Loud "pop" when turning

[josefgabriel]

Hello. I looked through the FAQ and found what I think my issue might be. This is from the FAQ:

Item: Spring Noise - especially irriating while turning. Could be called a severe "clunk."
Repair: Spread top leaves apart and put grease in between the leaves.
Difficulty: Messy, but easy.
Effect: No noise anymore. Might return after lots of wet weather driving.

What is happening is when i turn (especially at parking speeds) I will hear a loud "pop". If I didn't have straight axles I would be worried it was a CV joint but the above description sounds close to what I am experiancing. Is this simply the sound of the spring leaves rubbing against each other? If so is there any danger in not lubing the springs?

Also one more question. the steering has been very sloppy in my truck (89 FJ62) since I bought it. I am not working at the moment but as soon as I am I plan on going through some of the recommended changes as outlined in the FAQ. Am I at risk of something actually breaking (I have a fear of just losing the ability to steer while driving at highway speeds) in the meantime? And how much would all of these (or the most effective ones) cost if I had my local Toyota dealer perform the work? (I live in a condo and the HOA would scream bloody murder if I so much as opened my hood).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Wile E Coyote]

If we're talking single pop, then perhaps you've found it. Otherwise, if it's a rhythmic series of pops or clicks when turning, then I'd suspect a birf is bad.
Sloppy steering should be addressed. It's up to you to decide when it feels unsafe, and having a catastrophic failure without warning is quite rare, but not impossible. Most folks fix routine issues when they get around to it.
Check the sticky at the top of the page for help finding a mechanic in your area. For a run-o-the mill Toy stealership mechanic, it's not impossible the guy has never laid hands on a cruiser of our vintage before.

 

[Elbert]

sway bars will do this too sometimes when the bushings wear out.

 

[lovetoski]

That info from the FAQ might be from a post of mine...

I stand by it, as it worked for me.

Also you might find (as suggested above) that a number of the bushings can make a noise. Sway bar, and shackle bushings. I'd try silicone spray. This should not cause too much of a problem with the neighbors.

A solid-axle leaf-sprung truck makes suspension noise...at some point you gotta accept this. The hard part is knowing when it's "normal" noise and when it's a problem.

Onto the question of sloppy steering - the most obvious problem is worn TRE's. (Tie Rod Ends) Tightening these is a well-proven way to fix sloppy 60 steering. Pretty easy fix too. Also no need to pop the hood. Screwdriver + pliers + new cotter pin + better steering.

HTH.

PS - all of the above assumes you've checked to make sure there are no issues with the wheel bearings, knuckle bearings, knuckle studs, etc.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That info from the FAQ might be from a post of mine...

I stand by it, as it worked for me.

Also you might find (as suggested above) that a number of the bushings can make a noise. Sway bar, and shackle bushings. I'd try silicone spray. This should not cause too much of a problem with the neighbors.

A solid-axle leaf-sprung truck makes suspension noise...at some point you gotta accept this. The hard part is knowing when it's "normal" noise and when it's a problem.

Onto the question of sloppy steering - the most obvious problem is worn TRE's. (Tie Rod Ends) Tightening these is a well-proven way to fix sloppy 60 steering. Pretty easy fix too. Also no need to pop the hood. Screwdriver + pliers + new cotter pin + better steering.

HTH.

PS - all of the above assumes you've checked to make sure there are no issues with the wheel bearings, knuckle bearings, knuckle studs, etc.

Agree with Doug but he means the drag link ends that are spring loaded. They are extremely easy to tighten up. Pull the cotter pin, unscrew the tension screw, put a nickle behind the inner seat, reassemble and screw the adjuster all the way down, then back off 1/2 turn or so. Grease it up and go. If they are not that worn, just tighten the adjuster screw and install a new cotter pin. Worst case-install new ends-roughly $100 for all 4.

Every bushing can make noise when worn. Just plan on replacing them all over time. Make sure your u-bolts are tight.

 

[josefgabriel]

Thanks for all of the info. The first thing I am going to need to do is familiarize myself with the steering mechanism. When you say "cotter pin", "tension screw", and "inner seat" I only have a vague idea of where those might be. Since I bought my truck I haven't had much opportunity to work on it myself mainly due to nowhere to work on it and all of my tools are in Texas. When I was there I had a sports car that was up on jack stands as much as it was on the street and I knew her intimately.

This does however seem to be something I can try in an auto parts parking lot and will study my Hayne's manual and attempt it soon. Thanks for the responses and now I feel I have something to work with and check for.

