Clunks when turning and on uneven ground

[Matthew Jeschke]

Good catch! Mevotech, I got the name mixed up.

So the plot thickens! I don't think I posted my next round of parts darts. Bleeping thing kept clunking! So I said the he LL with it and COMPLETELY tore it down...

All new Energy Suspension front upper and lower control arm bushings.
All new Mevotech upper and lower control arm ball joints
New front bump stops

Ug. It still clunks. I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out what's clunking. It seems to happen when I'm off road and articulating the suspension.

I have Bilstein 5100 shocks all round with about 20,000 miles on them. Boots are DESTROYED... Not sure if they can get dirty and make some noise when exercised.

I'm thinking of replacing the sway bar bushings (they look fine but are original 250k miles). The only thing I can think of after that I've not replaced is the steering shaft... but if fiddle with it and cannot find any play in the line.

My rear bushings are SHOT... But no slop in any of them, nothing that would create a clunk. I should really redo those as well but not really eager to jump into that just yet.

Any ideas?

 

[wjburken]

Good catch! Mevotech, I got the name mixed up.

So the plot thickens! I don't think I posted my next round of parts darts. Bleeping thing kept clunking! So I said the he LL with it and COMPLETELY tore it down...

All new Energy Suspension front upper and lower control arm bushings.
All new Mevotech upper and lower control arm ball joints
New front bump stops

Ug. It still clunks. I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out what's clunking. It seems to happen when I'm off road and articulating the suspension.

I have Bilstein 5100 shocks all round with about 20,000 miles on them. Boots are DESTROYED... Not sure if they can get dirty and make some noise when exercised.

I'm thinking of replacing the sway bar bushings (they look fine but are original 250k miles). The only thing I can think of after that I've not replaced is the steering shaft... but if fiddle with it and cannot find any play in the line.

My rear bushings are SHOT... But no slop in any of them, nothing that would create a clunk. I should really redo those as well but not really eager to jump into that just yet.

Any ideas?

Is the clunk audible or are you just feeling it?

Silly question,but you’ve checked all the stuff like the jack and stuff to make everything is locked down tight, right?

How much play do you have in your rear axles?

 

[tRidiot]

Sway bar bushings should be pretty easy to replace, right? I mean, compared to what all you've done so far. But then, I don't know that I'd expect them to make clunking noises.

 

[mpope2]

Have you checked the CV shaft on that side?

 

[Donal]

Good catch! Mevotech, I got the name mixed up.

So the plot thickens! I don't think I posted my next round of parts darts. Bleeping thing kept clunking! So I said the he LL with it and COMPLETELY tore it down...

All new Energy Suspension front upper and lower control arm bushings.
All new Mevotech upper and lower control arm ball joints
New front bump stops

Ug. It still clunks. I cannot for the LIFE of me figure out what's clunking. It seems to happen when I'm off road and articulating the suspension.

I have Bilstein 5100 shocks all round with about 20,000 miles on them. Boots are DESTROYED... Not sure if they can get dirty and make some noise when exercised.

I'm thinking of replacing the sway bar bushings (they look fine but are original 250k miles). The only thing I can think of after that I've not replaced is the steering shaft... but if fiddle with it and cannot find any play in the line.

My rear bushings are SHOT... But no slop in any of them, nothing that would create a clunk. I should really redo those as well but not really eager to jump into that just yet.

Any ideas?

Take a look at the torsion bar hex and socket fit in the control arm. If you can see a space between the hex and socket, fashion thin wood wedges and drive into the spaces. Test drive over the uneven terrain and determine if any improvement.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

I feel so bad for some reason I never get my notifications from the forum anymore. All very great suggestions! I have not tried them.

@wjburken it is audible. Not sure if I can feel in steering as I have quite a bit of slop in steering, another post on that linked below. I kind of suspect pitman arm / steering bar linkage.

Rebuilding a steering box

Went to have a my 2001 Z71 Tahoe aligned. One of the FEW places I've not rebuild is the steering box. There's ZERO play in front suspension / steering joints. However, the steering wheel seems a little spongy. I kind of thought was normal performance as it doesn't clunk or anything. However, I...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

I installed a new to my truck rear end. Before putting it in I pulled cover off and checked gear lash. All I remember is it was well within factory spec. However, reverse to drive I do feel slop which is a different question I hope to answer some day (transfer case wear?).

@tRidiot for sure. Biggest problem is finding time in my schedule when I am buy the parts store to get the sway bar bushings. I'm 100% going polly, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the energy suspension stuff. The bad press is all wrong on them. They have pliability and only ride BETTER than stock. I think people are fixing wrong thing or installing them with wrong grease (squeek).

@mpope2 yes and no. Good reminder. Years ago I thought my CV shafts were bad so I bought a new (used) set from junkyard after cherry picking the lot. Turns out my issue was a loose door haha. I've since removed the axel nut w/ dust cover. I marked end of bolt and nut. Hasn't moved from when I torqued it on. However, I need to see if there's slop in the shaft / knuckles / bendy parts. They show no signs of leaking.

@Donal BEAUTIFUL, this maybe my problem. I always wondered as I DO see light / gap there between torsion bar the control arm. Is that typical or result of wear? I always wondered if that was an issue / could create noise. I will drive some wood wedges in there and see if it helps! Great suggestion!

 

[Donal]

The joint of the torsion bar and arm has to be loose because the bar travels in an arc around the pivot point of the lower arm as the suspension works. The popsicle stick trick just assists in locating the noise source. the sticks will soon be purged as the bar functions. The torsion bar is joined to the arm about 3 inches from the pivot point of the lower arm and moves in arc of the 3 inch radius as the suspension travels. So each torsion bar sees a radial load and would see a bending load if the joint was a tight fitting joint. The cross member that the rear end of the torsion fits in also has rubber bushing to check and replace if need. Think of the torsion bars load as being the algebraic sum of the total load supported. This means that one bar may be loaded higher than the other side. In situation where the road surface is rough, pitted or like notification cuts along the edge of the pavement, each side of the vehicle's suspension will see different loads. Each shock asborber, torsion bar, etc. All try to stabilize the vehicle. If one torsion bar has a light preload, compared to the other side, the loose fitting joint may be generating the noise.
The Z dimension should be the same for both sides and should be corrected as the first step in trouble shooting front suspensions. The Z height is illustrated in Chapter 10 of the manual recently made available to members.

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

How do you measure your z height? I used a level and tape measure. Not exactly high precision... Curious if there is a better method. I'll go through your routine to troubleshoot. Thanks!

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Well, a side effect of all this is my steering and handling is MUCH improved! Poly bushings ALL the way The energy suspension sway bar bushings and end links REALLY livened up the front in. It's AMAZING.