SleevelessSteve

99 4runner sr5 4wd automatic here, 135k miles, bought it at 133k.

when i turn sometimes there is a clunk from somewhere below in the front end. I replaced the outer tie rod ends after i realized that one was bent. i suspect that someone hit a rock or something when driving the car- the skidplate has some minor damage to it. when i rotated the tires and did new front brakes i realized that the wheels had some wobble to them. the wobbling went away with new tie rod ends, but the clunk has not.

what could this be? something in the suspension or steering? a bad bushing? a problem with a sway bar? any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

ywokchile

been looking for an answer to the same
anyone?
anyone?

brian2sun

Could be the sway bar bushings or sway bar end links. You can look at them and tell if they're worn (you may need to remove the bushings to tell). These are easy to R&R yourself. Look at your upper and lower ball joints to see if the rubber boots are torn or leaking too.

Have someone turn the wheel back and forth while you get under and look at the steering rack. There shouldn't be really any play in the rack and pinion assy - if there is, the bushings need to be replaced.

ywokchile

nah, they're in good condition,
everything underneath looks in mint condition, I've had that done at the start

it kind of "clicks" more than clunks
a normal person might not even pick up on the problem , but I like my steering perfect, as I imagine most yotatech readers/writers do too

AZkid

mines due to my cv's, they pop culnk click, shredded boots with most likely pounds of dirt in them

ywokchile

my CVs were checked out and they came away perfect.

one mechanic says it might be the steering shaft being worn and having some minor play.

anyone heard of this?

BajaRunner

Ugh. I've been having this same problem recently.

When I turn and go over a bump I get a feedback clunk in my steering wheel and a nice noise too. I'm probably going to replace the rack, then the a-arm bushings then the ball joints... Oh boy!

desertcamper67

If its in the steering shaft area, you should be able to recreate the sound with someone rocking the steering wheel while you poke your head around, listening so you can locate the culprit.

Yellowtruck

I had a clicking noise when I turned my steering wheel for a while. Turned out to be so damn simple that I wanted to slap myself in the face.
I rubbed some grease onto my steering stoppers and never heard it again.
Just remembered this one too:
Another clicking noise I had a few times turned out to be from the friction of my wheels mounted onto the bolts. I have Weld wheels and most likely because of the aluminum, it causes clicking noises when I turn at certain times. Pulled the tired off and sanded down every spot that came into contact with the two types of metal, greased it up a little and now it's gone.

toyfan1

iTrader: (1)

I did this fix on a 2004 Tacoma and it resolved steering clunk and play (a couple of hours, rented welder for tacks). The factory spot welds were loose on steering shaft. I did not find steering column play or clunk on a 97 4Runner, slightly different column (square vs Taco six sided).

Tacoma diagnose, fix - http://www.ttora.com/forum/2-early-t...ay-rattle.html

Youtube video of fix (helpful) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O01xIDnuk8

aowRS

Yep. I did the same fix to my steering column 5 or 6 years ago. Completely eliminated play that I had felt since 2001.... Additionally, I adjust the steering rack bushing probably once a year to dial out play that comes with time.



Andreas