Metal on metal clunk..cant figure it out

[Nickleahy23]

im gonna try cranking my keys up and see if that helps..i need to get an alignment as my 1 year old tie rods are already shot..tony, could i throw in drop keys and be able to have the bolts at a normal level, instead of being completely turned out? I could go lower in the front to match the rear as well..right now i have the arms and stock keys..

 

[NORCAL SS]

im gonna try cranking my keys up and see if that helps..i need to get an alignment as my 1 year old tie rods are already shot..tony, could i throw in drop keys and be able to have the bolts at a normal level, instead of being completely turned out? I could go lower in the front to match the rear as well..right now i have the arms and stock keys..

You can but if you drop more I would get a camber kit.

 

[WHITEOUT]

Thought I would throw my .02¢ in. I had same nasty pop,clunk, metal on metal noise before. Redid entire front end with new components cause I thought it was my issue. Always felt like it was under my feet. After front end components didn't fix it, I ended up looking into rear end.

Mine ended up being my lower Control bars.
They were binding up, causing a horrible noise, pop/clunk and would be felt under my feet from frame. Something you may want to look at. Especially being lowered. Those OEM RLCA are made of stamped metal, hollow like a U, and bend and flex, with rubber bushings. Even after getting adjustable panhard bar, it still made noise, just think they got out of straight and were at an angle.

Have someone drive your truck, get low and next to rear while they drive up a bump, driveway worked for me, and listen for where its coming from
Idk, may not be your issue, but worth looking at

 

[candyman74]

Ive had this clunk for almost 2 years now..It happens when i accelerate, brake, and hit bumps in town, turn into a driveway etc..sometimes its a quiet clunk, sometimes its so loud people on the street look like wtf is that..the clunk started 2 summers ago. since then i have replaced the entire front end (ball joints, tie rods, idler and pitman arm, sway bar links, control arms, rear set up, shocks etc. Ive had the trans crossmember out a few times as well so you can rule any of those things out. I thought it maybe slip yoke clunk, but ive greased it and no difference..I think im gonna try pulling the rear shaft and seeing if i still get the clunk..the only other thing i can think of is that my keys are almost fully decranked cuz to the 3" arms. I almost think thats what my problem is. It seems to be coming from midway under the truck on the pass side. Ive had the bars out since this clunk started and it hasnt changed, but ive been decranked the whole time. is there any kind of bushing on the T bar xmember? or should i try throwing in some drop keys and cranking it up so i actually have some tension on the bars..its basically sitting on the "Keys" that the bolts press on..any ideas would be great..thanks

also the other day i jacked the truck up and it made the clunk as i was jacking the truck up

i just put my 3/5.5 kit on this past weekend and noticed when i was putting the torsion bars back in i noticed that on the t bar there is a bushing on either side and mine are shot so you might want to check those. i need to replace them yet

 

[Nickleahy23]

well the last 2 days the clunk is basically gone..and i didnt do a single thing besides put 10 psi more in the rear bags for when i towed a trailer home from school and i havent let the air back out..it pisses me off..ill drive it for weeks and its fine, then all of the sudden its back just like before..im still gonna

 

[WHITEOUT]

well the last 2 days the clunk is basically gone..and i didnt do a single thing besides put 10 psi more in the rear bags for when i towed a trailer home from school and i havent let the air back out..it pisses me off..ill drive it for weeks and its fine, then all of the sudden its back just like before..im still gonna

Now you know its gotta be coming from the rear end then.

I would really look at those rear control arms then. Since you aired up bags for towing, not allowing springs to compress, which doesn't allow any of the rear control arms to move up anymore and pop. But could be shocks also I guess, but honestly think its control arms.


Just saying, sounds exactly like my old issue. Popping, clunking, felt under feet, you "think" its in front end? But being as when you lowered, axle gets shifted over from panhard bar, also shifts over control arms. and since the lowers are connected to bracket on frame, can be felt under your feet, and just pops, clunks from binding up.

That would be my guess.

 

[Nickleahy23]

but see, these new bags dont raise/lower the truck at all with 50 psi in them..my old springs and bags would raise the truck about an inch, if not more if i was up at 50 psi..so my ride height is the same..and its just wierd that it has made the noise when the truck isnt moving..idk lol i heard a slight clunk tonight when i was cruising a back road pretty fast..but well see how it is this weekend..we have a big car show weekend around the wisc dells so ill be cruising most of the weekend

 

[Nickleahy23]

well i guess i get to pull the rear drive shaft and test that theory sooner rather than later..blew up another rear end yesterday..2nd one in less than 2 years..

i will probably have a new thread up soon..gonna park the truck for part of the summer and start some body work on it as well as fixing a few oil leaks and cleaning up the frame and shit..get to roll a sweet 97 grand am for a while haha

 

[Alex33]

that's bad news bud. Any idea why you keep breaking rear ends?

 

[Nickleahy23]

no idea lol..between the heavy and wide 24s and the 6.0 it just doesnt like it..i got on it pretty hard and boom..thank god for 4x4 just drove it 20 miles home lol..

i think ill order some bars from SD.com for the lowers since i got some time..o and when i got in it today, my amp is fried..again..never again will i buy a refurb...its the 3rd time ive had to send it back to get fixed..had my other amp for 3 years and no problems..i guess bad luck comes in 3, so i wonder whats next haha