Clunking noise over rough pavement

[NYC-SE]

Recently my Yaris has developed a clunking noise while driving over rough pavement. To me it sounds like it is coming from the passenger side front suspension. It is an intermittent problem and does not always occur. It is more likely to occur if one or more of the following factors are present:

low ambient temperature
long time since car was last driven
slow speeds (under 35mph)
while driving on slight uphill grade
while turning

But as I said it is an intermittent problem. All of these conditions can be present and it will not happen. Likewise it has happened when none of these condition are present.

I can not get the car to make this noise by turning the steering wheel while stopped or by pushing down on the corners of the car while parked. The shocks rebound normally in that case.

Car drives the same as day one. No change in road feel, no shimmy or vibration at speed, tracks true. Handles, brakes, and steers as always.

I have crawled under the car, removed front tires and can not see anything obvious. I retorqued sway bar end links, strut bolts, caliper bolts. All were tight, wrench clicked at recommended torque. I did not put a wrench on every suspension bolt, but those I did were tight and all I could see looked good. So maybe it's not the suspension?

This is a 2014 SE model with a little less than 18K on the odo. I would not expect suspension damage at that mileage but NYC roads are pretty bad.

The car is still under warranty and I will bring it in sometime after the holidays but I would like to have some idea of what the problem is before I let them have a crack at it. The intermittent nature of it worries me. Based on prior experience with other vehicles I fully expect that when I do bring it in the car won't make any noise and the dealer will say everything's fine. I don't want to play that game. So if anyone here has had a similar noise if you would be so kind as to tell me what it turned out to be it would be appreciated. Even though this is a 3rd gen car the suspension is mostly the same as 2nd gen so 2nd gen owners please feel free to weigh in.

P.S. I know the first response is going to be post a recording of the sound. I've tried to get it on camera to no avail. I would like some proof for the dealership as well but the intermittent nature of it requires that I constantly drive with my phone in my hand. I got pulled over last week for that. Luckily the cop was nice and let me go with a warning.

Anyway the sound is best described as a "clunk". It is NOT a "clang" or a "bang". It is NOT a sharp metallic sound. It is definitely not normal. Hope that helps.

[ern-diz]

I'm probably the least qualified person on the forum to weigh in on this, but the first thing that comes to mind is the broken control arm bolt issue from back in the day.

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27658

From what I remember, this would produce a clunking sound.

[CTScott]

^That sounds correct.

[NYC-SE]

I read about the control arm bolts issue but I though that only pertained to vehicles before the 2009 model year. I thought there was some change in how the bolts where installed on later cars. Nevertheless it does seem as if what those owners described is similar to what I'm hearing. I'll have another look and bring it to the attention of the dealer when I go.

[Exiwolfman]

Grab the car by the roof while standing next to it and rock the car back and forth... This is easy way to see if ur swaybar links have gone bad....cos if car drives fine one would not notice this unless over bumps but like u said under warranty so I don't see why wait drive it to Toyota and have it fixed.
Also if it was the bolts as you may think your car would drive with extreme unpredictablety and would be specially noticeable at braking ...as the car would feelike the front end want to rock under, best way that I can describe this.
My first thought 💭 bad swaybar link.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[tmontague]

Or Jack the front of the car up so the wheels are off the ground. Grab a big f*cking hammer and hit the tire. I had to do this to diagnose a bad control arm bushing as it wasn't obvious when looking at it and I couldn't re enact the sound when bouncing the car.

Sometimes a bfh will be enough, I also had to put my hand on various suspensions parts when hitting the tire. The part that is bad will "feel" different when the hammer impacts the tire.

[NYC-SE]

Grab the car by the roof while standing next to it and rock the car back and forth... This is easy way to see if ur swaybar links have gone bad....cos if car drives fine one would not notice this unless over bumps but like u said under warranty so I don't see why wait drive it to Toyota and have it fixed.
Also if it was the bolts as you may think your car would drive with extreme unpredictablety and would be specially noticeable at braking ...as the car would feelike the front end want to rock under, best way that I can describe this.
My first thought �� bad swaybar link.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

My original thought was sway bar links as well, but they were tight and looked good when I inspected them. Anyway I took your advice and set the Yaris a rockin' today. I mean I got violent with it. I had it rocking and rolling and good. Not a peep out of the suspension. I also spent the majority of my day on the road and not once did it make any noise.

