Okay, this is going to be the most generic thread I've ever started but I've got a problem that is driving me nuts. I recently "restored" an 87 4Runnah that has been mine since 1999. It got parked in 2000 and patiently waited to go back on the road until last week.

After sitting for 14 years it can be expected that a few problems might pop up. One issue that I can't pin down is a mystery clunking. It happens when I go over bumps and is somehow tied to either the driveline or the front end.

You can hear a slight thud and you can definetely feel the clunk in the floorboard when it is happening. It seems to be worse on the drivers side but it is present on the passenger side also.

I've poked and prodded all the bushings with a pry bar and everything seems normal and tight. Now I know I can't ask someone from a thousand miles away to tell me what this mystery clunk is considering I've provided about zero information......

But I'm just hoping someone will chime in and say... "Oh yeah, its the ________. They all do that."

Anything?

 

Anything rolling around inside? Any slack in the cv joints? My dads old 87 clunked while driving slow with the hubs locked. Never see a cv joint have slack in it like that.
Must be something with a good amount of movement if you can feel it in the floor board.

 

Haven't put it in 4WD or locked the hubs yet. It does it whether I'm going slow or fast. I wonder if it is the differential bushings or motor/tranny mounts. Almost feels like the transmission crossmember is loose on the frame.

I hope it isn't an upper/lower a-arm or torsion bar related. That would be a pain in the rear! The strange part is everything seems fine when flexed with a large pry bar.

 

Get someone to drive it over a speed bump or similar while you watch the front end for any unusual movement. Or if you have a Gopro camera mount it under the truck and drive it, then look at the footage.

 

Like JasonYota says. Also, park it, have someone jump up and down on the bumper while you see, feel and listen near suspect areas.

Front shocks worn out? See my own experience with shocks here. Also, front shock top mounting is lousy on the 4Runners. See "Collared bushing" "Collared washer" detail.

Metallic clank or solid thud like bump stops hitting?

 

Shocks are brand new Bilstein's front and rear. New sway bar from bushings and a new endlink kit. All nice and tight. New tires and just had an alignment done...no issues.

You feel it most when you are driving over potholes and rough asphalt (basically all of MA). Aside from the noise/feeling it drives straight and handles well for a 4,000lb brick.

Its a solid thud, not a metal on metal sound. It seems like a bushing is worn out or not tight enough....except I've had it on the lift a bunch of times prying all the parts in every direction and had people bounce around and can't seem to nail it down. I was kinda hoping there was a common problem that I was unaware of....guess not.

 

I put the 4Runnaah on the lift and used a big pry bar to try and move things around. Tranny and motor mounts seem fine as does everything else. I put new body mounts on there so I made sure they were tight and were still torqued to 35 lb-ft (they were).

I then had 500lbs of people push up-down-up-down on the front bumper as hard as they could. There was no obvious play or weird movements in anything but I ended up getting a creeeeeeek-creeeeeek-creeeeeeek noise in the left lower a-arm everytime it bottomed out. It was the only indication of a problem I could find anywhere.

I sprayed some penetrating oil on the a-arm bushings just in case something was binding but it didn't help. Considering the a-arm bushings are a pain to change I'll let the problem be for now since it is more of a nuisance than a real problem at this point.

But the real question.......OEM or Poly? Anyone make a greasable set of poly bushings?

 

AdmiralYoda,

I've been hesitantly patient with a similar problem. This past weekend I finally jacked up the car (again) and used a pry bar to move the joints of the upper and lower a-arms. Sure enough, the lower a-arms had a lot of play in them. Surprisingly, the uppers seemed fine. I get a loud clunk, less thud and more metal on metal. I am having a hard time picturing how these bad bushings are causing the noise. Every other joint in the front end is brand new. New ball joints, tie rods blah blah, except the idler arm. Anyone know of the idler arm making such noises? I checked it for play and it seemed solid.

Yoda, from my research on the bushings, I would go OEM. They seem to last a very long time, no need for grease joints or aftermarket.

 

just lightly skimmed the thread. did you check your wheel bearings? tie rod ends?

 

I just packed the wheel bearings and inspected the Warn manual disconnects. Everything looks fine. No play in the steering components when I move stuff around.

Drives and handles perfect. Its just a thuddy rumbly clunkish sound when going over bumps.

 

Check your sway bar bushings and linkages. Front & back?

 

New swaybar frame bushings and the bolts are tight tight. New endlink kit too and they are nice and tight. Its a mystery.

 

I have a feeling it's your a-arm bushings.
Question, does it make the sound if you go over a bump with just one side tire or only with both? If you hear it when one side driving over bump, is it the same for both sides?

 

It does it on the drivers side more than the passengers side but they both do it. But if my drivers side tire hits a bump, you can feel the thuddy rumble feeling in the drivers floor. Same is true for the passengers side.

I'll have it back up on the lift this weekend to replace a pinion seal and front crank seal so I'll pay a bit more attention to it and try to pry the A-arm around to see if there is movement.

Any other good procedures to test an A-Arm bushing?

 

The only thing I could think of not requiring dis-assembly was to put a pry bar above between the joint and the mount it's housed in. Any other way I could't get enough force to move it (this was 4 foot pipe bar).

Another idea, check your motor mounts and other heavy parts that sit on the frame. Maybe something is loose.

 

Did you do Ball Joints??

They did not have much play but a 190,000 it was time.

My strange Clunking noise is gone since I changed mine.

 

FOr my case, do you think new ball joints can be so bad that they make the clunking? Or, could I have not installed them properly? I'm not being sarcastic, I realize this sounds a bit sarcastic though.

Also, on top of the clunking, i have another sound that shows up most of the time when I brake. I think it's at all speeds but i can only hear it at lower speeds, it's a click as i tap on the break and another click when I let off. My breaks themselves work very well.

 

Just what brand Ball joints did you use ??

In this day and age poor quality seems to be normal.

maybe one was boxed wrong??

Clicking noise brake light switch??

Something hitting the brake pedal or linkage??

 

Haven't replaced the ball joints. The are original OEM. The boots are intact and there is no play. The alignment shop didn't seem to notice anything wrong with them either and I imagine they have a better eye than I do for that stuff.

I don't think its the brake switch or bracketry. Its a really thuddy clunky rumbly sound when the wheel hits bumps and moves up and down in its travel. Over washboardy little bumps is when you hear/feel it the most.....when the wheel is moving up/down in little increments very fast.

I'll have it on the lift this weekend. I'll really pry at the A-arms and see if I can make them move.

Also...I did check the motor and tranny mounts. They seem fine. Still flexible and no signs of cracking. Thanks for the help everybody!!!!

 

For me (since i semi-jacked this thread ).. this is the pic of my new parts. Moog.