Driveline/brake/suspension(??) clunk

[mooneywa]

'17 with 51k and entirely stock. Looking for some ideas or further test. I have noticed about 60% of the time when I release the brakes from a stop I feel an additional clunk as the car settles back just prior to acceleration. This is independent of the driveshaft slack clunk that is another story. It's nothing severe, but it is noticeable and even more notable in that it didn't exist 2k miles ago. It typically seems to be stronger/more noticeable when I had a stop that had more brake dive or perhaps built up slack in the drive train. If I just roll slowly and stop and release the brakes there isn't an issue. It feels like it's in the suspension, but on normal driving the suspension seems completely fine so I tend to rule that out (but not entirely). The brakes (rotors and pads) are about 10k miles old, mostly highway miles, and I didn't have any abnormal wear prior to them being replaced - other than rotor warp that was more annoying than anything. The driveline seems like the most likely culprit? I remember late 90s Tahoes had the same issue, but I don't remember what it was.

I have been back and forth with the dealer several times about slack in the driveshaft (slip joints, etc) and some lubing helped, but there is still an additional and separate clunk when slack is built up in the driveshaft and associated components.

My dealer is The Worst, and their ability to diagnose a problem without me basically doing all the work for them is nil. I'm looking for some ideas or things to check so I can go in armed with information so I don't give them the car, wait two hours when it's "being looked at right away," and then them come back and say everything is fine. Thanks.

 

[SWUtah]

You need all the zert's on your driveline greased that includes the front ones under the front skid plates!!! Plus it should be re-torqued. Most dealers are too lazy to do this job correctly.

 

[chilibit]

Does the nose rise when it occurs? The front suspension might be "sticking" in compression.
Or, more likely to me, a brake pad is sticking to a rotor.

 

[fjcruising]

On the 100 series there is a thud/clunk well documented where greasing (over greasing) all of the Zerks is the cure (I am one them who can say this really does work).

I can’t speak for the 200 series but it may be worth doing so (make sure you use synthetic moly grease - there is more success with it vs.others). This is something inexpensive to try before you start replacing parts.

The OFFICIAL clunk/thunk driveshaft thread

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Angelo1]

We less mechanically inclined, would love a video showing where to grease/lube all the zerks and what type of lube to use. I’m guessing that Redline CV-2 would be appropriate but i have no idea where all the zerks are and what else should be lubed for maintenance as I’d be happy to do it myself

 

[bloc]

We less mechanically inclined, would love a video showing where to grease/lube all the zerks and what type of lube to use. I’m guessing that Redline CV-2 would be appropriate but i have no idea where all the zerks are and what else should be lubed for maintenance as I’d be happy to do it myself

The rear is fairly obvious, but I put this together on the front shaft.

How I grease my front driveshaft

 

[mooneywa]

I guess I'll have to try another dealer. I too would prefer to do it myself, but the truck is under a warranty I paid for and it wasn't done right the first time.

 

[Angelo1]

The rear is fairly obvious, but I put this together on the front shaft.

How I grease my front driveshaft

thank you. That really helps a lot. I’ll head to Grainger tomorrow and get a grease gun.