Steering rattle while offroad

22ORP 4600 miles

I just got a 3/2in suspension lift put on my car and I’m not sure if that’s what’s causing any issues or not but when I go off-road my steering column or some part seems to be rattling/shaking causing a noise. Happens on rough roads “rocks embedded in road” it’s not an clunk but more of a buck/ steering shake. Any ideas?

 

Have you checked the nuts/bolts associated with the lift components tightness since installing?

 

I have been back to Toyota, who was the one who installed it and they looked it over and re torqued everything. Still seems to be doing it. I don’t thinks it’s a suspension thing as much as I think it has to do with my steering wheel/ column. Then again I am not 100 sure. I have a video of the noise but I’m having trouble uploading it here

 

You can try uploading it to youtube and then providing the link here.

I assume an alignment was completed as well?

 

Higher tire pressures will cause that too. Your truck is to new to have suspension issues.

 

Is it like it’s “reading” the surface features you’re rolling over? What is your caster after alignment?

The 4runner steering is a bit twitchy over some surfaces, in that surface features comes right back through the steering wheel. In fact, it’s a really good idea to hold on firmly to the steering wheel when off road, as a big rock at wrong time can snatch the wheel out of your hand and blow out your hydraulic steering. It’s happened. If you give your suspension geometry any additional advantage over your steering (such as running a wider offset wheels, or running with low caster numbers) it can become even more susceptible to feedback into the steering.

This might not be your problem, but it might be a 4runner trait that might be contributing to it.

 

Bilstein 6112 in the front with icon UCAs and 5112 in back with icon springs, as far as I know a lot of people do a 3in lift in front and are still fine using it offroad right? I feel like that’s a pretty common lift but maybe that 2.5 would be a game changer, just trying to get it to ride like a F-150 is all and a 2013 one at that haha

 

Yes they did an alignment also, I did what Pablo mentioned and uploaded it, hopefully this can help. Thank you

https://youtube.com/shorts/Mo5Ga7REd3g?feature=share

 

Good tip about the steering potentially having a mind of its own over rocky surfaces. One tip I would add to that is to keep your thumbs outside of the steering wheel rim when holding it firmly. It's kind of awkward until you get the hang of it, but if that wheel does spin quickly on its own, the spokes could potentially break your thumbs as it does so.

 

You could try to get maximum Caster to see if it improves. And
Reduce air pressure.


Are Icon UCA joints normally loud?
Some aftermarket ball joints are very clattery.

 

I don’t really think it’s the UCAs, what caster number do you think is ideal? I don’t think it’s reasonable to have to air down when I go on a camping road but I agree with you for sure that it’s the better thing to do

 

Factory spec is around 3 degrees if I recall correctly. Those that want more straightline stability aim closer to 4 degrees with aftermarket UCAs. That may or may not help the clattering sound you have.

I think I have similar sounds over that kind of surface. I have stock UCAs and dobinson IMS struts. It could be a normal 4runner sound that happens with a firmer shock setup. Hard to say. Either way, I interpreted the sound as “expected” given the road surface on which it makes the noise.

Do you know what the of design of the UCA ball joint is? Does it need to be greased regularly? The reason I mentioned UCA is because any ball joint that is different than stock, will make more noise under normal operation. And also require regular maintainance. Some even have very short rebuild intervals.

 

The Delta Joint is a heavy duty high angle ball joint that combines the durability of a ball joint with the performance characteristics of a traditional uniball.

Yeah it does need to be greased regularly, but it is still plenty greased since the lift was recently done.

 

Did you grease them yourself? Do they come greased from the factory? Easy enough to do if you didnt do it or witness it being done (assuming they come with zerk fittings). You’ll remove a variable at least. I say this because a dry ball would rattle.

Also…it mentions durability of a ball joint, w performance of a ball joint. It may not be as quiet as a OE style ball joint, even if properly greased. Might be worth checking in with other icon uca owners to see if they are louder than stock.

 

Call me ignorant if you wish, but in my view, it doesn’t pass the logic test if a new suspension rattles or clunks right out of the gate. Sounds like a design or installation issue to me.

 

Some UCA make noise if they dont have rubber bushings or if they have spherical balljoints. They’re supposed to be super strong, but are not quiet because quiet is not engineered into them. They’re meant to bemore of a pure performance product. Not sure if this is the OP’s problem though.

 

I have the same issue in my 2007 4Runner. The noise comes from under de steering wheel. I feels like something loose. I think that might be the intermediate steering shaft.