Last night I re-read the above referenced thread and I'm beginning to think maybe it is the control arm bolts. The fact that there were posts concerning 3rd gen cars got my attention. I did have a look underneath again today and the bolt heads look OK, put a wrench on them just to see if they were obviously loose. They were not. I did not attempt to retorque to full value out of fear of possibly snapping them. Reading that thread got me scared.

As I said previously the car still performs fine. Unless things change for the worse I'm just going to leave it be until I have some free time after New Years and let Toyota figure it out then.

[Exiwolfman]

My original thought was sway bar links as well, but they were tight and looked good when I inspected them. Anyway I took your advice and set the Yaris a rockin' today. I mean I got violent with it. I had it rocking and rolling and good. Not a peep out of the suspension. I also spent the majority of my day on the road and not once did it make any noise.

Last night I re-read the above referenced thread and I'm beginning to think maybe it is the control arm bolts. The fact that there were posts concerning 3rd gen cars got my attention. I did have a look underneath again today and the bolt heads look OK, put a wrench on them just to see if they were obviously loose. They were not. I did not attempt to retorque to full value out of fear of possibly snapping. Reading that thread got me scared.

As I said previously the car still performs fine. Unless things change for the worse I'm just going to leave it be until I have some free time after New Years and let Toyota figure it out then.
Why wait... Just take it in. Could be an easy fix and or something that could prevent worse.

Sent from my HTC One A9 using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

Why wait... Just take it in. Could be an easy fix and or something that could prevent worse.

Sent from my HTC One A9 using Tapatalk

Just don't have the time at present.

[NYC-SE]

So I finally took it in this week and of course they didn't hear anything. I went for 2 test rides with 2 different techs and neither one could hear it. In fact it was making the noise but it was very intermittent and very, very faint and I can understand how it could be missed. I could hear it though. I guess I am attuned to the sound. For the record it is not always so faint. It is not always present either, but when it is it is always the same "sound" but the volume can vary greatly.

They claimed they did a full inspection of the front suspension and couldn't find anything wrong. I think that's true because I have done so as well and can't find anything wrong either.

I mentioned, REPEATEDLY, to the service writer and both techs, the issue of the lower control arm bolts and the TSBs relating to this but they seemed uninterested. Told me none were applicable to the car. When I pointed out that that may technically be true going by VIN or MY, but that all MY Yaris share the same front suspension design and it was worth investigating the service writer tried to tell me that the 2014 MY has a different front suspension. Yeaaahhh..right. Service writers.

They never removed the LCA bolts for inspection.

Initially they wanted to charge me a $129 diagnostic fee for this. This is why people hate dealerships. I eventually paid zero.

Anyway I'm not too upset. At this point I'm 97% sure that the issue is in fact the LCA bolts so I went ahead and ordered a pair online and I'm just going to change them out myself. Less aggravating that way. I just hope the old ones come out in one piece

[Exiwolfman]

Sway bar Links or struts are going or both if it was the lower control arm bolts u would definitely know it car would drive strange specially when stopping.

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

It is definitely not the sway bar links.

[Exiwolfman]

Well than I say struts on the way out , mine where like that at 110000km replaced with kybs when I lowered my Yaris on teins

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[Exiwolfman]

How old is ur Yaris and how many miles on her ?

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[Exiwolfman]

Other possibilities are front pads bouncing in the​ brakets ...Very Noticable on open style rims and if pads are dry as in no grease on slippers or fittings​

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

3 years and 20K miles. I don't think its the struts. No evidence of leaks. Car rebounds normally.

[Exiwolfman]

3 years and 20K miles. I don't think its the struts. No evidence of leaks. Car rebounds normally.
Definitely would agree now that I know how old and miles on her , I would service ur front brakes I bet it's the pads bouncing around ...Anyhow it's do for a brake service anyway .

