I bought a '92 4runner for 700 dollars with a blown head gasket to fix up and sell to make some money. Well i got the head gasket job done along with a few other things. My question is that when i took it for it's first drive it ran great, plenty of power for the 3vz-e. But when i started to break a little hard the wheel passenger side wheel would "pop" or kind of "clunk" in and when i released the break it would do the opposite and "pop" out.
I have no idea to what it could be. You can actually see the wheel move in an out. Could it be the shock? a ball joint?
Please wise members of yotatech, assist me

 

Several possible things it could be, the only way to know is jack it up and figure it out.

Could be ball joints, wheel bearings, control arm bushings, or any number of other problems.

It won't be a shock, the shock is inconsequential to the lateral movement of the wheel.

 

Check your lug nuts. Make sure you tightened them 100%.

yes I'm guilty. I did it before. Same wheel. Same problem.

 

It does sound like ball joints but DeathCougar said it, Check ti-rods, pitman arm and everything else. If it is poping out then you should spot it easy!

 

sounds good. thanks guys. it was late last night and i wasn't able to see everythin. i will check it when i get home. if you have any more ideas please let me know.

wouldn't the lug nuts be all the time though? not just when i brake?

 

Oh and i thought it could have been shock was shifting in its mount.

 

When I forgot to tighten mine it only popped outwards when I hit the brake.

Luckily I hadent gone very far or fast.

 

could also be wheel bearings that have gone way too far. This actually happened to me years ago due to my own faulty maintenance which allowed the lock rings to get lose. It's amazing how smooth the truck will go 60mph with a completely destroyed wheel bearing, and then clunk around at slow speeds. I did end up on the a side street fixing it with new bearings and races.

 

i just replaced the wheel bearings. checked the tie rods, i replaced the bottom ball joint and the top seemed fine. all the lug nuts are tight. i have no idea as to what it could be?? its only when i brake decently hard.

 

Was there a final solution to this problem???

 

My truck did this same thing one time. My lug nuts werent tight. That fixed it lol

 

Yeah mine did that too. By the time I noticed it was too late. Went to tighten them up and broke a lug. I now have 5 lugs on my drivers side lol.

 

$5 says it's your lower control arm bushings. Jack the front end up, and push up down all around on the LCAs... I bet you hear a clunk. You might have to take a rubber mallet to them to get them to move enough to clunk though. They are stout bushings, but eventually the rubber tears in em.

If/when you replace them... I advise getting new camber adjusting plates + bolts from Toyota. Every single one I've seen has been rusted SOLID into the bushings, and had to get cut out.