Unidentified Noise Please Help

Hey everyone, new to the forum. I’ve got a 2005 Tundra SR5 4x4 with a weird clunk. The truck has new upper and lower ball joints, upper and lower control arms, inner and outer tie rods, new sway bar end links, new driver side cv axle and new front strut/shocks. The noise was present prior to all of this. It sounds like it’s driver side wheel area but I know how sound tends to travel along the frame and etc. No play in the wheels when jacked up and I can’t recreate the noise while it’s jacked up. Just greased the driveshaft.

The noice is present while just driving down the road. Doesn’t make the noise while turning or anything. Just driving straight down the road and it makes the noise.

You can’t feel the clunk in the steering wheel. You can slightly feel it in the drivers side floor board but very very slightly. I’ve posted a link to a video below. Let me know what you think. Thanks in advance!!
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/dg307-Jkpzo

 

Sway bar or do you have skid plates?

 

I have a front sway bar-new end links. I do have a skid plate and everything on it is tight.

 

Seems like I recall someone taking off their skid plate recently and it stopped a clunk but I won't swear to it.

 

Thanks Nick! I’ll take off the skid plate and see if that does anything. I just got a waterproof camera I’m going to mount underneath to see if I can tell where it’s coming from.

 

Like I said, not promising anything but it would be a easy thing to start with since it sounds like you've replaced just about everything else.

 

Agreed. Other than engine mounts and heat shield, what? Steering. But, when you pull the skid, disconnect the sway links and tie up the bar. Humor me.

 

@Ryan101 did you ever figure this out? Think I'm having the same issue.

 

Take a look at your rack and pinion bushing mounts…I don’t recall my ‘06 making a clunk noise like that, but the bushings had worn out and needed to replace them. I put in energy suspension polyurethane ones when I replaced the factory ones…you can see the 3 red bushings in the pic to help with where to look to check the condition of yours

 

Got any other details about when it happens?

While turning? If so, in which directions and at what speeds?
While accelerating? If so, from a standstill, or while moving?
While braking? If so, .... you get the idea.

 

Going over bumps with left front wheel, any speed, might be less pronounced when turning to the right. I think I can feel it in the driver's footwell. Feels sort of like metal is touching metal somewhere it shouldn't be and I'm feeling the vibrations.

Was not far from home the other day (one day after coming back from a 3 hours each way weekend trip), driving down the highway when the knocking or vibration started. I thought I might even have a flat. Gingerly pulled off highway, jacked up front left and jerked the wheel around. I definitely have a bit of play in my driver's side outer tie rod when the wheel is off the ground and I'm tugging at 3 and 9. But could that make such a pronounced racket? Tugging at 12 and 6 resulted in no sensation of movement.

Other immediate thought was sway bar end links, but I just replaced them today and the issue persists. I'm worried that my lower ball joint is effed but I couldn't feel or see anything wrong with it, and truck seems to drive fine. I sort of assume that the PO swapped the ball joints when the frame was recalled in 2016. Could be steering rack bushings I guess, though the rack feels solid too. Body mount bushing? Gonna do more investigation tomorrow.

 

Oddly enough, mine was my driver’s side marker light about to fall out.

 

I'm wondering if HAL is dealing with a blown out steering shaft seal, or potentially a bushing related to steering?

Kinda like what this guy was complaining about, and @BubbaW highlighted a pic of: https://www.tundras.com/threads/loose-bolts.106614/#post-2749196

 

Sounds a lot like my bad body mount. Pray that isn’t the issue. Is the ride harsh at all, like metal banging against metal on the smallest of bumps?

 

This is gonna end up with me doing my lbjs and control arms. I just know it.

 

Your waterproof action camera should hunt it down.

 

Oh I’m not the original poster!

May have found it though. My spare is kinda dangly and I think it might be thwacking the frame over bumps. Sat in the car and had a friend kick the spare. Felt it under my feet in the wheel well. I WILL find it very funny if that’s all it is. Haven’t had time to tighten it up and go for a spin.

Side quest: Stuck a 30” pry bar between LBJ and control arm with truck jacked up & wheel off and could not see a hint of play.

 

Still clunkin' but I don't think it sounds like a wheel is coming off anymore because, you know, it isn't. Guess I have to get that tie rod jam nut loose tomorrow and replace the completely worked rod end.

I hope this is entertaining for someone.

 

Check inside the cab for the steering ujoint hold the wheel and try to move the engine side of the steering shaft.

 

Y’all use the same grease in these as your driveshafts? I have some Mobil 1 ngli2 red stuff loaded up.

 

New ones come pre greased and shouldn’t need any extra

 

Well will you look at that! Grease in there looks green. Wonder what they use…

 

It's my cab/frame mounts. Check out this carnage:



Anyway, I fixed it:



Haha, just kidding. That was a temporary measure since I haven't had time to get into it myself. Picking up oem bolts from the dealer tomorrow so I can just cut these out and slot new Energy Suspension bushings in.

Any idea what the dimensions of the smaller bolts are? I decided not to buy those at the dealer. (90080-11377 on Toyota diagrams)

 

Check this out: https://www.tundras.com/threads/pickup-bed-lean…bad-leaf-bushing-shock.107039/

Tagging @Jack McCarthy

 

Bolts are the same thread size M10x1.25.

Good to know I’m not alone in this endeavor.

 

Ayy misery loves company.

FYI While looking into this I found a post on tundrasolutions where a fellow said the Tacoma energy suspension bushing package works on first gens. Thank you, anonymous internet poster. looking forward to exercising my 6” Milwaukee angle grinder tomorrow.

 

Yeah, I already picked mine up from Amazon for $99.

I also bought the 8.4105G meant for the T100, but I returned them since the height of the cushion to put between the frame and the body was only 5/8”. The

$153 8.4109G Body Mount Set-Reg, Access & Dbl Cab

8.4109G for the Tacoma were larger at a height of 3/4”.

Tomorrow I pick up some cut up 4x4 posts from Home Depot to use in lifting the body off the frame.

 

Know what the length is? Thinking they’re a 15-20mm but haven’t pulled one yet. Once I’m in there I just want to do it.

 

The two smaller bolts (90080-11377) are 1 1/4" long w/10 mm washer. The long bolt (52217-0C090) is 5 1/2" with a 10 mm washer.