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

Other possibilities are front pads bouncing in the​ brakets ...Very Noticable on open style rims and if pads are dry as in no grease on slippers or fittings​

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

Checked. No.

I said I'm 97% sure its LCA bolts only because I've checked (and now dealer as well) almost everything else that I can think of. That and the fact that the LCA bolts have a reputation for causing clunking noises. There is a 24 page thread on the issue.

I hear you on the difference in feel if it is the LCA bolts but it seems that almost nobody who had the problem in the referenced thread reported handling or road feel issues, only an abnormal clunking noise.

Anyway I'll find out soon enough. Once I change them out I'll report back and see if they made any difference.

[Exiwolfman]

Checked. No.

I said I'm 97% sure its LCA bolts only because I've checked (and now dealer as well) almost everything else that I can think of. That and the fact that the LCA bolts have a reputation for causing clunking noises. There is a 24 page thread on the issue.

I hear you on the difference in feel if it is the LCA bolts but it seems that almost nobody who had the problem in the referenced thread reported handling or road feel issues, only an abnormal clunking noise.

Anyway I'll find out soon enough. Once I change them out I'll report back and see if they made any difference.
Do what u like , but honestly ppl say and always go to extreme ...That issue was with second gen Yaris I have 2007 and live in Canada and no issues ...So I say stop speculating cos if that was really the problem ur car would not be drivable ...And I know and this comes from someone that has worked at Toyota for many yrs , sure possibly is there but I doubt it.


Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

If I'm wrong I'm wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. And if I am wrong at least I will have eliminated the LCA bolts as a cause.

[Exiwolfman]

If I'm wrong I'm wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. And if I am wrong at least I will have eliminated the LCA bolts as a cause.
LCA bolts was.an issue way back ...And if it was still an issue there would be a recall by Toyota but I think they would have fixed this problem yrs ago .


Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[tmontague]

Yes definitely not the lca bolta, although changing them isn't a bad idea.

I second what exi states, likely the end links are gone if it is a clink felt over slow speed bumps.

In curious, how'd you get out of the paymentbfir the diagnostics?

[NYC-SE]

LCA bolts was.an issue way back ...And if it was still an issue there would be a recall by Toyota but I think they would have fixed this problem yrs ago .

From the mega thread:
Was working on a 2012 SE today and it looks like they still haven't corrected the problem. Loosened both bolts with my impact gun (doing alignment) and both sprayed rusty water at me. Not good.

Also latest TSB that I know of, T-SB-0078-12, is applicable to 2012 MY cars. There have been no changes to the front suspension since then, so if it can affect 2012 cars why can't it affect 2014 cars?

Please understand I am not trying to start an argument. I have already admitted the possibility that I may be wrong. I'm simply using a process of elimination and this is what I'm left with. It is a possibility, perhaps not a probability, that has not been addressed yet and it is going to cost me $14 and some time to address it. I am not invested in being right. I am invested in determining what is causing the clunk. If I'm right or if I'm wrong, either way I will have taken a step in solving the mystery.

The last 3 winters haven't been particularly bad but they salt the roads like crazy here. I mean you can preserve meat for several centuries with the amount of salt they use.

[NYC-SE]

Yes definitely not the lca bolta, although changing them isn't a bad idea.

I second what exi states, likely the end links are gone if it is a clink felt over slow speed bumps.



I don't think its the end links and neither does the dealer.


In curious, how'd you get out of the paymentbfir the diagnostics?

Polite, effective communication.

[Exiwolfman]

Don't drive it ur subframe is gone fall out ....Lol
Anyhow hope u find the solution but do urself a favor stop over thinking

Sent from my ASUS_Z012DC using Tapatalk

[enviri]

it could also be the bearing or rubber starting to go on top of your struts. I hear a series of popping noises whenever i turned the wheel near and at max and clunks while driving those crappy port chester roads. I took apart the suspension and found that the front right strut bearing took a dump.

