"clunk" sources

[Houm_WA]

All,

I have been chasing a clunking noise for a few weeks now and it's driving me crazy. The LCAs and their bushings are new so it's not that. The f/r swaybar bushings "look good" according to LR Seattle. No shimmie in the wheel or any real issue with handling.

...clunk SOUNDS just like a swaybar bush being worn out, but it's not. Most prominent at low speed and low amplitude bumps...really even when the suspension is not being taxed much at all. Could be something loose as much as it could be something mechanical.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Houm

 

[GSMblue]

I had something similar today, it was driving me crazy. Turns out it was a dog toy my wife left in the passenger door pocket..

This is why my wife is not allowed near the LR3 - she leaves her crap everywhere and I end up going crazy...

I hope you solution is as simple as a bat **** crazy wife!

 

[CMGRover]

I have a similar noise coming from the front of my Jeep Liberty- IFS in the front too. Does it seem to set the clunk off when the wheels drop? Like hitting ruts/potholes? Mine is at low speeds too.

 

[Houm_WA]

I can't say that it does. I mean the clunk is there when the wheels drop, but it's ALSO there when there is any low amplitude bumps. I think it's just something loose (and GSM, it's OUTSIDE the cab for sure) and it's driving me nuts. Problem is with all my skid plates it could be hidden!

 

[RoverGuy7]

Sway bar bushings are by far most common(past your already new parts). Have you noticed if it does it when both wheels move the same amount, slowly going straight over a speed bump?

These are not always visually bad, and I have even seen them nice and tight on the bar until after it is taken out for a spin, and then real loose when pulled right back onto the lift.

 

[Trynian]

Houm, here is a list of clunking things I have replaced over the last 3 years on my 2006 with 105k on it now.

Sway bar link, they can separate and pop back in so hard to see unless you get lucky and catch it. low probability but I have seen it on a 1 or 2 vehicles. One of mine was bent which is why I replaced both.

Sway bar bushing - hard to detect but the actual clunk comes from side to side motion and clunking at the stops that are on the sway bar. Easiest way to check it is to undo the links and see if you can "clunk" the sway bar back and forth in the bushings. I got the new upgraded bushings that are a bit beefier to fix that one.

Front diff bushing - I don't recall the technical name but it is the bushing on the arm that keeps the front axle from rotating due to toque. Mine was gone, and you can see if there is any play by pushing up and down on it.

Inner tie rods arms- mine were worn and I could wobble the wheel back and forth, it would clunk mostly on sweeping freeway on ramp turns or on rough roads.

Upper control arm bushings. Mine were completely gone at around 60k. I could slide the arms back and forth with the weight off of them.

Now granted that is a lot of stuff but as you know, I do off road mine pretty hard so with the weight of the vehicle and and all the toque put on the front from steep downhill terrain it is not to be unexpected.

My off road buddy with the same year LR3 set up identical to mine had a clunk that we could not track down to mechanical but found when we took his RS rock sliders off and the clunk went away. still not sure where or why they were clunking but after we put them back on and torqued everything good the clunk never came back.

 

[Houm_WA]

Interesting about your off-road buddy....because that's one of my theories, that a piece of wood or something is caught inside my RS Slider. I say this because this clunk can be so rapid and light sounding at times (like high frequency low amplitude bumps) that I'm not convinced that it's even in the suspension or a mechanical component.

Dave, good tips on the swaybar bushing sometimes being worn but not visible. I picked on the s/b bushings because I've had both changed and know what that clunk sounds like. There DOES seem to be some dependence on one wheel compressed vs. both...but it's not real consistent so it's tough to tell. It feels like it's coming from right under my seat or maybe just a bit aft.

Maybe I'll have LR Seattle take it for another spin this Saturday or something...they're pretty cool about that. They have those "ears" that they can put on underneath it. They did say that my tie rods seem to have some looseness to them but they are pretty new (at least the ones that come with the steering rack are because I replaced that last year) and I cannot move my wheels in/out by hand.

Anyway, thanks guys. I'm not concerned about the health of the vehicle...I'm just annoyed by the clunk.

 

[tlt]

Here is a nice group of sound identification videos that include a few you haven't mentioned, hopefully it will help. http://www.youtube.com/user/jjvd21/videos

 

[Houm_WA]

This is awesome! Thanks tlt

 

[Houm_WA]

UPDATE: Seems to be non-existent when driving around in Access Height. It's such a light clunk sound, not like previous sway bar bushes. Racking my brain here...