Front end clunk only in reverse

[Jimmy9190]

I have a 2001 Dodge Dakota. About 130,000 miles on it now. Several times today I heard a clunk or loud pop type noise that seems to come from the left front wheel area. I do not feel it in the steering wheel or the floorboard. It only happens once and it only happens when I am backing up. It is more pronounced if I am backing out of a parking space with the wheels turned to the right.

I took a quick look under the front end tonight when I got home but did not have time to put it up on jack stands for a closer look. I didn't see or feel anything out of the ordinary though. I replaced the lower ball joints and stabilizer bar end links a few months ago. Outer tie rod ends are about 2 years old now. Upper ball joints are original. The odd thing is the clunk only happens once when I start moving in reverse, and is not present when going over bumps at slow speeds and there is no noise at all unless the truck is parked for a while(at least an hour)first. Once I get moving forward there is no noise at all. Steering is not loose, truck does not pull to either side.

I am stumped. I appreciate any ideas or help here. Thanks.

 

[The Critic]

Have you checked the control arm or sway bar bushings?

 

[demarpaint]

Probably something in the front end, a bad bushing is possible. A long shot but it could also be a bad motor mount, I'd check them as well, just to elimintate them a possibility.

 

[synormin]

Coil spring or torsion bar suspension up front, I can't remember? If torsion bar, check the locations where the bar goes through its mounts...looseness or a broken mount.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks. I am thinking it may be a lower control arm bushing, since the noise only happens when the wheels are turned. I plan on checking everything out on Saturday. I appreciate the help here.

 

[The Critic]

ah yes, my Saturn did have a clunk at one point but reducing the dogbone mount nearest the crankshaft pulley fixed it. So check all mounts for cracks, even small ones.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Drove the truck to lunch today and noticed now that there is a soft thud-type clunk noise from the front end whether I turn left or right and is also happening now when moving forward. I made a moderately hard stop before making a left turn and the noise was louder. I made a right turn from at about 10 or 12 mph into the parking lot at the place I ate lunch and heard a soft pop noise, seemed like it came from the right front area of the truck.

I will try to get a better look tonight when I get home. I appreciate the help here.

 

[mechtech2]

Noises may come from a different area than you immediately suspect.
Motor or trans mounts or U-joints are possible, also.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks, I will check everything out the best I can. I wonder if this has anything to do with the wreck I had back on March 29th. I was hit pretty hard in the left front and center area of the truck.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I checked it all out under the front end when I got home. Didn't find too much out of the ordinary, engine mounts, control arm bushings all look really good for the age of the truck. The one stabilizer bar bushing on the driver's side (the same side where I got hit in the wreck a couple months ago) is a little stretched on one side but I think it's OK.

What I did find is that both of my new greasable ball joints were almost completely out of grease. I shot a good handful of grease into each one until the boots just started to bulge out nice and fat. I have been having to drive 3 round trips a week to Orlando for a while now and the roads over there are in really bad shape. I think the bad roads knocked a lot of grease out of the ball joints. I always grease the ball joints at every oil change and my last oil change was only a month ago.

I will have to drive my truck tomorrow again and see how it goes. Thanks for all the help here. If anyone has any other ideas or maybe can confirm my ball joints needing grease hypothesis I am all ears.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Heard the clunk only one time this morning, when I was backing out of my driveway. And that was only from the right side, not from the left like before. There were no noises or problems at all coming to work today, and it's 26 miles one way.

I guess until it starts making the noise all the time so I can find what is wrong I will have to leave it alone. Seems to me if it were a really serious problem it would happen all the time, at every turn, stop, etc.

Thanks for the help here.

 

[mechtech2]

Also brakes.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Brakes are fine. Rotors, calipers and pads are all about 6 months old now. Pads are wearing very evenly on each side and there is plenty of pad left. Rotors are smooth as glass and all nuts, bolts etc are secure and tight. Truck brakes perfectly in a straight line and will stop on a dime and give you 9 cents change. Rear brakes look good too, probably 1/4 inch of pad left on each shoe.

I wonder if this clunk problem is from a loose outer tie rod end? I know it will clunk when turning corners if the outer tie rod end is bad, but my truck only has the clunk like one time when backing out of my driveway or a parking space. When I drive down the road there is no clunk at all, and no clunk when taking corners or turning left or right during regular driving either.

I had the outer tie rod ends replaced about 2 years/60,000 miles ago. I had it in to check the alignment and it was at night and they said the outers were loose so I just paid to have it done. It was at a tire store. I wonder if they outers are bad again, but I really don't know what to check for other than play in the end that bolts to the steering knuckle.

If anyone has any more ideas or info I am all ears. I want to get this taken care of so I don't have a wreck or hurt myself or someone else. Thanks.

 

[Jimmy9190]

There is no shimmy or vibration in the steering either. Steering wheel is straight when going down a straight flat road and it doesn't wander or pull to either side.

 

[demarpaint]

If you can, get a friend to turn the wheels from left to right while the weight of the vehicle is on them. Observe how all the steering parts move while under a load, they should move freely and easily w/o binding or wobble. As always use caution when looking. I had a hard to detect tie rod problem I quickly discovered doing this.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for the help. I am checking everything out today. From what I have read online, I think it needs new sway bar bushings. It will be easier to check all the steering components in the daylight and when I can raise the front end if I need to.

 

[demarpaint]

Sway bar bushings should not be ruled out when you have a look today.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I didn't find any problems with the tie rods or any other steering or suspension parts today. Everything moves nice and smooth when turning the wheels. There wasn't any slop or loose steering to begin with, only the pop-clunk type noise when backing and turning at the same time, like when I would back out of a parking space or my driveway.

I replaced the front sway bar bushings with Moog bushings. $17.99 at Advance but I had to make an 80 mile round trip to get them. None of the parts stores around here had them in stock. The old bushings didn't look to be in very good shape, they were stretched out and worn pretty badly. These new Moog parts seem to have fixed the problem. I heard the noise only once when I backed out of the garage and driveway and turned the wheel to back into the street. After that I never heard the noise again. I went down to the corner 7-11 and backed out of and pulled back into a couple of parking spaces about 8 or 9 times and I didn't hear the clunk noise at all. The people at the gas pumps probably thought I was crazy but oh well I needed a place with room to test my truck.

I will have to see how it does after sitting overnight, but I think the problem may be solved. Before I got started today I went to another empty parking lot and drove around in tight circles trying to see if maybe I had a bad wheel bearing or some other problem. No noise or problems then but when I did the pulling out in reverse from a parking space tests, it popped and clunked every single time. Pretty loud too.

I sure hope the new bushings fixed it. The only other thing I can think of is maybe it could be the inner tie rods or upper ball joints but the steering is straight and tight.

Thanks for all the help here.

 

[SZR48207]

It was mentioned in the thread, but not sure if you have checked the u-joints? If you have a single piece drive shaft, you'll have a u-joint on both ends. Seems like a "thud" or "clunk" sound is sometimes attributed to bad u-joints.

 

[Gary Allan]

Quote:
Brakes are fine.


Of course they are, but does the noise only happen when the brakes are applied? Most backward maneuvers are done with the brake applied (if it's an automatic, anyway).

Just another left field factor for you to confirm or eliminate. That is, if it is the case, does it do it when you purposely don't use the brakes??