 7 years, 70k miles my rig's previous owner had it, I saw *only* 2 of the oil changes that didn't mark the driveshaft as "sealed, no grease required." Crazy! He did his own oil changes sometimes and said he greased them however...

I do my rear about twice a year. Front annually.