DING when turning wheel after sitting for a bit.

'16 SR5 with JBA UCAs and Eibach pro kit suspension installed about a year and a half ago.

Something new just started a few weeks ago. When I get in the truck, start it, and start to move backwards/forwards its fine until i start to turn, then DING comes from the front drivers side wheel. It will only do it once, then you have to let it sit for at least 30 minutes and I can get it to DING again.

I'm in the wheel well and under the truck trying to figure out where the hell this is coming from but I can't figure it out. Theres nothing loose, the UCAs are all lubed up, I dont see any abnormal where anywhere. No clue.

Anyone have any idea what this DING could be? It's almost like a seized bolt is breaking free but everything looks and feels perfectly fine.

Thanks all!

 

Any chance you can post a video?

Have the ball joints been greased?

 

A video would definitely help

Have you tried this with 4WD engaged? What about holding pressure on the brakes? Maybe try coasting? (Park on an incline and see if you can get it to ding)

Doing some different stuff may allow easier diagnosis by narrowing to which components it might be.

I definitely understand the frustration because that would be annoying the hell out of me haha

 

I'll try to get a video of it.
Testing it earlier, I didnt even have to be in gear... just in park. You slowly turn the wheel one way or the other and it will DING once and thats it. I'll have to try not even starting the truck at all just put it in ACC mode and try turning it.

 

Was able to get a video of it this morning. Here you can see the wheel turn just a hair and it DING. Other times I can go straight forward/reverse and it will DING



Ideas on what this is?

Thanks all!

 

Weird. Your suspension isn’t really moving yet so my guess would be the rack and pinion or steering tie rods.

By the way, how do you like the JBA UCA’s?

When I contacted a local 4x4 shop about a lift upgrade, he suggested JBA. I was warm to the idea until I got on their website and JBA mentioned that with stock rims, the tires may rub on the UCA’s.

 

Check your sway bar…it gets in a bind occasionally & need loosened & re-torqued. Tie rods also previously mentioned

 

JBAs are good, I installed them when I upgraded to Eibach suspension... easy install and I like the easy access to the grease points. Alignment guys can only get me to about 4 and 3.8 caster which sucks because I get rub. They told me to get bigger cams... I've not looked into that yet though to see what all that will entail.

Where exactly on the sway bar would I need to loosen and re-torque? Not the links, correct? Just the 4 bolts holding it up (2 on each side)?

Last week I pulled the whole front suspension off because I figured it was something in there. Well the bottom bolt of the shock was seized on both sides so those were replaced and I checked the tie rods, everything else seemed fine, I re-lubed everything, put it all back together, start the truck and start to move it. DING right our of the gate, man was i pissed.

 

Thanks, I was a little put off when I read about tire rubbing with stock rims. I could picture the scenario where I’m having to add wheel spacers, then removing mud flaps and then needing a BMC. All that for a couple of inches? No thanks.

I guess I’m showing my age.

 

KDSS or not? If not do you have sway relocation spacers on?They come with most lift kits.Sounds like sway bar hitting.
like these....https://www.polyperformance.com/icon-05-up-tacoma-07-up-fj-03-up-4runner-billet-aluminum-sway-bar-relocation-blocks?

gclid=Cj0KCQjwz96WBhC8ARIsAATR250pTpFNj_CHn_J8nwziG6ZabsK69abFrk3C6Rd0EVDQ2SzOI9-B7ywaAjl7EALw_wcB

There are no such thing as "bigger LCA Cams" They do know there are forward and aft cams for adjustment on each lower control arm ..right?
Take it to a different alignment place if I were you.

 

No KDSS, it's an SR5

No Sway relocation spacers... never heard of these before. This just started happening out of no where about 1.5 years with this list... not sure why it would start hitting something. Where exactly would the sway bar hit? so I can look for dents/marks of wear?

As for the alignment, this is the 3rd place I took it to.
The first place set it with a little extra caster but was still a bit a rub in forward and reverse.
Few months later went to a 2nd place, who put it all to stock. Massive rub. Guy could not understand the document JBA gave me on how to set the alignment. So I bitched about that and went to a 3rd place.
3rd place actually brought me back into the shop to show me the cams were at maximum, so I was happy at this point... but I still get some rub when turning in reverse.