[NYC-SE]

I swapped out the LCA bolts last week. The drivers side bolt looked OK with only a slight amount of surface rust. The passengers side, aka the side that was making the clunking noise, was in considerably worse shape. I suspected there may be a problem when I loosened the bolt and a stream of rusty water came pouring out. Not drops, a solid STREAM. I should mention that it had not rained for a week prior and that the preceding two days had a temperature of 80F. As you can see from the photo there was a significant amount of corrosion around the shaft close to the bolt head. The result of exposure to three relatively mild winters. I'm glad I caught it when I did, I would hate to see what a few more years would have brought.

Prior to installing the new LCA bolts I covered them with a thick coating of a high quality calcium sulfonate marine grade grease. Hopefully that will help to ward off future damage. Nevertheless I plan to remove and inspect them on an annual basis.

It has been 10 days since I did this and I have not had any clunking noise in that time so I think I can confidently say this was the cause. I specifically waited before posting because I wanted to be certain. Previously I would have typically had several episodes of clunking within that time frame.

So it goes without saying that this is still an issue with 3rd gen cars, regardless of what Toyota will tell you. The TSB needs to be updated and the warranty needs to be extended for 3rd gen cars as it was for the 2nd gen.

FYI for those who suspect this may be an issue with their car: The only symptom I had was the clunking noise. The car rode, handled, steered, braked fine. Everything that you could see of the front suspension looked fine too. That's the problem, the LCA bolts are hidden. If you are in a heavy salt area and you are clunking you need to check the LCA bolts.

[NYC-SE]

This is a known issue. Toyota has had several TSB's and warranty extensions about it. Yet when I brought the car to the dealer and specifically mentioned this issue I was basically ignored. Even after they had inspected the suspension and found nothing wrong they refused to consider the LCA bolts as a possibility. Why? I can not say for certain but I will venture a guess that there was nothing in the "system" concerning this possibility for a 2014 MY car. There are no TSB's for this MY and therefore no mention of it in any official troubleshooting guides. And if the "system" says so it must be true. Again just a guess on my part but I bet I'm not too far from the mark.

On top of that they wanted to charge me a $129 diagnostic fee. After NOT inspecting the very thing I was complaining about. For an under warranty car. One of the reasons I bought a Toyota was the hope that their high build quality would negate the need for dealership visits and having to deal with this kind of nonsense.

I am frequently appalled by the low level of competence displayed by dealership mechanics. There really is no troubleshooting anymore. It is plug in a computer and read the code. OK this code means replace this part. God forbid they plug in the computer and there's no code thrown. That means there's nothing wrong with your car. (I had a 2 1/2 year fight with VW over just this thing at one point. I KNEW what the problem was. I KNEW what the solution was. But because the car never threw a code for that problem everything was fine from their point of view.) Or customer states "problem X". Go to troubleshooting guide for "problem X". Follow it to the letter. If it isn't in the guide it isn't a possibility and it isn't going to be considered. But this is not what a mechanic's job is. A true mechanic works with his mind at least as much as he does with his hands. Troubleshooting, deductive reasoning, imagination. These are the most valuable tools of a true mechanic. 100 times more valuable than a cart full of Snap-On's finest. Sadly I see these tools used less and less nowadays. I guess I'm just an old man.

[tmontague]

Had your LCA bolt lossened itself? The reason I ask is I don't see how the rusted bolt could have caused a clunk unless it loosened, as the sleve that goes over the bolts covers much greater length than the area made smaller by the rust. Meaning the old rusted bolt still should have kept the LCA in place even with the rust seen.

At least you fixed your unknown clunk, nothing more annoying than having an unexplained noise.

I've experienced the dealership issue in the past many years ago and it seems to stem from a certain level of arrogance. It isn't partial to the car industry and is present in many other industries. I think a lot of it has to do with the vast majority of car owners having no idea what they're talking about and telling the dealership that it is something that it possibly couldn't be or something unrelated.

This likely leads them to dismiss all customers which means even ones like us on here who likely know much more about 1 specific car (Yaris) than a tech who knows how to work on all types of Toyotas. That is why when I even have to bring my car into my indy mechanic if I cannot figure something out, I tell him exactly what I have done and checked and give him an idea of what I think it likely is. Saves him time and therefore me money.

