OK, all you suspension gurus... I need some help in pinpointing a front end problem. What I'm hearing is more of a click than a clunk, and I usually get it when going over speed bumps or washboard/rough road surfaces. I can feel it every so slightly through the floorboard, too.

To start with, let me tell you what I've already replaced (all within the last 5,000 miles or so):
[ul][*] all major suspension bushings (Energy Suspension poly)[*] all tie rods and steering linkage[*] sway bar bushings[*] track bar[*] wheels and tires
[/ul]
I think the sway bar end links were replaced fairly recently, but I can't say for sure.

I know my shocks are worn and I have a new set of Bilsteins in the garage patiently waiting for me to find the time, but I don't think the shocks are the source of this noise. I do have a slight vibration at highway speed (if the truck is relatively empty) which I think is directly related to the worn shocks.

The truck tracks straight and apart from the typical steering wheel play, I don't feel anything out of the ordinary. I'm planning to add a DSS steering stabilizer soon to tighten things up, but again I don't think that's what I'm hearing.

What else is down there? Am I missing something obvious?

 

I would put $$ on shock. It may not be from it being old/worn but maybe loose and moving around when you hit bumps.

Make the 30 minutes to change them out and you 'll notice a big difference in everything. Mine were so worn I could easily push in the rod while the were still installed on the truck- with only 2 fingers. Mine was making all kinds of racket.

 

You may be right... I certainly hope so! Since the bushings and linkages have all been replaced recently, I'm going to check to make sure none have worked their way loose, too.

 

Finally found time to get the shocks done, and sure enough... that was the culprit. The shocks themselves were well worn (>100,000 miles on them), but the top bushings were completely toast, especially the driver's side.

 

(Sure wish I could say more about it... good grief this sucks.)

 

good to hear that it was an easy fix.

 

How long did it take you to change out the shocks?

 

Rear... about 20 minutes.

Front... eh, about an hour. Took some liquid wrench to get everything loosened up, then some time to figure out the best place for the jack stands and so forth to get the suspension extended fully so I wasn't working against the new shock wanting to extend itself.

 

So its pretty easy to do?

 

Sure... if you have basic mechanical skills and a basic set of tools, you should have no problem.