New truck with clunking sound on turn
 

Hi everyone. This is my first post here... I found the forums while searching for a fix to a problem I'm having with my truck. I just bought this Dakota a few weeks ago. It's my first one so I don't know too much about the vehicle yet...

I'm experiencing a clunking sound on turns. Definitely sounds like a steering system issue. It doesn't happen when driving straight, or on bumps, etc. Usually in a turn while decelerating or taking it a little sharp.

From searching this forum, it sounds like it could be either ball joint/tie rod/ sway bar/ or rack & pinion. Are there any other options? It sounds like the ball joints or tie rods are fairly easy to diagnose (jack up and check wheel play up/down and left/right). How about diagnosing the others?

2004 Dakota 2WD Club Cab with approx 82,000 miles.

Cheers

Sounds like that about covers it. And yes, it's pretty easy to check all of those. Good luck and congrats on the truck.

Thanks. Can you point me in the right direction for diagnosing the sway bar or rack & pinion? Like I mentioned, I know how to check the ball joints & tie rods but not these other components. Especially the rack & pinion.
(e.g. should there be play in the sway bar & how much? and should there be any play in the rack & pinion & how to check for this?)

I had a similar problem with my truck, clunking from the front end when turning hard, usually happened in reverse like when backing out of my driveway or a parking space, it also happened on sharp turns while moving forward. It was hard to find the problem but it turned out to be a bad stabilizer bar end link (sway bar link).

Jimmy

That sounds very similar to what I'm experiencing. How did you diagnose the swaybar link in the end? Was it just visual? thx

Same sound experienced in my truck. Turned out to be upper ball joint.

The boot on the stud end was split, that was the only thing wrong I could see, so I replaced the link and the clunk has not come back since. I also replaced the sway bar bushings first but that did not fix the problem. I replaced all 4 ball joints about a year before that, so I ruled those out easily. There was no play in the wheels when I rocked the tires back and forth at the 9 and 6:00 positions. The ball joints being in good shape was one of the reasons it was hard to diagnose the bad sway bar link. That and the split in the boot was right up against the stud end and was very hard to see. I think these are the third set of sway bar links I have put on my truck, they do not seem to last much longer than 30,000 miles.

Jimmy

Well I did a quick check this afternoon... inconclusive. Jacked up the front end from under the control arms and wiggled left/right and up/down. There doesn't seem to be any obvious play but I only had 15 minutes to check.

If I wiggle left/right back and forth quickly there seems to be some play... I'll have to spend some more time on the weekend to do a more thorough check.

I'd like to check the rack & pinion while I have it in the garage and up. Can anyone walk me through the steps? thx

The sway bars and end links usually give a creaking or groaning sound. But just look at the bar and see if there is any gap between the bar and the bushings. If you can fit anything between the bar and bushing replace them.
You can't check ball joints just by wiggling the wheel. You have to jack the vehicle up and use a pry/crowbar under the spindle to see if you get any movement.
The OEM ball joints are non greasable and notorious for going bad early and with 82K I would be very suspect of the ball joints.
Good luck

Ok, got the truck up and wheels off this afternoon. I need some help diagnosing. In the past on former vehicles I've always noticed movement in ball joints/tie rods just by moving the wheel back/forth and feeling the movement with my fingers. This does not happen on my Dakota.

The sound seems to be coming from driver side on turns. It's not a single clunk, but I hear 2 or 3 clunks through the turn. Only on turns, and only on harder turns. If I slow to min speed and take the turn there is no sound.

So here's where I am:
- Upper ball joint seems tight with no movement. It is overflowing grease everywhere but it is brand new. Was installed when I bought the truck 4 weeks back as part of the safety.
- lower ball joint is original but seems tight with no movement.
- the sway bar links seems tight and solid with no movement.
- the left outer tie rod looks ok and it doesn't move.
- the left inner tie rod doesn't look great. Bellows boot is ripped and I feel play at the 3/9 oclock wheel positions. But the whole steering column moves with the play (video here: ) as well as other wheel so I'm not sure what the deal is.

Just a heads up, before you go dumping a ton of money. I was experiencing the same problem and I found out it was a belt separation in the tire. I was experiencing the same symptoms as you noted above, a clunking sound only when turning. You might want to check those tires especially if they're the stock tires. Just rub your hand over the tread as you roll them. You should feel a noticeable bulge in the tread if there is a belt separation. I swapped to my full size spare and the clunking went away. Good luck.

Hey, thanks for the idea. But these tires are also brand new. Purchased them for the safety 5 weeks ago. There doesn't seem to be any bulges either. thx

Yeah no problem. Figured since everything you checked was nice and tight it could've been the problem. I've gotten two bead separations these past 2 months so its time for me at least, for safety reason as you noted, swap these 12 year old tires out for some new rubber. Good luck with your search. Hopefully it won't cost you an arm and leg.

Hey guys, still need help in diagnosing this. Been busy the last little while and have put this on hold. Again, please excuse my lack of automotive technical knowledge...

I'm still getting the clunk on right turns only. It's a series of clunks or hard clicks..... like CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK through the right turn. I can feel it slightly under my feet.

I've been reading a lot through the forums, and I have ruled out the ball joints. They're good and tight. From other posts, it sounds like it could be:
1- inner tie rod
2- rack & pinion
3- steering column u joint.
4- wheel bearing


For the inner tie rod, my driver side inner bellow boot / dust boot is ripped. I would think the problem is there due to dust and dirt getting in the joint, but I can't feel any play.