 

Were you ever able to figure out the problem? I have the exact same thing. It’s been getting worse. Only on roads that are bouncy like on top of wash boards or rock embedded

 

Sounds like interior rattles…

 

Any update for this? I have had the same problem for some months now. It’s been getting worse. So far I’ve replaced uca bushings. Lca bushings. No change.

 

#metoo.

2004 4th gen w/133k miles, original owner.
30k miles ago I replaced suspension (Icon Stage 1 inc their tubular UCAs). In the past 17k miles, LCAs, front hubs and bearings, steering rack, sway bar bushings and links, all OEM. Tires are 5 yrs old, 30k miles.
First noticed this 7 months ago after going to Patriarch Grove/White Mtns, on a rocky road similar to what OP describes. Not aired down. I have OCD and so this has has been an annoyance. 2 yrs ago i replaced the clockspring and thought maybe something was loose from that. When I jacked up the front end I did the 3 - 9 and 12 - 6 o'clock wheel tests and only had very minimal play, which I wrote off as normal play in the system. I also did the 2"x4" under the front tires and applied leverage to check for play in the ball joints (Delta joints) and...nothing. I've also climbed underneath and vigorously shoot everything I could and didn't find any loose stuff.

I do prefer to air down before doing these types of roads but have gotten lazy as I don't do very long runs anymore, although Patriarch Grove is 25 miles round trip and I started suffering from altitude sickness after hiking at the destination, so I was a little impatient speedwise on the return back to the paved section and down the mtn.

I was pondering the intermediate steering shaft, too, but that kind of stuff is out of my small wheelhouse and I have no idea how to get in there and what to check for. I've considered that maybe the Icon CO's need nitrogen recharging but honestly, very few offroad miles since I installed them 30k miles ago. Anywho...I've narrowed it down the COs, steering shaft, and Delta joints, in that order. So...maybe just road feedback thru the steering shaft/steering wheel. In any event, will make a point of getting a better air pump than my 20 yr old one, and airing down.

 

I'm having this same issue, curious if any of you found a solution?

Doubt it has anything to do with alignment, it's strictly while on very rocky terrain. I've been on trails with this car for 3+ years now and it's the first I've seen/heard the steering wheel do this. Had a local shop check the front end and nothing seemed out of spec.

 

Yeah, definitely nothing to do with alignment, wheels or balance, at least in my case. I just put on new Off Road take-off wheels and had an alignment/balance done a few weeks ago and while the ride was much better, as soon as I got in to some rocks I noticed nothing changed with respect to the steering play/rattle. I did read somewhere else where someone had similar on their vehicle (not sure of it was a truck or what their road conditions were), but they trouble-shot it done to be an electric motor that assists with power steering. I don't think our/my 4Runners have that, but I know the Lexus LX470 with VGRS has something similar.

 

I've been researching the heck out of this steering issue and it sounds an awful lot like the issue that 2nd gen Tacoma's had with the Intermediate Steering Shaft and Lower Intermediate Steering Shaft. Symptoms all sound the same, excessive play and clunking/wobble while off road. Tacoma owners were fixing this with a zip-tie back in the day (see link), but I know a TSB was issued later on through Toyota. Different vehicle, I know, but could be the same part failing on the T4R.

Curious if anyone has replaced this part and seen results?

I'm having the 4R serviced next week, so I'll have this inspected to see if my hunch is correct.

 

Let us know what the service tech says! Meanwhile, on a FB LX470 group, someone posted a video of a loose steering shaft and was asking for help regarding needing to replace a part, apparently called a Main Shaft Lower Dust Shield. I wonder if our 4Runners (and Tacos?) have these, too, and maybe that's the issue? Photo of the part attached and again, this was for the LX470...

 

Well...cutting to the chase, based on the many posts I read this afternoon in the thread that Fortuner posted, and related threads, it would seem the zip tie mod is a short-term fix, and that more than likely the intermediate steering shaft needs to be replaced. Found a youtube here, and instructions to do the same on a 5th gen in on of the posts... https://youtu.be/uRAkesM8L70?si=7DrMKKhBnGF9JcMx

The link that Fortuner posted above lead to this post in that forum regarding snap ring issues, which should also be checked: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ill-make-your-day.435015/page-2#post-13594405

 

Try WD-40 Specialist Silicone or similar on all control arm bushings and front track bar bushings, you might have to apply it a few times.

 

The more I read about this, the more I feel this might be the issue as well. What's strange is most of the examples had significant mileage on their vehicles before this developed...I'm just under 40K Miles, so it seems premature. Let's see what they find this coming week during the inspection.