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Front end "Klunk"

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Old 12-03-2009, 02:43 PM
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Front end "Klunk"

Well after months of chasing down an annoying clunk in the front end of my truck, all is quiet. At first i thought it was the upper shock bushings, nope. Then i moved on to the ball joints, witch were bad, but still the clunk remained. Well today I replaced the sway bar bushings on the frame and low and behold, my truck is clunk free. Except for the in the drivers seat.
Old 12-04-2009, 08:27 AM
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Did the same thing last month with parts from NAPA. $50 each, but they come with zerks to grease. Nice and quite again.
Old 12-04-2009, 10:24 PM
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I didn't know NAPA had them. Cool. My second set is now bad.
Old 12-05-2009, 12:36 AM
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when did your truck make this klunk? mine makes a noise as i turn onto a street at about 10 mph or so. i wonder if this is the same problem i have having.
Old 12-05-2009, 01:05 AM
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http://www.lazarsmith.com/SSSSS.html

The "ultimate track bar hardware kit" will fix it.

..
Old 12-06-2009, 01:42 PM
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Originally Posted by nwflyoda
when did your truck make this klunk? mine makes a noise as i turn onto a street at about 10 mph or so. i wonder if this is the same problem i have having.
Mine made the noise at low speeds, like pulling out of the driveway or a bumpy parking lot.
Old 12-07-2009, 12:47 AM
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hmm...so it may not be the fix for me. i know here in a few months mine is getting a manual hub kit as well as some upgraded ball joints.
Old 12-07-2009, 01:27 PM
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I have the same clunk and it has been driving me crazy. Its the same low speed when turning or going over bumps clunk and I cannot figure it out. I've done ball joints...didn't help, but they needed to be done anyway. Then I put the thuren track bar on, still not fixed. Then I put a new steering gear box on and it was gone for about a day and now its back. This has been driving me crazy for about the last 15,000 miles and I've already thrown way too much money at it and still can't figure it out. Its not bad, but just bad enough to drive me crazy. I've let other people drive it and they don't notice it, but when you drive it everyday you can't ignore it. I'm about stumped
Old 12-07-2009, 02:21 PM
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Same here, I checked the sway bar bushings there still in good shape. Mine only does it when i hit a goop bump. I was thinking it was my track bar but I still haven't checked it.
Old 12-07-2009, 02:31 PM
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mine did that too around 13k miles... would do it mainly in the rain... same issue, dealer replaced the track bar under warranty...

Bryan
Old 12-07-2009, 02:37 PM
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mcolectd,
After installing my Thuren Trac Bar, I also had the klunk.

Called Don, he said tighten the trac bar again, when you think it is tight, crank on it alittle more. Stopped my klunk for good.

B
Old 12-07-2009, 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Boris-MC1
mcolectd,
After installing my Thuren Trac Bar, I also had the klunk.

Called Don, he said tighten the trac bar again, when you think it is tight, crank on it alittle more. Stopped my klunk for good.

B
That's what I did too, it's to the point that if I tighen it some mo it will strip the bolt n nut
Old 12-07-2009, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by mcolectd
I have the same clunk and it has been driving me crazy. Its the same low speed when turning or going over bumps clunk and I cannot figure it out. I've done ball joints...didn't help, but they needed to be done anyway. Then I put the thuren track bar on, still not fixed. Then I put a new steering gear box on and it was gone for about a day and now its back. This has been driving me crazy for about the last 15,000 miles and I've already thrown way too much money at it and still can't figure it out. Its not bad, but just bad enough to drive me crazy. I've let other people drive it and they don't notice it, but when you drive it everyday you can't ignore it. I'm about stumped
Been down this road also. started with checking all the shock mount bolts. then bj's were bad so i was sure that was it, nope. got a new bushing from thuren and really cranked on it, truck still clunks. sway bar bushings looked ok but replaced them anyways, still a clunkin ****. steering gear went out next so did a new gear box (always had a brace) and updated steering linkage, still clunks. (i also got lucky with a bad pair of the moog bjs so my truck steers worse than ever now!!) So then one day i pull my SAW shocks to check the seals and discover they have no re bound and the shocks clunk when compressed (IFP hitting the end cap?) so i refill them with nitro and they still clunk but not as bad. so check your shocks and the mounting bolts!!
now she is clunking again every time i hit a pot hole and i can feel it in my feet and i would bet $$ it those Sh*tty SAW shocks again!!
Old 12-07-2009, 10:24 PM
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Thanks for the info yall. I'll try crankin on the track bar again, but i cranked on it pretty good when I first put it on. I forgot to mention I've put new shocks in too, and that didn't do anything, but I'll check that too. I'm about to get bilsteins so if it is the shocks, hopefully that'll fix it. The only thing I havn't changed is the sway bar mounts, but I've checked em and they seem ok. It could be the shocks though, cause it seems to do it worse when i'm hitting bumps and stuff. It won't do it sittin still. Also, I know this might sound weird, but it seems like it only does it after I've driven a little ways. It seems like if my truck has been sitting awhile, like first thing in the morning, I don't feel it, or at least not as bad. But after I've been driving it all day, especially on gravel ranch roads, it'll get pretty bad. It drives me crazy though. That's the only trouble I've had at all with my truck. Everything else has been pretty much flawless, so I guess I can't complain too much, but little things like that just drive me crazy. Especially when you keep throwing money at it and can't get it to go away. It makes me even madder when I let someone else drive it to try to help me figure it out, and they either say they don't feel anything, or they feel it but dono what it is or how to fix it.
Old 12-08-2009, 02:56 AM
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Tightening the driver side track bar bolt will help. But im telling you guys, replacing the bolt with a slightly bigger one with star washers like Lazarsmith sells is the ticket. You can put the kit together yourself....but it's easier to just buy from Mike at LS. It will cure the "clunk". I know, I had it too. Mine has been gone for a couple of years now since I got the kit.

The stock TB bolt wants to wallow out the TB mount holes. Replace it. That is your "clunk", you hear at slow moving turning situations.

I recommend a steering brace, new tb bushings, and the "ultimate track bar hardware" kit.

..


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