For the rack and pinion, I notice a little bit of locked play in the steering when I wiggle the wheels at 9 & 3. The whole column rotates about an inch. Here's a video ( you can also see the rip in the bellows boot in the vid): http://www.flickr.com/photos/anjp11/8687331720/
I do not know how else to diagnose rack & pinion, steering u-joint, or wheel bearing. Can anyone give me a step-by-step or a video link for diagnosing these components?

cheers

In case anyone's following this thread here's a quick update at where the problem is at.

Today I got fed up with not being able to figure out the noise and took it to the local mechanic in my town. We could re create the problem every time on every hard right turn but could not figure out the cause. He confirmed ball joints / tie rods / sway bar links are tight, and there is no apparent play in control arms.

BTW the "clunk clunk" may be misleading. It's more of a "snap snap" or "pop pop". It's like something is being held back and then released and it's snapping forward. Anyhow it's the long weekend now and we're out of town for a few days. Hope to re investigate this early next week and rack my brain on possible causes... I'd hate to just start changing the whole front end piece by piece until it disappears.

I am sure you have done this but have you jacked up the truck and spun the front wheels by hand?
Or put the entire truck on stands and put it in gear and let it idle. Of course be very very very careful if you do that but maybe it will help pinpoint the problem.

Also check to see if your brake pads are tight or if the springs are broken or weak.

ALso have you checked the wheel bearings? I don't remember if you said if it is a 4wd or not but it could be axle joints.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yes it's been up and have spun the wheels. They spin well with no noises and no noticeable resistance. Brake pads are a good tightness and springs seem ok. It's not 4wd, only 2wd so no axle joints and it could be wheel bearings but the free spin makes me think not. And it only happens on loaded turns...

I'm starting to think that it's something a lot more steering related. Rack/pinion or column... I'll post some more info soon. Might have someone with more know-how take a look tomorrow.

Hmm, well is it a steady click-click-click-click or a more random like click(pause) click click(pause) etc.

Can you feel it through the steering wheel?

No it's fairly steady, only in the turn and only for a very short period of time. 3 or 4 clicks tops. I can feel a little bit of it through the wheel.

When you first turn in or when you hit the lock? I know these are probably odd questions but just trying to help. Two heads are better than one..lol

In the turn, way before the stop. I appreciate the help

I assume it only does it when you are moving?

Usually only in a tighter turn when there's a little load on the wheel. That is, if I slow down to a crawl and or turn a longer gentle corner there is no noise. Sometimes I've gotten a much quieter version of the noise by turning aggressively while parked...but not often.

Let me think on it a little more

thanks again for your help. BTW took it to a national garage today and they pretty much said they have no idea what it is. The mechanic who looked at it said it could be a wheel bearing... but he couldn't explain why it would only be making noise on turns. He also couldn't explain why it would be a snapping sound in the turn vs a clunk or grinding (which is more common for wheel bearing).

I spoke to another mechanic in the garage and his 5 min diagnosis was something in the steering column or rack/pinion related.

Bear with me for a sec while i explain a gut feeling... I've been driving around a little more today and noticed that the snapping/popping sound itsnt really coming from the driver side wheel. It's hard to say, but I think its coming from the centre area in the front end. Also, I've noticed that it only happrns on large angle turns. That is, a 45 degree turn does not produce the noise. But when i do a 90 degree turn I get it without fail. The noise doesn't happen necessarily when cornering, but happens when I'm physically turning the wheel to lead into the turn.

AND, one of the bellow boots between the rack and tie rod has a hole in it and has gummed up the driver side of the rack and pinion area (letting in dirt and dust). I'm wondering if there could be something in the rack and pinion that is sort of inhibiting the turn and making the sound...

1- I have zero experience with the rack and pinion

2- I have the service manual with instructions on how to replace the rack. Is it a long/difficult job?

3- is it possible to take the rack out, open it up and clean it or is it sealed (and i need to buy a whole new rack)?

4- is it possible that the rack seal could be junked from the contaminants of the ripped boot and its all dry inside and that's what's making the noise? If so how would i ceck and correct?

Like I said this is sort of a shot in the dark but let me know if ajny of these thoughts make sense.

In my experience if you turn the wheel to full lock and attempt to reverse and notice it takes more gas then it should to get moving it's the wheel bearing, both of mine went bad this year, some condition on both of them, zero noise going down the road straight.

Well it's been some time but work has kept me busy and out of town...

I just checked everything over again, and all the usual suspects are nice and tight. I had a friend check it over and took it to my mechanic. We're all stymied but there seems to be a bit of a consensus that it's the front right wheel bearing. I'm a bit hesitant because if you jack it up, take off the wheel, and turn the hub everything is quiet - no grumbling or groaning. Gonna change it later on in the week and _hope_ that the clunk stops. I'll let you know.

PROBLEM SOLVED

Yes I know it's an old thread.... but better late than never right? I checked everything you guys mentioned and more with no luck. With everything important in good working order, I figured I'd just keep driving until it showed itself.
Turned out to be the rear left parking brake shoes. Both shoe linings had become unbonded and separated from the housing. They were free enough clunk a bit but didn't rattle at higher speeds. Used the parking brake with no problem. Replaced the shoes and problem has gone away.

Glad you got it.

Went thru similar ordeal...
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...gone-soft.html


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