He is also very humble and willing to listen to me as he knows I know how to wrench a car, this alone is one of the reasons I go to him and only him even though I have since moved further from his shop.

I'm not surprised that Toyota didn't fix the issue, until they redesign the subframe (not likely) it will likely ocntinue to be a problem. The bolts aren't particularity rust prone or weak, it is the pooling of water that sits at the bolt neck due to a lack of drainage in the design.

[NYC-SE]

Yes I suspect that this bolt in particular had loosened up over time. When I went to remove it it didn't seem that tight. It was tight but didn't seem as tight as the drivers side bolt. Of course I was using a 2 foot breaker bar so who knows. It was tight enough to form a watertight seal, that I do know.

During my troubleshooting phase I never fully torqued up these bolts. I did put a wrench on them with a little bit of muscle just to see if they were obviously loose. They were not. After reading the mega LCA thread I was fearful about attempting to re-torque to full value. I was afraid I might break them. So it is possible that they were at less than recommended torque. In fact after looking at the bolt I'm sure it was. Corrosion will reduce the clamping force of a fastener. Combine that with the freezing / thawing of the water that was obviously trapped there applying a counter force acting against the already weakened clamping force, thereby further loosening the fastener over time. That's my top of my head engineering analysis anyway.

The bolt was bad but certainly not as bad as some of the other examples seen here. Knowing this now I suspect that if I would have just re-torqued it it would have stopped the clunking. Although the cross sectional area of the bolt was reduced I feel (top of my head again, I am an engineer BTW) it would have been able to supply the required clamping force to eliminate the problem. But it was bad and new is better. Glad it's over.

[tmontague]

Makes sense, when I replaced mine (before I had air tools) I almost couldn't get mine loose with a 2' breaker bar. They were in worse shape than your but that was the factory torque spec and they never seemed to loosen. I also never had a clunk like you did though.

At least it gives you piece of mind knowing that new hardware is under you car

[rayfloyd170]

I swapped out the LCA bolts last week. The drivers side bolt looked OK with only a slight amount of surface rust. The passengers side, aka the side that was making the clunking noise, was in considerably worse shape. I suspected there may be a problem when I loosened the bolt and a stream of rusty water came pouring out. Not drops, a solid STREAM. I should mention that it had not rained for a week prior and that the preceding two days had a temperature of 80F. As you can see from the photo there was a significant amount of corrosion around the shaft close to the bolt head. The result of exposure to three relatively mild winters. I'm glad I caught it when I did, I would hate to see what a few more years would have brought.

Prior to installing the new LCA bolts I covered them with a thick coating of a high quality calcium sulfonate marine grade grease. Hopefully that will help to ward off future damage. Nevertheless I plan to remove and inspect them on an annual basis.

It has been 10 days since I did this and I have not had any clunking noise in that time so I think I can confidently say this was the cause. I specifically waited before posting because I wanted to be certain. Previously I would have typically had several episodes of clunking within that time frame.

So it goes without saying that this is still an issue with 3rd gen cars, regardless of what Toyota will tell you. The TSB needs to be updated and the warranty needs to be extended for 3rd gen cars as it was for the 2nd gen.

FYI for those who suspect this may be an issue with their car: The only symptom I had was the clunking noise. The car rode, handled, steered, braked fine. Everything that you could see of the front suspension looked fine too. That's the problem, the LCA bolts are hidden. If you are in a heavy salt area and you are clunking you need to check the LCA bolts.



Hi i have a 3rd Gen Yaris 2014.. i have the same problem. can you provide me with the part number for the LCA bolts so i will also replace mine...

[WeeYari]

Hi i have a 3rd Gen Yaris 2014.. i have the same problem. can you provide me with the part number for the LCA bolts so i will also replace mine...I see you are in Saudi Arabia. I doubt very much that you have a corrosion issue with the LCA bolts. These were an issue in winter climates where salt and brine treatments are applied to the roads.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[NYC-SE]

Hi i have a 3rd Gen Yaris 2014.. i have the same problem. can you provide me with the part number for the LCA bolts so i will also replace mine...

