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Driveline "clunk" no more!

39K views 121 replies 32 participants last post by  FatJohnson 
#1 ·
Greetings all,

I know there has been a few threads on the topic, just thought I'd weigh in on some thoughts of my own.

My cruiser, 07 cherry black with 130kKms. Has been dealer serviced since new. As far as maintenance (big stuff) I've changed suspension (TRD 50mm tube) and brakes all round. The ride of the vehicle was pretty much like new with the exception of the occasional driveline "clunk" which has worsened with time (more frequent) and started to annoy me more since the rest of the vehicle rode so well after the noted changes.

So having read the great posts/threads on this site (????), I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Bought a Milwaukee grease gun, and couple of tubes of Amsoil synthetic grease (HD off-road #2 type) and did the job.

Notables:

A whole lot of grease (IMO) went into the zercs which bring about another point, ***. See later.

The post grease clunk verification was a PASS. In fact, noticeable improvement even on the brake pedal and audibly. Hard to describe this sensation, however, it felt like I had a new gearbox installed. As the auto transmission went down thru gears, it was more silky smooth if that makes sense. Very nice indeed. I guess perhaps the effects of driveline backlash was effectively dampened? Of course, no more clunk!

This brings me to my final point, What the heck do dealers do when you bring in a vehicle for OIL CHANGE AND LUBE.?

I'm not a veteran mechanic but IMO the driveline was abnormally DRY.

thoughts are welcome.

I'm wondering how to bring this up to my dealer. In fact, think I will do oil and lube myself from now on.

Cheers!

Otto


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#2 ·
I got rid of my issue by changing out my stock rear lower control arms. Mine had a mild bend to them as well. The stock ones I believe allow too much movement.
Something to consider if it comes back...
 
#3 ·
Good move taking over on all of the oil and lube changes. The only way you can guarantee something is done (right or wrong) is if you do it yourself. Which reminds me, I need to swap my MT-transmission oil soon.

Cruise well!
 
#13 ·
Wow. I bought my 07 back in July and finally got around to greasing the zerks today with the AMSOIL #2 . The rear and center weren't too bad, but the front slip yoke was ridiculous. The zerk and inner drive shaft were coated in rust! Drier than dry. There's no way they'd ever been lubed. Took awhile to get the gun onto the fitting, and getting it off was a nightmare, but I'm sure the driveshaft will be thanking me. How Toyota techs do not know/want to do this is silly.
 
#14 ·
Ya the dealers are a joke ,I had to go in for a recall and needed to do LOF so I figured why not let the dealer do it and I asked the service writer if they grease the chassis he said yes and we know the only zerks are on the drive line well they didnt get touched anyway,When I started working on autos 40 years ago at 12 years old I was trained to do LOF the right way and cars then had zerks on all the front end joints etc. we would wipe and hit them all, check all the fluids, change the oil+filter,check tire pressure ,What happened to the good old days of being thorough!
 
#17 ·
I had the thunk/clunk like someone had tagged my bumper. I had the SB R&R driveshaft at the dealer and it has been great ever since. Now I have been noticing a think/clink when torquing the driveline from forward to reverse. Actually, not the driveline as while I have the brakes applied I do not hear it until I roll a bit and then brake. Kinda sounds like the Stainless Steel exhaust creaking. It is not at all a heavy structural sound but a more tinny sheet metal type sound..... Anyone?
 
#19 ·
You sir, I think you have probably nailed it!
It has that sound that is about that weight and gauge... I was thinking that it was possibly all the crap in the rear drum brakes shifting when I moved in reverse and stepped on the brakes... You know, like the shoe adjusters. I was about to write that in my previous post and stopped myself as I realized that we are 4 wheel disc brakes. So since this afternoon, I had that eating at me how I was going to have my wife try backing over me with the rear wheels and locking up the wheels so I could hear the little tinny squeaky noise from underneath.
 
