still clunking , now worse than before

[EliteConcept]

97 X sport, 59,000 miles. 4x4.

anyways i replaced the sway bar end links and the clunk went away for about 2 weeks. then low and behold it came back.

Let me decribe this clunk or actual when it happens. You know how when you go though a parkin lot that is kinda wavy/ ruff but doesn't have any pot holes, well when i do that at well pretty much any speed it does it , and it does it very loud. i hung my head out the window and i could hear a loud "creak creak creak" but on the inside of the truck you just feel a "clunk clunk" under your feet. i can also feel it in the steering wheel everytime it does it. Its appears to becoming from the drivers side front wheel i know that much. and the passenger can feel it somewhat on their side. It just feels like when i drive from one surface level down to another (like entering a garage with a slight cliff) its just horrible, it also happens at highway speeds but its less noticable then , very noticable under 30mph.

also, not sure if its related but when i turn my wheel sometimes i get a loud squeek. It almost feels like (and i'm not too mechanically inclined so i may word this wrong) but if 2 bushings were rubbing against each other. I can also feel this in the steering wheel sometimes.

The sway bar end links are new. (but i noticed they are not greased)
I had a trusted shop look at the lower ball joint on the drivers side and he said, it could be it but doesn't look really really bad. but probably should be replaced soon.

HELP PLEASE
Ryan

 

[EliteConcept]

UPDATE: It was doing it really bad when i took trip to pick up my brother. It even squeaked/ groaned really bad when i stepped on the runing boards to get out. When i got home i sprayed some wd-40 on the SHOCK MOUNTS/ Bushings, and rocked it using the running boards and it is virtiually gone no squeek or groan.

COULD IT BE: the shock bushings on that one side?

 

[SANDSURFER'98]

no ****

wow!!!! I thought no one else had this problem but me. Every day I go to work and I have to park on the third floor of the parking garage. Every floor I drive up there is a little lip divideing the floors. This lip always causes the same clunk to occur. It dosent matter if im going up or down the garage. It always happens. Man its annoying!!! Im gonna spray some wd-40 on my shocks today afterwork and let you know tomarow if it helped any, I also thought it was sway bar end links, but I replaced them with poly's and that didnt help any either. I hope you have found the cure. KP

 

[EliteConcept]

i've yet to drive on it but i'll find out later today to see if its the same or somewhat better, if its better then i hope its just a bad shock bushing

 

[410Fortune]

I had an annoying clunk on ym BII for almost a year, couldnt find it!
Of course our suspensions are different, but its worth a shot.

My sway bar bolt was just slightly loose, actually the nut was frozen so I thought it was tight, but it wasnt.
replaced it eventually and the clunk was gone....

I would suspect the upper ball joints with that IFS stuff.....

 

[TPLYNCH]

Upper Ball Joints/control arms. Just had mine replaced.... WHAT a difference. I was getting the hollow clunking sound/squeaking when hitting bumps etc.

 

[Cyclepsycho]

Originally posted by TPLYNCH
Upper Ball Joints/control arms. Just had mine replaced.... WHAT a difference. I was getting the hollow clunking sound/squeaking when hitting bumps etc.

How much did that set you back?

 

[TPLYNCH]

Had 150 miles left on my 100K warranty when I brought it in. I tried getting them to do it 2K miles before, but they said they were ok at the time. Went back for them to do alignment and loandbehold, couldn't set it cause ball joints bad. The service guy did quote me $800 before I pointed out warranty should cover.....

 

[SANDSURFER'98]

Well, I gave it a few days to see if wd-40 helped any, but the clunk seems to still be around. Im starting to wounder if it could be the ball joints/shock mount problem. I'll find it one day. The small problems are always there with this truck, but i kind of love it, what a hobby! How did the wd-40 work for you EliteConcept?

I'll let you know if I ever find the problem.

 

[EliteConcept]

it made the squeek go away when i stepped on the running boards but it still clunks

yeah it doesn't cause drivablility problems so thats good.

i think i'm gonna replace the shock on that side, figure its only $20 so i'm gonna start cheap and work my way up....

yep the small problems are always around

 

[Metallic2001]

I had a creak sound coming from my x when going over bumbs and it was the radius arm bushings so i replaced them and now its gone.

 

[EliteConcept]

good tip but 95+ have independent supesion in the front, i think thats what its call its not like the 91-94's

 

[Metallic2001]

ahh, gottcha...thx

 

[X~FACTOR]

Hey EliteConcept. Any update on this? I was doing a search on Ball Joints and this came up. This might be the closest description to MY problem. I would like to know if you got your squeeking sound fixed.

 

[EliteConcept]

nope still does it, it'll do it when i get out of the truck, it makes the sound, and when i close the door i can hear it just a little bit, i would bet the squeeking is realated to the clunking... but its still there

 

[ALYZ1FLR]

Just a thought.

My nieghbors 96 had a rubber exhaust hanger right around the cats that slipped of and it made a clunking noise.

 

[X~FACTOR]

Sorry hear that EliteConcept, what have you changed so far? I don't know where to begin. I figured I'd go to the cheapest route first and check the spring clip on the brake pads (don't remember having that there when I replaced the pads) and then change the sway bar end links and then onto the lower ball joints.

 

[Hartman]

It's your balljoints dude, just bite the bullet and have them replaced.

 

[X~FACTOR]

I stayed up until 2 am last night searching and reading for 3 hours for Ball Joints, End Links, and Loose Calipers. My head is still spinning. This problem is very common, I learned.

How hard is it to replace the lower ball joint? I read you could just rent the tool at Auto Zone. How many special tools are there to get this job done?

 

[M.Scott]

Some of the noise descriptions in this thread are similar to what I had and the fix was cheap. Might try it before you spend $. Make a pinhole in the inner tie rod boots and spray good amount WD40 or silicone spray. Seal up with dab of silicone calc. This fixed my very similar noises.