To answer your question the part number for the LCA bolt is 90119-14151. You would need 2. BUT... as WeeYari said being in Saudi Arabia there is no way that the LCA bolts are causing your problem unless your car was used and imported from a snow area.

[rayfloyd170]

To answer your question the part number for the LCA bolt is 90119-14151. You would need 2. BUT... as WeeYari said being in Saudi Arabia there is no way that the LCA bolts are causing your problem unless your car was used and imported from a snow area.


Thank you for your prompt response.

This is my situation, i intermittently hear the clunking sound on the driver side suspension whenever i slow down and pass some humps... but the clunking sound wont come when the car is stationary and when i try to bounce it ( it just wont happen)...

its just so weird, this sound came after i made an under-chassis wash (was preparing for annual motor vehicle inspection and need to present my car clean and free from dirt).

the car wash shop used a high pressure spray with something like ( kerosene or diesel mix) ... i thought that was the culprit.. maybe it removed some of the pre-applied grease to some parts including the LCA bolts...

i tried to spray those areas with lithium based grease to no avail...

maybe it time to have it checked by a mechanic... its 68K KM

[NYC-SE]

The LCA bolts are not greased from the factory so you did not wash away any grease from them since there was none to begin with. However you may have washed grease away from some other components especially since you used kerosene. (why?) I would start with the front disc pads. Perhaps the grease on the back plate was washed away and they are rattling.

[WeeYari]

Check the lower mounting bolt on rear shocks. Mine loosened once creating a clunking sound over bumps. Took me a while to isolate the cause of noise since visually they appeared to be tight.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

[tmontague]

Check the lower mounting bolt on rear shocks. Mine loosened once creating a clunking sound over bumps. Took me a while to isolate the cause of noise since visually they appeared to be tight.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

This happened to me as well.

Also check your endlinks. I've hand a handful go bad on all my cars and I can never make them clunk unless I'm driving the car

[rayfloyd170]

The LCA bolts are not greased from the factory so you did not wash away any grease from them since there was none to begin with. However you may have washed grease away from some other components especially since you used kerosene. (why?) I would start with the front disc pads. Perhaps the grease on the back plate was washed away and they are rattling.

thanks for your reply. will do it, i will drop by a shop later and try to check the front brakes.... actually my car is still under warranty as it is 2 yrs & 10months old..

BTW i went to toyota showroom and asked them about this and it is very funny they are not selling the LCA bolts... they said i need to look for it.. too bad..
i guess customer service here isnt up to the mark.

[yarisito]

Check this out. I am in Baja, Mexico. 2009 Yaris hatchback. I am reading this thread and I have already had 3 different indy mechanics inspect and none found any bushings, end links, tie rod end (whatever they are called) to be worn out.

It does not snow here. I have already replaced the upper strut mounts and recently the sway bar bushings as some mechanics suspected that may be the problem but unfortunately it was not. So I am going to replace the LCA bolt next. Ill report back.

[sickpuppy1]

I had to replace my front swaybar end links for this very same reason. cheap fix and not too much of a pain to do, but man did it drive me nuts till I got it done.

[DarkShadowFox]

try looking at the bushing on your control arms / bushings

[rayfloyd170]

thanks for your reply. will do it, i will drop by a shop later and try to check the front brakes.... actually my car is still under warranty as it is 2 yrs & 10months old..

BTW i went to toyota showroom and asked them about this and it is very funny they are not selling the LCA bolts... they said i need to look for it.. too bad..
i guess customer service here isnt up to the mark.



I went to a car mechanic and the he drove the car while i was instructing him on when i normally hear and to further explain him about the unusual clunking sound. He then checked the LCA bolts and bushing of the control arms and others... He sprayed lubricant (i think lithium based spray) to the bushing area where the bolts are located... We tested it after application of the lubricant but the minor clunking sound is persistently still there. He told me to purchase the bushings and he will install it afterwards since he suspect they are worn out and common for yaris..

