Really loud popping 2017 Platinum *Update*

Need some input. I am sending my 2017 Platinum into the shop because I am getting really loud popping any time I turn or brake really hard. Sometimes it is just noise other times I can feel it in the steering.

Truck has a 3” spacer lift with JBA UCA and coach builder tie rod ends.

The popping has gotten significantly worse with time. I am having the shop replace my steering rack bushings but now I am second guessing myself. Can those cause popping all the time?

I jacked the truck up tried wiggling the wheel and the only thing it does do is clunk back in forth but it’s the steering rack just moving and translating up the steering column. Like when I move it back and forth the steering wheel moves.

I checked if everything was tight and nothing showed to be loose. One thing I did see is the bushings on the lower eye kit of the coilover looks like dry rot. Can that be something? I can literally make it pop if I bring the truck to a hard stop from slow. It will pop really bad in parking likes sounds like metal to metal popping.

 

Other side note I have been spraying everything with PB blaster to see if I can get it to stop and locate where it’s actually coming from. The other day I got it to stop but I had sprayed every joint by the time it stopped. I have not been able to spray it and get it to stop since.

 

Hard to say. Them spacer lifts put all sorts of stuff in a bind. Stick a GoPro magnet mount up in there and move it until you see what's jumping around and tighten it up or fix it

 

Did you have a hard look at your UCA bolts?

 

You mean LCA, right? I mean, it doesn’t hurt to look at the UCAs, but I’d put my money on a lower cam bolt being loose first.

 

Ball joints...squish them with your finger...have any grease in them? Also check your spacer bolts and sway bar end links...haha man, that might be everything...more grease!

 

No, I meant UCA. I've had a nut and washer come off and my entire bolt loose in the tower. Definitely made the noise he's talking about.

 

LCA bolts may need to be tightened. If they aren’t at correct torque you get some noises.

 

Have you checked your sway bar connections? I am having a clunking sound that sounds similar to your situation and it started once I reinstalled my sway bar. So I am 99% sure its from the sway bar but I just don't know how to fix it.

 

The linkage that ties the bar to the frame...(end links) should be first looked at...tighten until stop by hand...

 

Are you saying both the frame mounts and the end link bolts be tightened by hand?

 

How many miles do you have on the spacer lift? Spacer lifts wear out stock shocks really quick. I had to replace mine with lift coils and shocks after less than 20k miles because I was getting sounds from the bottom shock mounts.

 

You guys were all right. LCA bolts were loose. One thing I never touch personally because isnt it those bolts that if you tighten them they change the alignment spec? Or is there more to it then I realize. They told me these things were very loose which pisses me off cause I had my truck aligned by Les Shwab against my better judgement and they left my LCA's and Tie rods loose. Nuts what could ve came from that. I know everyone hates spacer lifts but given i dont offroad much it has been fine for me. Would I probably like a set of coilovers on it, Im sure but I am going to be moving up to a 2500 here soon hopefully so investing too much into the truck is not worth it at this time.

 

Monday I am actually replacing my steering rack bushings with Polys as I have always felt they had too much play in them since i bought the truck. Im excited to see how it drives after that because just having the LCA tight like they should be tighten everything up quite a bit. The bushings I heard make the steering much nicer in feeling road hits.

 

Not tightened by hand but with tools...I've had the links come loose on my German cars and they too made a popping noise that took a long time to figure out...the entire sway bar linkage...

 

They were hand tight. From what I can gather they did my whole alignment and once it was dialed in did not go back tighten everything up. The popping is gone so it was that being loose.

 

Yahoooooo! Nice work! Go grab yourself a beverage now!!

 

Right! lol Ill update on the rack bushings Monday as well.

 

You’ll want beer for that project.

 

Oh I got Lucky I found a local mechanic who will do it for $250 Worth every penny for how awful I hear that project is.

 

Well glad i went with my gut to have my rack bushings replaced Looking like one of the bushings is pretty out of shape. Looking like a straight oval

 

Heres another shot of the bushings out and the condition they were in. You can see how out of round the one is. Product of 35's on a Tundra.

 

Daaaaang!!