Rattling/clunking noise from front suspension?

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Could be a number of things. If you still have a sway bar, check the bolts of the end links. A loose nut/bolt on one of them can make intermittent noises on some bumps and turns but not on others. Check for loose/broken/missing bolt at front shock eyelet. Could also be a collapsed shock - rattling around. Excessive bouncing sounds like you don’t have any damping (bad shock). As to how bad this is - tough call. Loose or broken suspension components can be an inconvenience or can cause some serious issues. Get under the front end and start checking. Best not to ignore it

 

You didn't write the year or the mileage of the truck. I would also check for play in the lower ball joints. Any play is too much play.

 

Alright so I’ think it’s coming from the skid plates. A couple bolts are missing from what I can see, and it’s definitly been played with before by a previous owner. I jerry rigged it with some straps and it minimized the clunks but their still there to some extent. As for the bouncing, I think my shocks just may be gone.

 

Did you get anywhere with this? I've had a rattle on the front right for years that I can't figure out. 2001 Extended Cab. It was happening before the frame replacement four years ago, and has continued since. The replaced a lot of stuff in the suspension when they did they frame- shocks, tie rods, etc., and that didn't solve it. I've removed the skid plate, tightened any loose wheel well covers, checked the hood, and so on. It seems to happen when I hit a bump directly with the RF wheel. And it's a rattle, not a single thud. I'm going on many years of this and I'm hoping for some relief. It sounds very similar to yours, wondering if you found an answer.

 

Check the exhaust and catalytic converter heat shields.

 

Thanks. No luck, they're both tight as a drum. It feels like a very solid rattle, not high pitched or tinny.

I've looked through my records, and, while the lower ball joints have been done several times, it doesn't look like I've ever had the upper control arms done. I'm thinking that might be the culprit.

 

Raise the wheel off the ground and push pull from top to bottom and side to side. If you feel any excessive movement "play" it could be any number of things. Lower ball joints are usually one of the first things to go out on the suspension system. The upper ball joints do go out but not as fast. Consequently if you feel excessive play when you grab the wheel from top to bottom and rock it then it is the ball joints. If you grab at the front of the wheel and the back of the wheel and feel excessive play then you can suspect tie rod ends, more often outer tie rod ends than inner.

 

While you're underneath pokin' 'round, you might want to check the orange light in the right front bumper for looseness. Mine was loose from the factory. I replaced it a couple years ago along with the screws and plastic "nuts" that hold it in. I just cannot get it tight like the one on the left, so it still just rattles around. Couldn't find anything missing, cracked, or broken around its mounts. One of these days it will prolly fall out.

 

i have a rattle also, i only hear it if im hitting like a bump or sewer and its a solid rattle too, coming from my front drivers side

 

Thanks. I tried it, and I didn't feel any excessive play left to right, and no play at all top to bottom. The tie rods and lower ball joints have been done since this problem started, it's been happening for a very log time. Every year or so I get the bug to finally track it down, this has been going on for at least five years. One of the only things I haven't had done, either just because they had to be done anyways, or because Toyota did it as part of the frame replacement, is the upper ball joints. I'm having my mechanic give it another look next week.

 

Yeah, I actually stumbled across this a few days ago. When I realized how loosey-goosey those orange lights are, I was very excited that it might be the culprit. I got some shims in there to tighten them up, and no luck. Good idea though, thanks.

 

This sounds exactly like mine. I did some more poking around today, came up with nothing so far. But...For the first time in a long time, I had someone in the back seat. My wife said she could feel it in the floor on the rear right. So I had her drive, and sure enough, I can feel it in the floor there. Not nearly as much on the left side, though. And even if you couldn't hear the rattle/thump/whatever it is, you could feel it. When it was really bad, you could also hear it. It definitely happens when I hit a bump with the right front wheel, but I guess that doesn't mean it's the right front wheel or suspension- that could just be causing it somewhere else. it would kind of make sense that it was exhaust-related, being on the right, but that all feels correct, and I've had a new exhaust put in since this started. I'm going to take it back to my mechanic (who thinks I'm nuts and hearing things), and show him that you can feel whatever it is rattling and rumbling on the rear passenger floor.

 

Is it a rattle or is it like a clunking. Like when you hit a bump, do you hear a "clunk-clunk" and done, or does it clunk, and then keep on clunking a bit more after the bump?

 

It keeps on doing it. That's why I call it a "rattle," but it's more solid than a rattle. A rattling clunk, maybe?

 

I get you. Just asking because I also had a similar noise in front, and it ended up being my sway bar end links not being tight enough to spec. I tightened them to spec when new, but had to re-tighten them again after some driving to make the noise go away (15 lb-ft). Since yours is a rattle, something must be loose.

Maybe the control arm bushings are worn (you did mention something about your upper control arm)? Steering rack bushings maybe? Could be a lot of other things too

 

This ended up being it. After five years, I finally got it figured out. It was the sway bar link. Iguess it was more a clunk than a rattle!

The crazy thing is, though, that it was the left sway bar link. I would have bet my house that it was right front, there was no question to me that the noise was coming from there. In fact, I had the right one replaced about a year ago, and at the time my mechanic said the left one felt ok. But now he said there was a little play in the left one, he replaced it, and this noise that's been driving me crazy for years is finally gone.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

 

A bad sway bar link would give you a clunk when hitting a bump or on washboard roads. I just read the entire thread, and there should be NO side to side movement of the wheel/tire when the front is jacked up. Up/down movement is likely the lower ball joint (but the upper could be an issue if the boot is torn), and left/right movement is a bad tie rod, either end or inner. If the boot is bad on the outer, the tie rod end is bad. If not, and the movement shows with the steering rack boot (or if the boot is torn), it's the inner. ...keep an eye on it if there was ANY movement as mentioned.

 

Happy you got it sorted out!