FJ Cruiser Upper Strut Bearing (1 Viewer)

[NorthFJ]

Hey gang, looking for a little help....
The front end of my truck has been clunking for some time now. I have replaced the bearings (which were shot) the lower ball joints (which were also not in the finest shape) and I still have a pretty nasty rattle /clunk. The problem now is that I can't seem to find a definite loose/worn item. Each time previous I got under the truck I could physically observe a loose component. This time I can push, pull, wiggle etc and I can't find a single thing loose.
The reason I suspect the strut bearings is because when I tow a trailer with a heavy tongue weight, the clunking becomes more prominent.
I'm fairly well skilled with wrenching on a truck so with the noises I'm hearing I figured this would be an easy find, but this time I'm left scratching my noodle a little
Truck is high milage and no lift......sees occasional off-road but nothing too crazy.
Since I'm high mileage I'm sure I should just go ahead and replace everything front end related but......

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Delancy]

I'm unclear as to what the upper strut bearing is...

Have you checked the upper control arm bushings or upper control arm ball joint?

Have seen a few that were worn enough to contribute to an occasional clunk....

 

[NorthFJ]

I'm unclear as to what the upper strut bearing is...

Have you checked the upper control arm bushings or upper control arm ball joint?

Have seen a few that were worn enough to contribute to an occasional clunk....

Sorry, bad term I guess. The section where the front shock/coil meets up to the chassis. I'm pretty sure there's a bearing/bushing up there.
I've checked everything and can't find a single thing that seems worn (in truck anyhow). The clunking has gotten so bad though that it sounds like the front end is ready to fall out.
My next step is to just start pulling things off the truck and replacing anything I find that's in poor shape. But inspecting everything in truck turns up nothing obvious to me.

 

[Delancy]

Have you checked play in the upper control arm ball joint?

Not what yours looks like, but here?



Or, check for play in the upper control arm bushings?

Not what yours looks like, but here?






Honestly, if you think that it's the upper coil mount, I'd hunt for take offs on blue and replace the coil over with a lower mileage take off. They usually sell for cheap, if not free.

 

[BMThiker]

Can you describe when the clunk occurs? Upon braking, upon acceleration, when turning, when suspension is worked up/down?

I'd also check the lower control arm bushings. The factory ones are slotted rubber units with a steel core and outer sleeve. If they are heavily worn, then the rubber starts to separate from the core. I have picture of the arm removed when I changed mine out...

 

[NorthFJ]

Hey guys, thanks for the advice so far.....
A little more history. Earlier this year the clunking started, jacked up truck, found the bearings were shot. Replaced, clunk gone. A few months later clunk came back, jacked up truck, found lower ball joints were loose, replaced (did lower bushings too, eventually). Clunk improved.
Now (another couple of months later again) the clunk is again getting bad (more of a rattle I guess when I really think about it). So I think I'm basically just into replacing everything as the truck is getting old. But this time (as mentioned above) I can't find anything obviously causing the issue. I have checked the upper bushings and ball joints (using a pry bar to check for looseness).
I've also checked the tie rod ends.
Nothing seems obviously worn........
No weird tire wear either.

The clunk/rattle never happens on accel/decel. It only happens when hitting bumps. It's worse when the suspension is falling into droop (like dropping off a rock or into a pothole) then a bump that causes suspension compression. Happens on both sides.
The noise stays consistent regardless of steering position.....
The truck is currently covered in snow/ice so I'll get it into the garage, thaw it out and take some pics. Maybe I'll even take a video of what and how I've been checking everything.
One thing I haven't checked (thinking of this as I write) is the sway arm assembly, perhaps I just have something loosed up there........I'll check this when it's in the garage too and keep you posted.
Thanks again.....I know this seems like such a stupid issue that should be easy to solve but I'm really at a loss. Plus with the winter weather moving in, I feel less and less like investigating

Cheers

 

[BirdManzFJ]

I would check your long bolt, upper A arm.