Blessing in disguise, i went to the shops looking for the bushing and they were all closed for prayer time in KSA... I immediately went home and after lunch decided to have a car wash including the under chassis before going back to the mehanic. Ive instructed the guy to wash out the undercarriage properly then i saw some " sandy-materials sticking at the white lithium based grease" which was sprayed to the bushings... I specifically informed the car washing-guy to remove all the grease as i believe the bushing doesnt need to be greased.. Doing so, he removed all the sandy materials together with the sprayed lithium grease.

Alas,after the car wash when i drive my car, it was completely very silent and no more clunking sound...

In a desert area " sandy, dusty, dry weather" this led me to conclude that it was definitely the dust/sand and good thing i did not have to spend extra bucks replacing the good original bushings in my yaris...

The high pressure water washer definitely did the job... :)

Thank you.

[Type-Y]

I went to a car mechanic and the he drove the car while i was instructing him on when i normally hear and to further explain him about the unusual clunking sound. He then checked the LCA bolts and bushing of the control arms and others... He sprayed lubricant (i think lithium based spray) to the bushing area where the bolts are located... We tested it after application of the lubricant but the minor clunking sound is persistently still there. He told me to purchase the bushings and he will install it afterwards since he suspect they are worn out and common for yaris..

Blessing in disguise, i went to the shops looking for the bushing and they were all closed for prayer time in KSA... I immediately went home and after lunch decided to have a car wash including the under chassis before going back to the mehanic. Ive instructed the guy to wash out the undercarriage properly then i saw some " sandy-materials sticking at the white lithium based grease" which was sprayed to the bushings... I specifically informed the car washing-guy to remove all the grease as i believe the bushing doesnt need to be greased.. Doing so, he removed all the sandy materials together with the sprayed lithium grease.

Alas,after the car wash when i drive my car, it was completely very silent and no more clunking sound...

In a desert area " sandy, dusty, dry weather" this led me to conclude that it was definitely the dust/sand and good thing i did not have to spend extra bucks replacing the good original bushings in my yaris...

The high pressure water washer definitely did the job... :)

Thank you.

That's great. Is all still silent?

[dogsridewith]

Hard to see how sandy grease could make a clunking sound.
Or how grease/oil would stop a clunk except maybe grease would for a short time.
Maybe the power wash forced sandy grease into the worn joint?

[rayfloyd170]

That's great. Is all still silent?


Yes, as of now after 1 week of removing that grease-sand from the ball-joint and bushings with high pressure water wash, my car is still very silent...

I was hoping it will stay like this since my car is new at about 70K KM and i really took care of it...

[rayfloyd170]

Hard to see how sandy grease could make a clunking sound.
Or how grease/oil would stop a clunk except maybe grease would for a short time.
Maybe the power wash forced sandy grease into the worn joint?


i couldnt fully tell if it is clunking sound, it is generally unpleasant to hear especially when running really slow when you decelerate below 20K/hr and when you run on humps.. BTW i hear that sound on the driver side only. it could be a little clunking sound or creaking sound, i dunno, i just dont like the sound of it.. it is not a loud sound either, you cannot hear it when you run past 20Km/hr but when you hear it you can feel you are driving an old car... sounds like metal to metal rubbing each other or a suspension something that is creating the sound. You cannot replicate the sound while car is idle but only when running.


note: joints are all good when checked... looks very new...

Glad that unpleasant sound is gone now..

[dogsridewith]

A creak is not a clunk.
I got rid of what I think was at least one rubber bushing creak with the first of now 2/year (@ summer-winter wheel changes.) squirt-arounds w/ green Corrosion Block--targets are seams, fasteners and suspension rubbers and bushings. (Considering this experimental...not a recommendation.)

[GrayYaris]

I had a similar sound when driving on dirt roads or over bumps. It sounded like a creaking from the rear suspension. Luckily for me it was just the heat shield above the exhaust rattling around.

[06YarisRS]

Had clunking in the front of my '08. Replaced the passenger side end link today. All tight and silent again. I normally do these in pairs, but the driver's side was still tight when check out off the car.