Well, I've been on a roll here lately fixing starting and 4WD issues on the 'Ol Runner....... And just when I thought I had everything fixed and was going to enjoy trouble-free driving, I noticed a 'clunking' noise from the front end when the truck's front wheels encounter a speed-bump of the slight curb at the end of the drive way. I notice nothing as far as lash through the steering wheel and it does it whether I am in 4WD or not. I've tried shaking each tire to see if it is the wheel bearings but they are solid as a rock. i even kicked the lower brush guard to make sure it wasn't loose and it is solid too. I notice no noise as I go down the road and run over slight rises like man hole covers but as soon as the truck hits something that makes the wheels travel vertically, the clunk occurs. I was going to jack it up tonight and look around.

Any thoughts?

David

 

Sounds like a ball joint is toast (or loose).

 

Check the rubber bushings on the shock mounts. They tend to permanently compress and/or dry out and crack, then fall out.

 

Christian & Mtnfreak, I knew I could count on you guys to come up with some great leads to try. Thanks.

As far as the ball joints, any good way to check those? If I jack up the truck, is it a simple shaking of the half shafts?

I'll lalso take a look at the shock bushings.....the last time I did that was when I put in the Bilsteins 6 years ago.

David

 

Sounds like ball joints to me too. What you can do is jack up one side so that the tire is about 2 inches off the ground. Support the frame with a jack stand, then use a pry to lift up on the tire to flex the suspension. You should hear a clunk or clicking when doing this. Check both sides of the vehicle.

 

Thanks.....I'll give this a shot.

David

 

Well, both <96 Runner> and Mad Chemist were right!! I just got back from picking my truck up from the shop......I had to replace the lower ball joints, the idler arm, and have one CV joint repacked and recovered. The truck doesn't 'clunk' anymore but the wallet is really lighter!!!

David

 

Awesome! Glad you got her fixed.