 

[NorthFJ]

This weekend I got a chance to pull the truck into the garage and chip the ice and snow away.

This time, before jacking up either side, I grabbed a hold of the sway bar and..........was happy to find the bushings were very loose! I honestly can't remember if I've checked it in the past when tracking down this issue. Or if I did check it, I always had only one side jacked up so the bar was loaded up?

The local toyota dealer didn't have any bushings in stock, so I decided to simply remove the sway bar for now and take the truck for a spin to see if I could hear any other noises.
No more rattle/clunk.

The truck has a lot of mileage so I'm sure my fun isn't over, but I'm happy to have a bit of silence for now and get to the root of the issue.

Thanks to everyone (as always) for the quick posts and suggestions. This forum is a haven of great information and a great place to learn!

Since I said I'd post some pictures, here's a picture of the passenger side:

 

[BMThiker]

Ha! I always forget about the sway bar. I removed mine so long ago, it doesn't even register as a possible problem in my mind.

 

[Delancy]

What's a front sway bar?

 

[NorthFJ]

Ha! I always forget about the sway bar. I removed mine so long ago, it doesn't even register as a possible problem in my mind.

Funny, I drove the truck to work this afternoon with it removed.
The drive is a mix of country, highway and city driving. I found hard corners I can feel a touch more front end roll but not a lot and otherwise the truck didn't really drive much different.
I have a bit of off-road travel this weekend and was thinking maybe I'll just leave it off

 

[NorthFJ]

What's a front sway bar?

A 20lb hunk of steel that got stuck under the front of my truck causing a clunk / rattle that was difficult to find....lol

 

[Mtbcoach]

Funny, I drove the truck to work this afternoon with it removed.
The drive is a mix of country, highway and city driving. I found hard corners I can feel a touch more front end roll but not a lot and otherwise the truck didn't really drive much different.
I have a bit of off-road travel this weekend and was thinking maybe I'll just leave it off

Hate to pile in with this pair but I took mine off in first year of ownership and never went back. One significant "evasive" maneuver at speed (highway speed, full brakes, ABS activating, swerve to avoid contact) didn't "sway" me to put it back on.

With that said, I drive these rigs fairly conservatively, understanding the vehicle limits, trying to avoid putting myself into situations like I described above.

On a side note, seeing your pics, I'm so thankful to not have to live in your environment. I can see how such can make working on your rig even more of a challenge...

 

[NorthFJ]

Hate to pile in with this pair but I took mine off in first year of ownership and never went back. One significant "evasive" maneuver at speed (highway speed, full brakes, ABS activating, swerve to avoid contact) didn't "sway" me to put it back on.

With that said, I drive these rigs fairly conservatively, understanding the vehicle limits, trying to avoid putting myself into situations like I described above.

On a side note, seeing your pics, I'm so thankful to not have to live in your environment. I can see how such can make working on your rig even more of a challenge...

You get used to working with the ice and snow....
I have a large woodstove in the garage, first thing in the morning I grab a coffee, light the stove and let everything warm up nicely. I'm just glad now that I'm older I have a heated garage to work in. When I was younger and poorer I used to HATE working under a truck that was all iced up and there was no protection from the wind!
Builds character I guess.....

 

[NorthFJ]

This site should be renamed ih8rust.com, as even the newest aren't impervious to the rapid decay from the port installed corrosion.

I worked almost two decades in automotive manufacturing, I was long corroded before coming here.....besides I'm not that new am I? Although I guess if we look at post count I'm just an infant!

 

[Mtbcoach]

I worked almost two decades in automotive manufacturing, I was long corroded before coming here.....besides I'm not that new am I? Although I guess if we look at post count I'm just an infant!

By "newest", I believe he is referring to vehicles, not people...

 

[NorthFJ]

By "newest", I believe he is referring to vehicles, not people...

Ahhhh I'm simple....what can I say!