Hi Gents,

Hoping someone can confirm my suspicions. I have a clunk from the steering when driving on gravel roads/uneven terrain. You can physically feel it in the steering - it feels like there is slop somewhere between the steering wheel and the wheels.

2007 LR3 with 120K miles.

I have replaced all control arms (lower and upper on each corner),
I have replaced all sway bar bushes (4x total),
I have replaced all 4 sway bar links,
I have replaced all rotors, pads and brake shoes,
I have replaced the lower steering shaft (which was binding),
I have replaced inner and outer Tie Rod ends both left and right,
I have replaced the Power steering reservoir and power steering fluid (old fluid was very dark),

I believe the only thing left is the steering rack.

Would appreciate it if someone can share something that I may have missed.

 

Is the "clunk" in the front or rear? left or right?
Seems the only thing left is wheel bearings, but that would be a whole different type of sound.
Well, did you check the upper mounting bolts for the struts? (now that I think about it, how tight are the lower strut mounts?

Just a few thoughts I will keep thinking and report back if I think of anything else

Jeff

 

Clunk sounds like it is coming from the steering shaft, not the wheel bearings. Wheel bearing noise should be constant. This is not. Only happens when there is sudden deflection.

If driven on a smooth road, there is no clunk. It is when there is a sudden change - i.e. driving over uneven gravel/rocky surfaces that it is most evident. It also coincides with a feeling of slop in the steering wheel.

The only other thing that I can think of (except for the steering rack) is a loose bolt on the control arms. This could only have happened during wheel alignment, as I was very meticulous about torquing every single control arm bolt that I could get to, and tightening the heck out of the upper control arm bolts (good luck getting a torque wrench in there..).

A part of me wants to take it back to the Wheel alignment guys to ask them to put it up on the lift and see if they can find what is loose (much easier than jacking it all up again and crawling around on the floor with limited access to get a pry bar in).

 

Was the steering shaft a genuine (not a fake, lots out there, so it would have to come from a reputable seller) or was it aftermarket? If aftermarket, it is likely the issue. Also sway bar links are hit or miss. My AC Delco ones had a bad one out of box day one - so my cluck stayed. Was not happy. Put some cheap Delphi brand in there and they have been good for years.

 

I did say I thought you had it covered and was just pointing out what may left.
I agree with DakotaTravler about the steering column, I made that mistake on my 2007 once.
One trick I use when looking at control arm bushings is to get the suspension in a position that it has no load. Usually I disconnect the lower strut mount and then have much more freedom to move (and shake) the control arms.

Jeff

 

Thanks for the feedback Jeff and DakotaTravler!

I bought a $40 lower steering shaft off eBay. Looked at all the reviews and numbers sold before I pulled the trigger - it seemed good. My steering shaft was binding up in low speed situations (parking lots). The new one definitely cured that.

It is entirely possible that the replacement is faulty, or not manufactured to the same standard. Just had a look at the genuine item, and it basically costs the same as a quality (new) aftermarket steering rack!

I kept the old unit, so I may just liberally lubricate it and swap it back in to see if that eliminates the problem.

Good tip on disconnecting the strut to check play in control arm bushings! I remember it was a bear to get it back in when I did the control arms - even with the air system completely purged.