TRD FRONT SUSPENSION KNOCK ***FRUSTRATION***

[Hooman3]

Hi guys,

I have an issue with my TRD, apart from loving the car and spending lots of $$$$$ on it so far, the car is giving me the ****s.....

 

I bought the car second hand about a year ago and I wanted to keep it as a daily.

 Ever since I have owned it has been making a knock noise in the front end, similar noise to a faulty shock would going over small to medium bumps on the road.

So this is what I have done so far....

 

NEW GENUINE TRD FRONT SHOCKS & STRUT TOWER TOPS INCLUDING BEARINGS

NEW GENUINE TRD REAR SHOCKS

NEW GENUINE STEERING RACK

NEW GENUINE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT

CHECKED THE "D" LINK BUSHES, LIKE NEW

 

I have spent over $3000 just on the above to see if I can get rid of the knock....

ITS STILL EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!!

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT IT CAN BE?????

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Hooman3

[trentmeyer23]

Rack end ball joints?

Steering ball joints?

Lower control arm bushes?

Sway bar end links?

[Hooman3]

Hi

Car has only done 112000kms, I have driven many aurions with much higher kms and none had this issue, (they just the usual intermediate steering shaft problems)

 

 

Tie rod ends are new with rack

Lower control arm bushes look good!

Ball joints didn't have any movement or slop, but will check them again with a trolley jack under them to replicate level road position I guess..

 

Maybe this is just how they are??

due to the fact of harder shocks, stiffer springs, bigger wheels???

Has anybody else experienced the same with their TRD? 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Hooman3

[trentmeyer23]

We get this from ours, but I haven't cared enough to chase it as we do get a slight intermediate shaft knock as well.

[Full-Throttle]

My SX6 does the same. Never noticed it until I installed lowering springs and it only appears to be coming from the front LH side when turning from a stop or going over certain bumps. The problem has become more noticeable recently after I installed even lower springs in the front. It's worth pointing out that the steering wheel vibrates a bit when doing 110kph on the motorway (not always though, but most times, depending on the surface of the road). Have ruled out alignment, wheel balancing, shocks, swaybar links, strut top bearings, brake rotors and brake pads. The last thing for me to check is the lower control arm bushes. Fortunately I haven't replaced all of those parts in an effort to fix the problem, as they were done in the process of other mods/upgrades, but as a bonus I've been able to rule them out as potential causes of the annoying knock.

[LordBug]

Any chance you could record the sound?

For a short bit I had a frustrating head scratcher of hearing a very disconcerting noise when I went over bumps at slow speed, only audible with the windows down.
Eventually realised it was from the wheel nut covers, because of their (sh*thouse) design they eventually could move enough to rattle.
Just on the just-in-casery that it's something painfully simple.

[sportivo2007]

I have exactly the same knocking sound ,just like Scott never noticed till i had the car lowered,i usually hear it going over speed bumps ,and going up and down on my driveway ,sounds like something is loose or about to fall off loll,and also my aurion never had the intermediate shaft knock as its a series two and it was fixed on the second series

[Hooman3]

Thanks for your thoughts guys,

Here are some pics of the parts replaced

One thing I have noticed, the car makes the suspension knock noise more when its cold (or first drive for the day), or first 1 min of driving over a bump or small ripples on the road.

then it gets less after that, but still evident..

That's why I'm thinking maybe, could it be the rebound valve in the TRD shocks??

 

I had a ZR6 with 364000kms and it was as quiet as a mouse over the same road & bumps, sometimes I just think really? do I bother any further with it?or I've gone this far, I might as well beat it and win.

 

Next items to change are:

2x lower control ball joints

2x sway bar linkage rods

2x sway bar D bushes 

 

Edited June 21, 2016 by Hooman3

[Full-Throttle]

Quick update on this - I replaced the ball joints today + the front swaybar D bushes and the car is now CLUNK FREE!! :D

I had to buy the swaybar bushes from Toyota since nobody makes aftermarket 25mm bushes for the Sportivo/TRD models, unlike the 24mm ones found in other Aurion and Camry models, but they were only $29 each @ trade price.

I'm not sure if it was the ball joints or the swaybar bushes that were the problem since both were replaced at the same time and both seem to look fine just by the look and feel of them, but something must have been worn just enough to cause the annoying knock that I've put up with for over a year.

[Hooman3]

Thank you for the info,

 

I have now just ordered ball joints and sway bar bushes.

hopefully it is the same for me.

 

I will let you know  

[Full-Throttle]

No problem. Will be keen to hear how you get on. It's been two days and I can definitively say that the clunking is gone. So much nicer driving a car that doesn't clunk over dips in the road every 20-seconds or so. One strange difference was that my front bumper no longer scrapes on my driveway when coming into the garage. Previously it would always scrape under the lip every time I entered the garage, even at the slowest speed possible, but since replacing the ball joints and swaybar D bushes it doesn't scrape, which is a very weird bonus. The car doesn't appear to be any higher than it was previously, so it's a mystery.

[Hooman3]

Hi again!!!

 

I FINALLY GOT RID OF THE KNOCK NOISE!!!!!

 

So here is the update, I ordered lower ball joints, sway bar bushes, sway bar links and changed the all at once, so I really don't know what the noise was from, just like you Scott. (my suspicion would be the ball joints)

Booked in for wheel alignment today

Car is amazing now, pleasure to drive, I kinda want to drive on bumps purposely.....lol

Thank you for all your help and suggestions.

Edited June 21, 2016 by Hooman3

[Full-Throttle]

Great to hear!!!! My clunk hasn't returned since my last post so I'm just as happy. Booked in for a wheel alignment this Friday to finally put the suspension work to rest. Cheers for the update. Great result! :D

[TRD #527]

Sweet! I know how to fix the same annoying noise in my TRD ! Cheers

[shittywok]

Where did you guys buy the parts from, genuines?

I've found a few brands, if not genuines which did you guys go for?

Edited September 3, 2016 by shittywok
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