Front end clunk can't find it.

[jkempf]

2002 Disco 2 no adjustable height. I have a clunk that mainly only shows up when I diagonal through even a shallow ditch or traverse a change in angle of the surface meaning angling of the front axle laterally. I cannot find anything loose up front. If I stand next to the car and grab my Thule rack up front and give the truck a huge side to side oscillation I can just barely hear it and it is up front and I can't tell which side. When in the truck you can't tell front or back it feels like it is under the middle somewhere.

I have been underneath with the frame jacked up first, with the axle jacked up second, then with one side of the axle jacked each side. I have been in there with a 2.5ft prybar and I can find nothing that has any movement at all and all rubber bushings are perfectly centered and rebound as they should.

Any ideas? Any other tests I can do? Driving me nuts.

Truck has about 156k miles and is pretty much stock on 18" rims that it came with.

Jay K
Central VT in a snow storm.

 

[helievacpilot]

2002 Disco 2 no adjustable height. I have a clunk that mainly only shows up when I diagonal through even a shallow ditch or traverse a change in angle of the surface meaning angling of the front axle laterally. I cannot find anything loose up front. If I stand next to the car and grab my Thule rack up front and give the truck a huge side to side oscillation I can just barely hear it and it is up front and I can't tell which side. When in the truck you can't tell front or back it feels like it is under the middle somewhere.

I have been underneath with the frame jacked up first, with the axle jacked up second, then with one side of the axle jacked each side. I have been in there with a 2.5ft prybar and I can find nothing that has any movement at all and all rubber bushings are perfectly centered and rebound as they should.

Any ideas? Any other tests I can do? Driving me nuts.

Truck has about 156k miles and is pretty much stock on 18" rims that it came with.

Jay K
Central VT in a snow storm.

Here's a math lesson. 11 year old truck + 156k miles + snow/salt = worn out bushings/rubber, no matter what you think you checked.
I can pretty much guarantee your ACE or swaybar bushings/end links need replacement. That's where I'd start. After that, radius arm bushings, motor mounts, trans case mounts, etc...

 

[K-rover]

I can pretty much guarantee your ACE or swaybar bushings/end links need replacement. That's where I'd start. After that, radius arm bushings, motor mounts, trans case mounts, etc...

X2.. My clunk ended up being swaybar bushings.. Pull and push on the bar, it was obvious once I did that. I also replaced my end links with new ones while I was at it..

 

[Keanan]

I vote for sway bar end links. Remove the end link from one side and see if the clunk goes away.

 

[jkempf]

I vote for sway bar end links. Remove the end link from one side and see if the clunk goes away.

I pried on everything and took the sway bar links off to check them. I can't find any looseness in anything. I would like to put off the full bushing kit until spring and just find this one clunk. Any other tests?

 

[helievacpilot]

I pried on everything and took the sway bar links off to check them. I can't find any looseness in anything. I would like to put off the full bushing kit until spring and just find this one clunk. Any other tests?

I'm telling you, you cannot replicate driving down the road in a 3 ton truck with a prybar or by just "looking". Gave you the simplest solution. Take it or leave it, but until you change those bushings and links, you'll just be chasing your tail.