 

This is where the links attach to the spindle/ knuckle. 2 things you can do, 1) take the nut off and swing the linkage out of the way and inspect around the spring for chipped paint/ rubbing from the sway bar. 2) zip tie the link to the sway bar, out of the way, and see if you are still getting the clunk. When you are done, reinstall the link and bolt and then retorque. Might as well check the torque on the other side while you are there.

 

Could be your UCA bushings. I had mine changed out and they would creak almost like that. Changed them out and noise went away. The noise I heard in your video doesn’t sound like a ding, more like a bad bushing. When diagnosing mine, SPC recommended loosening up the UCA bolt a bit to release some tension and see if it helped the noise which helped track down the bad part.

 

Where exactly should I look for the rack and pinion that would make this sound? Tie rods are fine, I removed them and checked them, all greased up and smooth movement.

Did all of this over the weekend.... CLUNK is still there. So the sway bar's not the issue. No chips or rubs anywhere either.

When I removed the entire suspension last week trying to figure this out, I verified the UCAs are all good, lubed and easily move... so it's not this.



Note, this CLUNK not only happens when I turn the wheel after sitting for so long... but I notice it also happening if I do NOT turn the wheel, and just backup or go forward after sitting. But the back//forward CLUNk isn't immediate, I have to travel maybe 5-10' straight and it will do it. But as usual, after that first CLUNK, it won't do it again until the truck sits for at least an hour, maybe a few hours.

Any other ideas? Thanks again all!

 

U-joint, cardan joint binding?

 

Does it make the noise if you get on the back and shake it front to back?

 

Note, this CLUNK not only happens when I turn the wheel after sitting for so long... but I notice it also happening if I do NOT turn the wheel, and just backup or go forward after sitting. But the back//forward CLUNk isn't immediate, I have to travel maybe 5-10' straight and it will do it. But as usual, after that first CLUNK, it won't do it again until the truck sits for at least an hour, maybe a few hours.

Any other ideas? Thanks again all![/QUOTE]

Could also be a brake pad shifting in the caliper...

 

No to either, truck doesn't even have to be running, so the drive shafts not moving... just turn the wheel and it will do it.

Tried jumping up/down on the front, back and sides.... doesn't do it then either.

Just checked the calipers and pads, they are all good... not sure how those would shift anyway if not actually moving forward or back?

 

Nothing is even moving, i hear you go into reverse or drive, move the wheel a tick, then a clank. I highly doubt suspension is involed, or you'd hear it all day.

 

It's almost as if something is being seized up after some time of sitting... then the clank is it breaking loose. What is breaking loose? I have no idea. Theres no specific point where I move that this clanks... it's just random after the truck sits for a while. Shit is driving me nuts not being able to find it.

 

Don't know what that sound is, but in your video it looks the strut mount rubber bushing it barely compressed,

This probably has nothing to do with the sound, but your strut top nut looks like it could be a little tighter. At least for Dobinson's suspension install, the rubber bushing is compressed to the point that it's nearly the diameter of the metal washer above it.

 

Did you ever resolve this issue ?

 

I'm not sure but this sounds exactly like when my SPC upper ball joints failed.
Under load while turning I'd get a clunk. Took me a while to figure it out since the UCAs were only 10 months old. I assumed they weren't the problem.

 

Mine does the same unfortunately I'm still on stock suspension, it's more noticeable after it's rained or the truck sits for a while, but it's the same sounds OP has described, I took a video which won't let me upload kinda noticed the bushing on the lca facing towards the back on the vehicle had a lot of movement under moderate braking, I torqued down the cam bolts maybe like a quarter turn or so I still get the clunk... is it possible the bushing is bad at 40k miles an alignment was done to maybe like 4 months ago ? Idk how much more I should torque the cams bolts

 

Best way to check everything is jack the car up and move some parts around. Grab the wheel and feel for any movement. Do the same with end links, tie rods, CVs.
I found mine was the UBJ because I could move the top of the wheel inward about 3-4 mm.
Would have never found it if I didn’t jack the car up

 

Will most likely do that, I've tried it on ramp but figured it isn't going to really pin point anything since the weight on the vehicle is still resting on the suspension

 

Let me know what you find.

 

Idk if this would help but would rocking the vehicle help ? Cus if so I tried and I'm not getting anything lol

 

lol no jack it up and support the vehicle with jackstands. Grab the wheel and see if there is any play where there shouldn’t be

 

Okay gotcha ! Thanks will update if I figure anything out.