I did check the recommend a mechanic thread and although they don't appear to specialize in Toyota's found a place I might try as well for the more involved procedures.

Thanks.

 

[Rigger]

"A solid-axle leaf-sprung truck makes suspension noise...at some point you gotta accept this." --lovetoski

LOL!! Now THERE is a true statement!!

I have a similar noise from my FJ62. This thread has given me some ideas on where to look.

Thanks.

 

[Rigger]

josef, here's a tie rod end. The pin is the cotter pin and it fits thru that castle nut, thru a hole in that smaller threaded end, and gets bent over to keep the castle nut from turning.

The pic is from trail-gear.

 

[Rigger]

One more thing:

I have found that what Coyote says is true. Most Toyota mechanics know very little about Cruisers, especially the ones of this vintage. I'm very selective about letting anyone touch my Cruisers. They'd just screw it up and charge me big dollars.

My advice to you is to get your hands on a place to work on your machine, start reading the manuals, and spend more time reading here, too. Then, plow in and start wrenching. It is a lotta fun. Plus, Cruisers are darned expensive to own unless you do your own "mechanicking".

I'm an old dog & not much of a mechanic, but I have still managed to do quite a bit with my two Cruisers thanks mostly to this site and the helpful folks here.

 

[lehiguy]

When I bought my rig, it appeared as though nobody ever greased the ends of the drag link, the rod that goes from the steering box down to the tie rod. It failed shortly after I got it. It did make noises as I turned at slow speeds. Use a stout brush and remove the junk that accumulates on anything greasy and find the cotter pins in the ends of this rod. Take it apart, the slot through which the cotter pin passes is actually made to be turned like a screw. Look for damaged, cracked, rusted whatever. If any of that is present, buy a new one or look into some of the upgraded steering gear available from after market sources. If that is not the problem, it may be spring bushings, especially if you have polyurethane bushings. These just pop from the joy of existing it seems. No amount of grease is a permanent fix, just a temporary one. Land Cruiser tie rod ends are very stout, but nothing lasts forever. Check for play there too.

 

[hoppie]

It could be the leaves sliding sideways on themselves. Could be a lose spring pack. If you grease the leaves and the sound goes away, that's what it is. Old Man Emu springs are famous for doing this. If you look at leafs, you may be able to see a visible wear pattern which may show how much it is moving. They also may not line up perfectly suggesting they shift. When the spring pack shifts this way, it can make a big clunk. I never had this problem until I put on OME springs. I assume you're running stock springs with no lift?

 

[josefgabriel]

Wow even more info! The picture really helped. I'm going to try to find a place to do this over the weekend if I am not being rained on. It looks like you might not even need to raise the truck on on Jackstands to access it. You could never do this with my lowered GSX. Two follow ups for clarification. I looked up the procedure in the Haynes manual and it helped me to identify where the TREs are located. But I am still unsure on a couple of things. This is my basis for the procedure here from cruiser Drew:

"Pull the cotter pin, unscrew the tension screw, put a nickle behind the inner seat, reassemble and screw the adjuster all the way down, then back off 1/2 turn or so. Grease it up and go."

There appear to be two nuts. The "castle" nut and a nut to a right angle which looks like it screws into the tie rod itself. I don't mess with that one right?

So pull the cotter pin, unscrew the "castle" nut (or is the bolt a screw?, and um... put a nickle behind the inner seat? I don't get that. And when it says screw "the adjuster" all the way down does that mean tightening the castle nut or tuning the bolt (screw?) that the nut is surrounding?

Sorry to be so dense. I am not a total novice at working on vehicles but you have to love how a Haynes manual breakdown procedure can be.

Step 1. remove engine
Step 2. remove transmission.....

 

[Rigger]

One thing at a time here. Drew was referring to the ends of the drag link (also called the relay rod). He is explaining how to tighten, or remove the play in, the ends of the drag link. The play, or slop, may be the source of the noise. Changing tie rod ends is a different thing altogether.

 

[josefgabriel]

I didn't mean to infer that I wanted to change the rod ends. I am just wanting to take the play out of the relay rod. I am just not certain to what he is referring to. Maybe this will help.

 

[Rigger]

Sorry, man. I think I am the one that caused the confusion.

The picture is a picture of a tie rod end. The procedure involving the nickel takes place on a relay rod end, which is a different animal.

Again, I am sorry.

Lemme see if I can dig up a pic of a relay rod end.

 

[Rigger]

Here is a relay rod end. This is on the driver side, right on the steering box (pitman) arm.

 

[Rigger]

If you look at the above pic, then read Drew's note, it should make some sense.