Clunk and shudder when braking in rear ‘04

I have an issue that began as intermittent but not constant. When braking at slow speed, the rear axle shudders and makes a thumping noise. At first, I thought it was in the front. I replaced the CV axle, stabilizer links, brake rotors, calipers and pads. I took the drums off the rear and it’s not the brakes (maybe ABS OR GEARS). I don’t (but will) want to replace and see if that works. Anyone experience this ?

 

Grease your driveshaft

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/grease-your-drive-shaft-you-lazy-sods.55067/#post-1441315

 

Nope. It isn’t the driveshaft needing grease. I did a complete service and I personally greased every fitting on the truck. I used a full tube of grease on the 3 vehicles I maintain for My Family.

this link you supplied
is for acceleration problems. Mine is a deceleration/braking issue. Completely the opposite of the issue.

 

Ok

 

Brake problem

 

Oh and to help isolate all but the drive shaft, throw it in neutral when you begin braking in a safe area.

 

Give us some specs on your truck's suspension, whether you have aftermarket lift, any armor or skidplates. Anything non-stock or replaced suspension-wise, basically.

And are you 1,000% positive your rear drums are properly adjusted, and your e-brake system is completely functional and intact? And the slip yoke specifically isn't lubed like the other zerks, you're sure you did that correctly, i.e. pump, distribute, pump, distribute, then loosen the zerk? (Clunk at stop/accel is a classic symptom, vibration not so much, it speaks to other driveline items or rear brakes)

Have you checked the u-joints and confirmed the carrier bearing has no clear issues, and your driveshaft is clocked correctly? Has the driveshaft or carrier been out recently for any reason?

What has been done for the rear brakes, were drums replaced?

 

I had this problem when I first got my truck. I replaced the brakes and rear shocks (in addition to the shudder the back would "hop" when braking)...problem solved.

 

Hi w666. I do need to replace the shocks and I’ll try that along with the brakes. What I’ll also need to replace are the backing plates also. It seems like the cheapest I can find are very expensive.

 

Hi Shifty. I’ve driven the truck for 6 years without replacing anything. The issue just started as I was returning from an errand. It’s all pure stock. I’ve kept up with the maintenance and that included greasing every fitting. I’ll do the brakes and shocks. I plan on driving this for another 200k miles.

 

The rear shocks I used from Rock Auto cost $12 each! Now that I've decide to keep the truck (~ 3 years later) I've just replaced them with Bilstein 4600. The backing plate is another matter...the axle has to come out and the bearing et al is pressed off. Most of us have rust around the outer edge of the backing plate while the center (the important part) is good. Post up some pictures

 

I'm hearing "My truck is a rusty bucket" vibes here. Any pics?

 

Similar issue in mine. Going to grease the driveshaft tomorrow. Hopefully that does it.

Do you notice it happens more often in reverse? Almost like ABS is engaging? Mine had rear brakes done at Toyota dealership in last 10,000 miles by previous owner. Wonder if they weren't ajsuted properly?

 

If you notice a clunk when shifting back and forth between R and F, that's more often a bad U-joint. Welcome to the forum. This thread may be helpful.

You on the lake, or is the nickname symbolic of something else? Not prying, no answer required, I just happen to fish up that way a couple times a year.

 

Thanks, shifty! No, west coast. It's a family name though, and some from the Carolinas.

What you mentioned happens too, but I'm more specifically talking about when I'm already in reverse and moving.

 

I'm not saying it is the U-joints, and I'd expect clunk both ways, but I guess I'd still be checking the U-joints while greasing the driveline. Especially if not greased in the last 5k-10k miles as expected (I do mine every oil change).

But yeah, grease the whole driveline. While you're under there, may as well give the U-joints a good jerk and tweak.

 

Thanks again. Not very mechanically apt, but learning quickly with the Tundra. Is there a way to jerk/tweak while they are still attached? Should I put the truck in Neutral? What should I be looking for to determine if they are OK or need to be replaced?

Also, is there a good way to grease the center support bearing? What kind of grease to use if so?

 

Unless you're seeing zerks on the carrier, it's not greasable. I don't think I've seen one for our trucks that is.
On U-joints. Someone posted this earlier, and as much as I don't like the guy, it's actually pretty solid, skip to 4m48s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gOeBE-ylQw#t=4m48s​

 

Have a 4x4 and there are zerks? This is very helpful, thank you!

 

Damn, make sure you clean those zerks before you pump

 

No, I mean for the carrier bearing. You asked about the carrier/center support bearing and if it had zerks or was greasable. It's a mixed bag on most vehicles I've owned, you either need to use a needle tip to punch through the boot and lube, unless it's using a sealed bearing and can't be.

For details on lubing from the FSM: https://www.tundras.com/threads/jolt-when-stopping-at-a-light.60699/#post-1590863

For specific info on the slip yoke's zerk which uses a bit of a different process from other's, read FGV's words in italic here (you can skip his link): https://www.tundras.com/threads/what-would-you-say-if-i-told-you.71827/#post-1848468

My prefered NLGI 2 grease, but use what you like as long as it's NLGI 2: https://www.tundras.com/threads/jolt-when-stopping-at-a-light.60699/page-2#post-1861809

 

Ahh yeah. Thank you. NLGI 2 ordered and ready to go.

 

Calls for molybdenum based grease on the double cardon joint. Not sure why it really matters but it does call for it.

 

You're right. Grease I referenced is moly-fortified, but I'll be honest: I just poked around and I'm having trouble finding a quality NLGI 2 grease that isn't moly-fortified.