clucnking in front axle (driver's side) on bumps

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cruzerfetish

cruzerfetish

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Joined
Nov 11, 2004
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Location
Portland OR
I searched for clunking and get broken birf threads, but they all mention the clunking associated with steering.

My problem is. Near the end of a wheeling trip on saturday I noticed a clunking sound when I hit potholes in the trail. I got out and looked underneath and didn't see anything out of the ordinary (looked on a few different occasions b/c the noise didn't sound good). It only happened when I hit a hole or bump. If I could keep it out of the holes I wouldn't hear it at all and no sounds when turning. So nI limped it out of the forest and once on the pavement I was good for the hour-plus ride home. Later that night heard the sound when I backed out of the driveway when the fron tires hit the drain that runs along the side of the street. Have heard it on speedbumps since.

Anybody have any ideas? 4 wheel drive still works and as long as I am driving like you would drive a honda civic I don't notice anything.

Do you guys have a diagnosis for me????

87 FJ60
thanks, mike
 
check your shocks and shock mounts
 
Like the others have said, check everything and anything that can come loose:
ubolts
wheel bearings
knuckle bearings and studs, both top and bottom
lug nuts (they can loosen too!)
steering linkages

If all of this is good, then it's probably shifting w/in the spring pack. Pry the leaves apart with a pry bar, and spray some grease/lubricant in there. If the noise goes away, you've solved it. Dust/dirt from off-road can make this noise occur.
 
kinda sounds like a shifting leaf spring stack. My HJ61 with O.M. Emu springs does this periodically. Particularly on speed bumps, sharp turns, potholes or backing out the drive through the gutter.

The OME leafs have plastic spacers which are greasing points but I find the leafs stacks actually make more bonks, knocks and clonks straight after I grease them, then settle down and are rarely heard from.

I would check your springs stacks for any loose bolts or damaged leafs just to be on the safe side

cheers
gerard

87 HJ61
 
and the winner is....

Brett76-the anti-suck. Your answer, not only didn't suck, but it was right!
The bolt holding the bottom of the shock is gone and the shock is off the mount. I should have seen that.

For those of you with good guesses but no dice, we will play again soon.

Thanks all!
mike
 
should I order this from Toyota(CDAN) or can I get it locally based on the size? Which, by the way, does anybody know what it is? Otherwise I could take it off the passenger side and take it with me. Local dealership is out of stock so I would just order from C-Dan if that is the route to go...
 
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