Clunking from under body

Hit all the grease zerks with some grease first (lube the front-end) and then see if you still have a problem. I've seen more "clunks" and "pops" from dry front-end components.

Doc

I thought you were leaving??

1/2" of tolerance? Are you out of your mind? You can't even tell someone how to check their front end components correctly. Please explain the correct way of checking wheel bearings, tie-rod ends and balljoints for our amusement.

Doc

wasn't the question how do you check torsion bar mounts? i didn't see anyone answer that. you check t-bar mounts by prying up on the crossmember that holds the t-bar adjusers. -Pete

Grasshopper. If you worked on vehicles regularly, you'd realize that the most commonly overlooked maintenance task is lubing the front-end. The majority of front-end noises I've seen in folks who have brought their cars and trucks to me for "this weird clunking sound" were due to a dry front end. Parts were still fine, but dry and noisy. So, a few pumps with the grease gun and all is better.

For this fella, seeing as how the front-end wouldn't suffer from a lube anyways, the first thing I would do is hit all the zerks and see where that got me before I got out my crow bar and started prying on things.

Doc

Saw a guy in Autozoo today buying a seat cover for his Mitsubishi. It sounded like he was running a brake with no pads. When I was leaving I suggested he should take a look at his brake rather then getting a fancy seat cover (he had started gawking at my truck). He said it was the ball joint, and he was going to some [specific tire place] next. Awefull sound!

My best WAG is if you can feel it moving 'at all' (within small reason) it's probably bad. Probably wrong there too, because so far my front-end work consists of greasing zerks. But the OP should also jack up his truck when he's greasing the zerks, and try to move the wheel side-side (like steering), up down (like steering up a wall) and maybe in out (this checks for the wheel bearing, but I doubt there are any problems with that).

I think I would just grease everything I can too. I would also suggest getting the oldest crappiest wire brush you have out, and clean off the joints that you are going to grease. This will help you see the grease squeezing out of the joint. If yours is anything like mine, you'll find it weird that the grease 'grows' off in a relatively straight 'line' just off the rubber. Until I had done this, I never knew what the @*$# those parts looked like!!

~KJ~

Doc, I don't think you're just greasing them and sending them on their way

Hey that's another thing I forgot about your modified driveshaft, it will be an automatic failure in LI.

i could see a dry ball joint or other component squeakingm but not really clunking. -Pete

Re: Clunking from under body Group: alt.autos.4x4.chevy-trucks Date: Sun, Apr 4, 2004, 1:20pm (EDT-3) From: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net (Elliott) Doc, I don't think you're just greasing them and sending them on their way

Yeah Pete I've heard dry front ends pop and crack but not really a clunk. That's usually a good indicator that something's wrong. But I guess none of us can hear it, so all of the opinions are good. My general rule of thumb on front end components is if there is any movement under pressure of a pry bar I would probably replace it.

nospam

Re: Clunking from under body

Group: alt.autos.4x4.chevy-trucks Date: Sun, Apr 4, 2004, 1:20pm (EDT-3) From: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net (Elliott) Doc, I don't think you're just greasing them and sending them on their way

Colorado Springs, CO My advice may be worth what you paid for it.

As usual you're completely missing the point. Because the DS has been altered from the stock design, it will fail the safety inspection. Doesn't matter if it's safe or not, it'll still fail.

Doc

so let me see if i understand this: modified transmission GOOD, modified driveshaft BAD, what am i missing here? so does gm know what they are doing or not?

Re: Clunking from under body Group: alt.autos.4x4.chevy-trucks Date: Sun, Apr 4, 2004, 11:02pm From: snipped-for-privacy@nope.com (Doc) "Elliott" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com... The DS is over 400 miles now, been up to 90 and is as smooth as can be. The old one was never smooth - even when it was serviced by the prior owner. Things really can be "ballenced" by "ballencing them" rather than spinning. My stepfather mounts his own tiers and uses a bubble ballancer (for his race car too). My wife will be towing her car with it (the Sonoma w/ the home-ballanced DS) and carrying a load at the same time when we go to LI, and am not at all worried about it. Plus, I will have the extra S-10 (spare vehicle) ready by then too. It's running fine on those home-machined heads (I do hope to have it 'on the road' by then, and runnin in closed-loop mode). Good thing my Grandfather wasn't affraid to try things either - he even welded an engine block for his first car (so he didn't have to walk to school - over the mountain, cross the stream, in 3 feet of snow, ...). Elliott As usual you're completely missing the point. Because the DS has been altered from the stock design, it will fail the safety inspection. Doesn't matter if it's safe or not, it'll still fail. Doc "Steve W." wrote in message news:... Hey that's another thing I forgot about your modified driveshaft, it will be an automatic failure in LI.