ok im tired of hearing this stupid clunking.

i have 2 different clunks.. i need to get thise fixed so i can get maximum dollar for sale..

one is everytime i put it into gear or park or switch from d to r i hear a loud clunk and it kinda jolts.

2 when going around corner mainly to the left i hear a single solitary clunk..

truck wanders all over the road :
new on truck
calipers pads rotors hoses, axle shaft ujoints, driverside lower balljoint
trac bar has been rebuild with a lukes link and new bushings..

no play in any of the other balljoints that i can see :X

ideas or just get a gallon of gas and a match?

 

check u joints on the drive shaft, carrier bearing in the center of the shaft, and check the backlash in the rearend ring and pinion. any of those could cause a clunk when changing gears.....

lower driver side ball joint or upper passenger side ball joint.... i'm kind of shootin in the dark on this one......

check the adjustment on the steering box..... there is a lock nut on the top of the steering box with an allen screw in the middle of it break the nut loose and tighten up the allen screw.... it helps to have someone wiggle the steering wheel and you feel the wobble in the shaft that connects to the pitman arm thing..... you will feel it wiggle.... tighten up until the wiggle is not as noticable.... all this allen screw does is preload the bearings and the shaft in the steering box........ i hate to say it but you really need to pull the spindles off to look at the joints.... mine were bad but i couldn't tell it untill i pulled the spindles off to replace the control arm bushings..... replace the swaybar endlinks and bushings that'll cause a clunk too........


hope some of this helps..... Benjamin

EDIT : here is a good reading on the steering box and steering wander.....

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1997/19-10-97.htm

 

I just got done chasin a serious wandering problem in my truck and when I hit a bump the front end was all over the place. I hunted all over that front end and could'nt find nothin. I was gettin ready to order new shocks and went out to get some measurements on the old ones, and I'll be damned. On both shocks the top nuts were gone. The shocks were just bobblin around lose in the hole. Don't know how or why they been on there for a few years. But that solved my wandering and clunking problems.

On the jolt and cluncking when changin gears, that sounds just like the drive shaft joints, you sure you didn't get a bad one when you replaced em. Shimmy under there and twist on that shaft to see how much play is in those joints. I assume tranny fluid is good and topped off.

You can't get rid a that truck, your the only person that has worse luck then I do with em. This is one thing I don't wanna be top dog in.

 

also my try tierod ends for the wandering the clunking while turning kinda sounds like ball joints aswell.....

 

You MUST be joking.


Sorry Mobs, Ive got some clunks of my own that I dont know how to fix...good luck.

 

I wish I were jokin but I'm not. Them shocks been on there for over a year now and a few months back the front end started like floatin over bumps like it was on a trampoline. I was lookin for a new front suspension. Changed out tie rod ends and was gettin ready to order new shocks. The bolts on top of the shocks were chewed up pretty good. Looks like I slammed somthin hard enough and just stripped em right off. I just put some 3" washers in there top and bottom of the tower, threaded a new bolt on as best I could and put a couple of spot welds on it to make sure it stayed there. Drives fine now but I still need to get it alligned again.

This truck does get run pretty hard over some nasty ground. With 10-20,000 behind you in a trailer and muddy trails to drive down, sometimes you need a good head of steam to get through some spots and sometimes those spots show you who's in control.

 

Its normal of us to have a clunk like that we just drop the rear dive shaft lube the output shaft of the Tcase.


Where are all of the one lines this thread is just waiting for some jokester?

 

the rear has been covered pretty good. So I wont elaborate.

the front on the other hand

the control arm bushings are known to rot and make a clunking noise. Check the control arm bushing bolts. they have benn known to come loose.
it could be the shoacks as indicated. I have seen that.
the sway arm links and bushings could be shot as well.
the stabilizer shock bracket could be loose. (I had that problem once)
Tie rod ends could be shot.
Check the ball joints. Jack the truck up until the tires are about 1 incoff the ground and take a big pry bar and pry under the tire. if the ball joint is bad you should see it.
the axle ujoint could be bad. jack the front up so both wheels are off the ground, turn the key to the unlock position (dont turn on) then turn the wheel to the left and spin it. then turn it to the right and spin it. if at anytime it trys to straighten itself out the u-joints are shot, repeat on the other side.
the box adjustment wont totally solve your problem and typically it is a band aid and the box will completely fail shortly after.
I would get rid of the lukes link. thats another band aid.

the very first thing I would do is have some one start it up and turn the wheel back in forth while you go through and check things out.

one of your unitized bearings could be shot as well.

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If you lived closer I could tell you what it was in 15 minutes or less.