#20 ·
Ooooo.... I wouldn't trust the wife to back over you... always use a friend... one that wouldn't benefit from insurance if there was an "accident" :lol:
>:D
 
#22 ·
Hey, Winterpeg. I tried out a thunk test today. It's been doing it bad on dry days lately. It hasn't rained here much for almost 2 years, but today, it was a real soaker. So I hopped into my FJ and the first thing I did was a hard stop on a steep downhill right out of my dry garage. The undercarriage hadn't gotten wet yet either. The thunk was still there, in all it's irritating glory. I drove miles through rainy streets doing errands and when I came home and stopped on that same steep hill, no thunk whatsoever. So it's not the driveline making the thunk, it's got to be something else in the suspension that's rotating slightly, then letting go when I let up on the brakes. I guess I'll start looking more closely at the rear suspension, since it seems to be coming from that end. I can't imagine that rain water would magically lubricate some component which would then cause the thunk to go away. Maybe the rear struts are the culprit like you figured out. Rubber bushings or something else maybe?
 
#29 ·
Hey, Winterpeg. I tried out a thunk test today. It's been doing it bad on dry days lately. It hasn't rained here much for almost 2 years, but today, it was a real soaker. So I hopped into my FJ and the first thing I did was a hard stop on a steep downhill right out of my dry garage. The undercarriage hadn't gotten wet yet either. The thunk was still there, in all it's irritating glory. I drove miles through rainy streets doing errands and when I came home and stopped on that same steep hill, no thunk whatsoever. So it's not the driveline making the thunk, it's got to be something else in the suspension that's rotating slightly, then letting go when I let up on the brakes. I guess I'll start looking more closely at the rear suspension, since it seems to be coming from that end. I can't imagine that rain water would magically lubricate some component which would then cause the thunk to go away. Maybe the rear struts are the culprit like you figured out. Rubber bushings or something else maybe?
I've heard of that Oregon weather... Now it has not stopped for a month. Maybe you should start collecting the animals. In pairs.
 
#23 ·
Many have greased their slip yokes with success in ridding the thunk.
:cheers:
 
#24 ·
I've done that, many, many times. It's still there. But even if the thunk was from the slip yoke, why would driving in the rain make it go away? Water is a piss poor lubricant for anything but rubber and besides, the driveline slip yoke really doesn't get wet in the rain, unless I drive through some really deep water puddle. However, the rear suspension does get quite wet from the tire's water spray.
 
#25 ·
I wonder if the bushings on the stock rear links are crap? Hmmmmm.
 
#33 ·
My apologies if this has been posted already.

T-SB-0046-12

February 23, 2012

4WD Rear Propeller Shaft (Driveshaft) Clunk/Thunk Noise

Service Category
Drivetrain

Section
Drive Shaft/Propeller Shaft

Market
USA

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13_SB0046-12120223-001a.jpg


Applicability

Introduction

Some 4WD equipped 2007 - 2012 model year FJ Cruiser vehicles may exhibit a clunk/thunk noise from the rear of the vehicle or a "bump-from-behind" sensation just before a stop or when accelerating from a stop. Improvements have been implemented on the rear propeller shaft (driveshaft) to reduce this condition. Utilize the following repair procedure to address this condition.

Zoom and Print Options
14_SB0046-12120223-001b.jpg


Parts Information

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15_SB0046-12120223-001c.jpg


Warranty Information

Repair Procedure

1. Confirm that the condition is the rear propeller shaft (driveshaft) clunk/thunk noise.

A. Test drive the vehicle and confirm the condition.

B. Place the transfer case in 4WD High. Remove the rear propeller shaft (driveshaft) and test drive the vehicle.

Refer to the Technical Information System (TIS) applicable model year Repair Manual:

^ 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 FJ Cruiser:
Drivetrain - Drive Shaft/Propeller Shaft - "Propeller Shaft: Rear Propeller Shaft Assembly: Removal"

C. Is the clunk/thunk noise eliminated when coming to a stop and/or when accelerating from a stop?

^ YES - Replace the rear propeller shaft (driveshaft) assembly. Go to step 2.

