The front end popping sounds

Pops when slowly turning on uneven ground. Seems to be front passenger side. Took it to brakes plus for an inspection, they told me it needs a front end rebuild. I asked what's the most pressing thing to start with, the tech said "ask an older tech." He also told me my transfercase was leaking. Not sure when it grew one of those. Allegedly the LBJs were replaced under recall. Do you think upper ball joints is a good place to start? It does make the wawawawa sound at speed so I'm pretty sure that's the wheel bearings. Handles way better than any chevy I've ever had.

 

Hi Leah, welcome!

My experience with these old trucks is everything has to be replaced on the front end/steering/suspension. However, I would concentrate on your lower ball joints (OEM only) and wheel bearings due to your description. It's quite possible the sway bar links are the cause of the clunk, too. Can you post a pic or two for us to see better?

 

The big Q: How many miles since the recall was done?

If you buy OEM LBJ, you're usually good up to 150k miles. I'd recommend replacement in the 100k-125k mile range. If you buy aftermarket LBJ, you're good for 5k miles up to 50k miles but it's risky as shit, because aftermarket typically uses plastic internals where Toyota OEM uses metal.

Very few things will kill these trucks. Not changing the timing belt/water pump/tensioner/pulleys every 100k miles with the Aisin-brand OEM kit. Not replacing LBJ with new OEM units and new hardware every 125k-150k. Not replacing the radiator proactively, ideally with the timing belt service (new Denso brand OEM radiator is only $130 from RockAuto), can lead to killing the transmission. Those are truly the really big ones, the things most owners mess up. (more details on your truck here)

If it is your LBJ, be happy you got a warning. We have a thread on here with a dozen or more pages of pictures of smashed up 1st Gen Tundras, from people who mistakenly believed LBJs were somehow not a wear/maintenance part, or who thought they knew better, and chose aftermarket parts, only to have the aftermarket part snap after a few hundred miles.

Three other things will make popping sounds while turning. Steering rack bushings. Swaybar links. CV axles, if you're 4WD.

WAHWAHWAHWAH or WUBWUBWUBWUB while driving is often wheel bearing.

 

If your LBJs haven't been replaced since the recall years ago, then I'd suggest replacing them again.

By your description, it does sound like your wheel bearings need replacing. If you do that, your whole steering knuckle has to come out. It's a perfect time to also replace your upper ball joints.

I'd also check your upper and lower control arm bushings for excess play at that time as well.

 

Wheel bearings could explain the wuh-wuhs . The popping is more likely to be sway bar end links, but could be UCA or LCA bushings. Could also be bad front struts. Needs inspection by someone who knows what to look for, obviously not the guy who saw your phantom transfer case leak.

 

This ^^

Avoid the chain stores. Period. The stories we could all tell on here from folks who've gotten screwed over by them, it's silly.

If you can snap pics of the front end, both from in front of, and behind each front tire, and of the rear end from middle of the bumper forward, the members here can probably tell you a LOT about what's going on.

 

I'll throw in a few cents here...
The popping could be a few different things, metallic "pop" when turning could be the lower ball joints. I have heard this before from people turning in parking lots. It could also be lower A-arm wiggling around in the pocket if the lower A-arm bolts were not SUPER tight. I got a front end alignment at a toyota dealer once and literally the first parking spot i backed into, i got a popping noise when you first start backing up while turning. You could feel a "thud" in the floorboard and steering wheel and hear a semi-metallic thud/pop. I took it to a different mechanic shop the following day and he said it was the lower A-arm bolts not tight and the lower A-arm walking around in the pocket. He said they have to be tight tight.
I am reading these people say sway bar end links but i am not sure i have seen that one before. You would really have to get someone to drive the vehicle in a parking lot, backing up and pulling forward while you walk around outside the vehicle and try to pinpoint where its coming from to get what it most likely is. I have had to do this before with mine and others vehicles over the years.
With knowing how our lower ball joints are designed, this is a critical stress area and when the joints get dry they will get audible and squeaks and creaks and pops and clunks at slow speeds typically mean you are on very short, borrowed time.

 

Let's just end this right here.

If you haven't replaced your LBJ's in 100k miles since the last one. Get that done.

Upper Ball Joints get very little stress and should be at the end of the list of shit to replace.

popping while turning will be your rack bushings.

To test this have someone turn the steering wheel lock to lock while you look at the rack. If it wiggles around (squishing the bushings) that's most likely your culprit.


Your truck sounds like my truck when I got it from my Dad.

Good, but with like $1000 to $2000 into it you're gonna have a truck for 500k miles

and in todays economy, that's a fucking goldmine.

 

You guys scared her away.

 

Noooo I just suck and it's that worst time of year. Pictures coming soon, I've yet to jack it up and mess with play and stuff on my own accord. I'll show you those results too. I appreciate all of you!

 

Glad to hear, Leah. We want to help and there's lots of info available to point you in the right direction to keep you safe and on the road. Post up some pix of the steering area and front suspension when it's convenient for you.