Rear Suspension Clunk

[RyanbabZ71]

Ok back when my truck had like 5K miles I had the rear leaf springs replaced because of loud clunk squeak anytime I would hit a bump. I could replicate the noise by standing on the rear bumper and bouncing up and down.

 

At around 14K miles I added a front level kit and put on 3" rear blocks

 

Forward ahead 14K miles (almost 20K total now) I have a loud clunk in the rear suspension (sounds like it is in the drivers side leaf spring). The noise is not constant but only happens in the following conditions

 

1. making either a right hand or left hand turn and accelerating

 

2. from a stand still (like at a stop light) accelerating right as soon as the truck moves.

 

The noise is kind of like a snap noise, like something is under pressure and is letting go. It is a single pop noise. It happens about 1-2 times on my way to work or on the way home.

 

Any ideas? Could a bent leaf spring cause this? I thought it may be the U Bolts as I found then loose, well this weekend I replaced the drivers side and it didnt change.

[EcWrestlr]

My truck did the same thing for a while. After about 7 or 8 trips to the dealer they finally replaced the entire leaf spring. Noise was gone. It would sqeak most of the time, but would also clunk now and again. Hope you figure it out soon! I know how annoying those noises can be.

 

 

Did your noise occur when you were making a turn decelerating or excelerating? Where did you get the HID's?

 

 

 

It made the noise any time the leaf spring would flex. So yes for both of those questions. Mainly only heard it at low speeds though. I got my HID's through DDM.

[hoorders]

I know the GMT800 trucks a slip yoke issue where it would clunk when you left off the line....the fix was either a new yoke for the front of the rear drive shaft or just lube up the splines on the slip yoke. Not sure if this is your problem but its pretty easy to pull the rear drive shaft and lube up the slip yoke to see if that helps.

[RyanbabZ71]

I got some insulators to try we will see if it works. It dropped below 50 today and started the noise again

[RyanbabZ71]

Thanks I might have to try that. I just don't like the snap/bindi g noise hope this is all it is

[RyanbabZ71]

ok didnt work there is still a clunking. grrrrrrrr

[hoorders]

Thanks I might have to try that. I just don't like the snap/bindi g noise hope this is all it is

These sorts of noises sometimes 'sound' like one thing and end up being something completely different.

[00Silverado4x4]

After ~90k miles of putting my truck through, well, everything sometimes I wonder how it's not squeaking/banking, let alone in one piece. However, after taking some time to turn down the kids' CDs I listened to my truck real close during accel, decel, speed bumps & I'm guessing my "new" truck (bought it brand new anyway) has finally shown to have some suspension wear. I'm hopefully going to be spending some quality TLC time with my truck in the upcoming months & get some things done. This includes lubing up this slip yoke thing? Someone have a good pic of what this is? I'm a mechanic but the equipiment I work on doesn't have drivelines like typical vehicles. I work on portable light carts, generators, bomblifts & we haul them around with vehicles that someone else takes care of so I'm little more than a glorified jiffy lube.

[EcWrestlr]

My truck did the same thing for a while. After about 7 or 8 trips to the dealer they finally replaced the entire leaf spring. Noise was gone. It would sqeak most of the time, but would also clunk now and again. Hope you figure it out soon! I know how annoying those noises can be.

[hoorders]

After ~90k miles of putting my truck through, well, everything sometimes I wonder how it's not squeaking/banking, let alone in one piece. However, after taking some time to turn down the kids' CDs I listened to my truck real close during accel, decel, speed bumps & I'm guessing my "new" truck (bought it brand new anyway) has finally shown to have some suspension wear. I'm hopefully going to be spending some quality TLC time with my truck in the upcoming months & get some things done. This includes lubing up this slip yoke thing? Someone have a good pic of what this is? I'm a mechanic but the equipiment I work on doesn't have drivelines like typical vehicles. I work on portable light carts, generators, bomblifts & we haul them around with vehicles that someone else takes care of so I'm little more than a glorified jiffy lube.

Basically unbolt your rear driveshaft from rear diff....it will then slide off the back of the transfer case....where it slides off, thats the slip yoke....its the stubby shaft on the front of your rear driveshaft.

[RyanbabZ71]

I know the GMT800 trucks a slip yoke issue where it would clunk when you left off the line....the fix was either a new yoke for the front of the rear drive shaft or just lube up the splines on the slip yoke. Not sure if this is your problem but its pretty easy to pull the rear drive shaft and lube up the slip yoke to see if that helps.

 

I had the slip yoke issue in my gmt-800 and this is not the same feel/noise

[RyanbabZ71]

I had the leaf springs replaced at around 5K miles but it was a different feel/noise

[sevewparadise]

I know this is an old post but this issue is present in alot of 2011 GMC Sierra's. Did the dealer ever figure out what is causing this clunk? I have a 2011 Sierra Crew cab 4.8l with the 4 speed trans and I am getting the clunk. It seems to occur when Im turning. It does not happen all the time but enough to pi$$ me off!

[SeattlePirate]

My truck did the same thing for a while. After about 7 or 8 trips to the dealer they finally replaced the entire leaf spring. Noise was gone. It would sqeak most of the time, but would also clunk now and again. Hope you figure it out soon! I know how annoying those noises can be.

 

 

Did your noise occur when you were making a turn decelerating or excelerating? Where did you get the HID's?

[SeattlePirate]

I crawled under the truck this am cause yesterday the noise really ticked me off, this is what I found around the bolts hold the bed on the frame. Ryan could you look at your truck and see if you have similar issue? It looked like the bed is cocked 1/4 inch on the right vs the left. I checked the bolts on the driver side, and they had no marks.

 

Im going to attach the files instead of making an image.

 

Chuck

[RyanbabZ71]

added these rubber insulators today. Havent driven we will see if it works. Hopefully it will and it will be a chaep ($25) fix

 

Before and after pics (There are a total of 4 installed)