^ NO - This TSB does NOT apply. Continue diagnosis to isolate the cause of the condition.

2. Install the NEW propeller shaft (driveshaft) assembly. Refer to TIS applicable model year Repair Manual:

^ 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010 / 2011 / 2012 FJ Cruiser:
Drivetrain - Drive Shaft/Propeller Shaft - "Propeller Shaft: Rear Propeller Shaft Assembly: Installation"

3. Test drive and confirm that NO abnormal vibrations or shudders occur while driving and that the propeller shaft (driveshaft) clunk/thunk noise is eliminated.
 
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#38 ·
No, I haven't yet. I was assuming it was over $600. I'll probably choke on the price and relent by taking it in to the dealer. :frown

I wonder if there's a better aftermarket solution that won't break the bank?
 
#41 ·
Hmmmm, that sounds more "reasonable", at least for the privilege of doing it myself and keeping the old driveshaft as a spare and since I have some spare cash. My Toyota dealership is currently in the process of remodeling the whole place and it's a real pain in the keester to park there right now. When they get things done after March, I'm going in to price one out. At the moment, I shot some more grease into the slip yoke and after our little ice storm goes away, and it's not doing it very fast at the moment, I'll test it out to see if that stopped the thunk.
 
#42 ·
I just spoke to the dealer about this issue as well as speaking to Toyota through their 800 number. I was told it was not a recall. It was considered a safety issue. It's a 957.00 repair. 757.00 for the parts and 200.00 for labor. I was pretty told I was S.O.L on any assistance from Toyota on this repair. I'm definitely not happy. I love my FJ but it's embarrassing to have people in it when it clunks like I've been rear ended after every stop.
 
#48 ·
I had the idea of putting some weight, like a person or 2, in the back end of my FJ to compress the driveshaft, then pumping it full until grease comes out the seals, then removing the zerk, wrapping the driveshaft with a rag to catch any grease that oozes out, then going for a short drive over a couple of good sized speed bumps to force out the excess. Maybe. :thinkerg:
 
#49 ·
2010 FJ
Looking back at my old service invoices I see that I mentioned back in 2013 (while under warranty) that I had been hearing the clunk noise reported here in this thread. I remember being told it had to do something with the shaft spooling?? They indicated they couldn't do anything about it. Now fast forward to a few weeks ago and it is starting to get really bad. So bad that it prompted me to make a note to come on these forums and find out what causes it. After seeing the TSB posted above, I am really PO'd at the dealer for not fixing it when I complained.

So the question would be, if I mentioned it while under warranty and they didn't fix it, do I have a valid claim to have them fix it now that it is out of warranty and not be charged?

I haven't yet climbed under there to see where to grease it. Is there some posted step by step on what type of grease and where to grease? If they won't fix it on them, I'll have to do it myself I guess...
 
#50 ·
The zerk is located near the front U-joint pointing outwards on the rear driveshaft. The U-joint has it's own zerk in between the bearing cups. It makes it much easier to put grease in if you park your FJ with the zerk pointing down (my grease gun with moly grease doesn't have a 90 degree fitting). I have to get out when I park and look from the passenger side. If I was lucky, it's pointing down. If not, I move and check again until I'm satisfied. The zerk on the front driveshaft slip yoke is easier if the FJ is not in 4WD. You can grab the driveshaft and twist it into position since it's freewheeling. I'm going to see if I can get grease into the slip joint and not just the cavity inside, where I think that my couple of squirts I usually give it is ending up, leaving the splines dry. If the thunk goes away without resorting to replacing a driveshaft, and I think it will, YAY!

As to the grease for the slip yoke splines, be sure to use Moly grease. EP (Extreme Pressure) Moly or Synthetic EP Moly would be best. For the U-joints, no Moly, just MP (multipurpose) lithium.
 
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