The clunk is more reliable than the Maint light on the dash!
The OFFICIAL clunk/thunk driveshaft thread
- Thread starter Kigiin
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haha yup. Only things I haven't done are my transmission and engine mounts. And been sitting on brand new rear upper and lower toyota control arms and pan hard bar for 1.5 years. Have 303,000 miles on current originals but recently had another great suspension expert check them out and he couldnt still see any damage to bushings and did pry bar test on every rear component and only sway bar links had play. So I finally installed those oem myself, and also oem sway bar bushings after sitting on them for 1.5 years also haha. Put in all new hardware again as i always do. He and two other shops were like don't change the rear control arms and pan hard bar because they seem to be going great still.@WanderingWarrior, your last comment made me go really deep into a rabbit hole looking for that 60% moly grease, thanks for that!
I believe that this thread is so complicated that made everyone paranoid about clunky stuff in our cruisers.
There’s MANY places where clunks can come from on this car, from drive half shafts (CVs) to bushings and driveshafts from transfer case to axles.
If we’re talking about the shafts going from the axle housing to the wheels (CV axles), then we know that there might be play in splines and repair is replacement of axle/ flange. I did it and it worked!
If bushings, then there’s a solution as well by replacing 1 or all bushings in the whole suspension and axle holding system, how deep you want to go?
I replaced all 3 front axle support points bushings, and feels like butter being squeezed on warm bread.
If inside the axle house (gears) then you know what it means, a pretty expensive job that most people don’t know how to tackle, but doable if you want your LC to keep chugging.
If we’re talking about the drive shafts (“s” as 2 of them in our rigs) usually displayed as a slight bump 1/2 a second after you reach a full stop, or a bump between the moment you release your brake pedal and reach the accelerator pedal, then we’re dealing with the slip joints in those shafts, which are splined as well, need grease to operate properly, and the type of grease needed can spark an endless debate.
(See Ford’s forums for examples).
I managed to, mostly, keep it quiet by injecting grease in there every oil change.
Took me a few tries to get old grease through the seal, but eventually it did come out and now I know it’s flowing. I use whatever grease is in the gun that day.
I cleaned the seal slide area (the shinier part that the seal moves through) with emery cloth several times until old grease came out, never used too much pressure, just enough to make it flow.
I pump a few times every oil change, some grease comes out, I’m good to move on.
I used Moly grease, same as red lithium, and yellow stuff, no matter, same results, the “clunk” lets me know that I’m due for an oil change.
Edited to add that I drove a 2021 LC back in 2021, and it Also Clunked between gears! So it isn’t a problem, it’s just how a multi-linked 4x4 system on a very heavy truck works, it has so many points of contact between your gear lever to the wheels that it’s pretty much impossible to soften them all, specially when said vehicle is 25yo!
So @WanderingWarrior , I’m not following that rabbit today! Even though it’s an interesting chemical that I might get just to play with it a bit and form yet Another theory.
Maybe I’ll use it in an F150 to blow their minds in their really confusing forums!
But I feel i should change since I have them and can handle job myself. Bushings have to be old in there UNLESS someone did change them years ago (before my ownership) and i am not aware, because 302,000 miles (huge chunk was all highway over 27 years) and no play or visible rips or cracks on rear control arm bushings with flashlight and borescope (so tight in there because of metal brackets on side) seems odd. Same time my original front control arms lasted till 295000 miles and 26 years when i changed to oem again in 2025. AND even then only ONE lower control arm ball joint was loose. Other three were going fine! Front sway bar bushings were bad.
I am often of the pov of don't replace things until they actually give you an issue. The other voice goes change change haha lol. Some have fixed the P R D clunk by changing out rear control arms. Some haven't. I've done everything (front end, hubs, cv flanges, wheel bearings, (everything aways oem) EXCEPT engine and transmission mounts and rear control arms and pan hard bar. @Jack90210 Haven't ordered mounts but maybe will later if this gets too annoying. I can live with the clunk, have for years and will continue to grease the propeller drive shafts every 3-4k miles or so, or once a year. Oh and never fixing anything inside front or rear differential and yup could be inside there.
