Clunking in left front floor board

[JFelten]

I have an 05 2500 4 door short bed. I recently started feeling a clunking in the floor board driver side when going over normal minor street bumps. To me it feels like an exhaust pipe or muffler hitting the frame but that is not the case. I do not feel it in the steering. The ball joints, tie-rod ends, shocks have been replaced. I have had it up on a lift checking frame, exhaust, tube steps, steering box, engine transmission mounts to no avail. I do have one size over (285-17) tires for years. Before the problem I was told a steering box stabilizer was a good device to add. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
John

 

[AH64ID]

Have you inspected the sway-bar end-links? What about the control arm bushings?

 

[tigerdrvr]

Feeling it or hearing it? Have you had others in the car when it is happening? Reason I ask is because it is sometimes hard to isolate where a noise is coming from if you're doing it just from the driver's seat. The source could be behind you and you'd still feel it through the floor pan, quite possibly. Given all the components that are new in the front end and not feeling anything through the wheel, it might be worth thinking about.

Not saying you're not right on target, just saying that it can be helpful to either have someone else drive and sit in both the passenger's and back seats or get a buddy with a good ear to do the same while you drive to really isolate.

 

[VolsFan]

Is the truck automatic? My old truck developed a clunk in the same place and ended up being the shift linkage to the transmission after ruling everything else out.

 

[Ozymandias]

Subscribed - my Truck does the same and I've also absolutely no clue where it comes from.

 

[JFelten]

I feel it more than I hear it even though I think I hear it. I have had my front end guy drive it while I rode on the passenger seat. It is more noticeable on the drivers side. I will check the sway-bar links and control arm bushings. One thing I do notice is when I shut the engine down, there is a definite rattle caused by the engine shake. thanks for the help. I will be gone to the Colorado hills till sunday.
John

 

[JR]

I'd also suspect control arm bushings based on your description.

 

[tigerdrvr]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a control arm bushing far enough gone to allow a "clunk" that couldn't be felt through the steering wheel. Is the truck 2wd or 4X4?

 

[AH64ID]

I rode in a friends 02 that had a control arm bushing you could feel in the floor and not the steering wheel. If it is the bushing on the frame side of the control arm there is no reason you would feel it in the steering wheel.

 

[JR]

^^^^Exactly. Ive replaced a few control arms in the past on friends/families rigs that were shot and never felt anything in the wheel, it was always the thud in the floor board on the test drive that led me to the control arms.

 

[tigerdrvr]

Not sure what you mean by "frame side". All control arm pivots are frame or crossmember side. If the truck is 2WD, I'd expect the deflection of the control arm allowed by a bushing bad enough to "clunk" to have enough of an effect on toe to be felt. That's been my experience, anyhow. 4X4 I'd guess is a different deal, because of the stick axle, but I've never messed with 4X4 suspensions.

Anyhow, easy enough to get the front end off the ground and check all the bushings for movement

 

[AH64ID]

One side of the control arm attaches to the frame and the other to the axle. Frame side is the side that attaches to the frame.

 

[JR]

I'd wager a guess the OP's truck is 4wheel drive. I'm not sure why anybody would want to run 285s on a 2 wheel drive rig, but I suppose its been done before

 

[tigerdrvr]

One side of the control arm attaches to the frame and the other to the axle. Frame side is the side that attaches to the frame.

On a 2wd double A-arm, there are no bushings on the hub or axle side, only ball joints. I think we're talking two different things, here.

I immediately thought the OP's truck was 2wd, because that's what I have.

 

[AH64ID]

That would be the difference.n:-laf

 

[AEdelheit]

Another item to check if you also have an annoying small clunk in that you can also feel in the pedals is the intermediate shaft between the firewall and steering box. The Oem or Borgeson shafts can be taken apart and greased which takes care of it.

 

[Ozymandias]

I'll check this ASAP.

 

[JFelten]

Sorry about the delay in response. My truck is a 6 spd, 4 wd, 2500 w/ 171000 miles. the control arm bushings make sense to me. I will check them when I have some free time next week. Is there a simple way to do this.
thanks for the help, John

 

[JFelten]

I will check the control arm bushings. the truck is a 4wd, 05 2500 w/ 171000 miles. Can you check the bushings by just jacking it up? thanks, John

 

[RDeFayette]

I have an 05 2500 4 door short bed. I recently started feeling a clunking in the floor board driver side when going over normal minor street bumps. To me it feels like an exhaust pipe or muffler hitting the frame but that is not the case. I do not feel it in the steering. The ball joints, tie-rod ends, shocks have been replaced. I have had it up on a lift checking frame, exhaust, tube steps, steering box, engine transmission mounts to no avail. I do have one size over (285-17) tires for years. Before the problem I was told a steering box stabilizer was a good device to add. Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
John

I went through this a couple of years ago. What you are describing sounds exactly what I had going on. it took me 3 months of looking/checking EVERY part on the front end of the truck numerous times before I found out what the culprit actually was and that was just found by checking the frame cab mount bolts by dumb luck. Pulled 'em all out 1 at a time and 3 of 'em were almost rusted through and the bore of the isolator was packed full of dirt and rust. replaced the rusted bolts and cleaned out the isolators and haven't had a noise/clunk since.

Good lookin' bolt , eh? IIRC there are 6 total under the cab and 2 more under the front of the front fenders (8) total.