I also do not have the clunk from stop and go or while cruising and then hitting accelerate. Fortunately car is smooth as butter all times except bit of clunk and sometimes a creak between R and D. This is definitely Research and Development pun intended lol.
From my experience a bad rear control arm bushing will show itself as a swing on acceleration/deceleration from rear axle, it’ll feel like the rear of the vehicle wants to go somewhere you’re not.
I drove a really bad case Nissan once and that was really scary, and as soon as I felt the slightest hint of that happening on my LC I went for the full 4 arms replacement.
The panhard bushings are still good so no changes there, and I can tell you that I could have kept the old arms for another 100k miles easily if it wasn’t that I’m a bit pedantic with suspension condition is on my cars.
I got 3 new front control arms, 1 replaced about a year ago, it was squeaky, the other 3 are going in whenever the weather gets better. (I’m in S. Florida, that means winter).
I’d say that it’s unlikely the motor and transmission mounts are the source of your clunk, but it feels sooo nice after replacement! Smooths the vibrations so much you’ll find yourself over the speed limit very often for the first few days.
I did feel some suspension knocks and creaks that bothered and baffled me for a couple months, didn’t know what was the issue and suspected ball joints, thinking I’ll have to advance the control arms job.
Ended up being a loose bottom shock mount bolt, luckily caught on time. Might want to lay under your cruiser with a set of sockets and a ratchet to check for loose bolts/nuts.
I drove a really bad case Nissan once and that was really scary, and as soon as I felt the slightest hint of that happening on my LC I went for the full 4 arms replacement.
The panhard bushings are still good so no changes there, and I can tell you that I could have kept the old arms for another 100k miles easily if it wasn’t that I’m a bit pedantic with suspension condition is on my cars.
I got 3 new front control arms, 1 replaced about a year ago, it was squeaky, the other 3 are going in whenever the weather gets better. (I’m in S. Florida, that means winter).
I’d say that it’s unlikely the motor and transmission mounts are the source of your clunk, but it feels sooo nice after replacement! Smooths the vibrations so much you’ll find yourself over the speed limit very often for the first few days.
I did feel some suspension knocks and creaks that bothered and baffled me for a couple months, didn’t know what was the issue and suspected ball joints, thinking I’ll have to advance the control arms job.
Ended up being a loose bottom shock mount bolt, luckily caught on time. Might want to lay under your cruiser with a set of sockets and a ratchet to check for loose bolts/nuts.
Thank you. Issue was there prior to me switching out lower bushings (went again with oem) on my front AHC battering rams/ shocks when I did all my front control arms oem. Everything was torqued to spec with new hardware. Clunk remained. So don't think it's anything not torqued to spec in front but maybe in rear on current control arms they may not be after 27 years and maybe just need to be, will check. I do remember tightening some of them 4 years ago and they did barely get tighter. Feels like noise comes from rear to front. Had toyota master mechanic friend also watch and he heard it come from rear of drive train to front also but we never cared to look too much into it after because it isn't a huge bother for me.
Old sway bar links definitely had done their job after 27 years and 303,000 miles when i replaced a week ago. And they did have good amount of play in them especially at the bottom bushing. No play now. Top broke on one even after using liquid wrench for a while but glad had all new oem hardware to install as is my habit whenever i replace anything on this. Car has gotten tighter. I'd say it was a bit loose in the back as I hit the bumpy Toronto roads. Now tighter this past week and with my AHC that I serviced myself in last two years with new globes and everything in spec, the car drives so nicely, better than my much newer RX350 at times.
I have put off engine mounts and transmission mount replacement for past several years because car is so smooth other than at P to R to D etc. I can still balance a coin on the engine head at idle! Made a few videos of it before. So smooth. Haven't tried when revving but may when have someone else's help or when set up camera on tripod to see if engine mounts move a lot or not.