Hello again!

My 85 245 is giving me a clunking issue.

I initially had a clunking sound at the passenger rear. turned out the rear shock was loose (and bad). It was so loose I could move it with my hand. The bottom bolt had somehow gotten loose. So I replaced the rear shocks and the sound went away.

Now, probably 500 miles in, I'm having a similar sound. It's a loose clunk sound. I almost always hear it when I go over small bumps or pot holes. Last night I was driving down a left turning spiraling driveway (out of a parking garage) and every time I drove over one of the compression lines in the driveway caused this clunk sound.

I was NOT in gear. It also will make the sound if I go from a dead stop, turning. I was turning RIGHT when I left the parking garage and it made the sound. As I was exiting, the car was facing down hill and turning right up hill.


Today I lifted the rear, took off both tires and checked to see if the loose shock was again the issue. Both shocks were tightened properly and not loose.

Before I lifted the car up, I had tried to replicate the sound. I pushed down on the rear bumper, but it didn't make the sound. So I forcibly pushed down on the bumper with my knee and the sound returned. However, instead of sounding like it came from BOTH sides of the car while driving, I could only make the sound come from the DRIVERS side of the car, more towards the rear.

When I push down on the bumper, it doesn't make the sound all the time. I have to push down HARD. And when it does make the sound, it's on the way UP from the push. The return, I guess.

I'm hypothesizing that it's the sway bar in the back, but it doesn't look or feel loose. Of course, I know that doesn't mean much.

I don't think it's the U joints or the driveline. I checked those already (for a previous issue) and they were fine. I don't know if it's the bushings, but i don't think it is. The symptoms don't seem to match (from what i understand).

Thanks for any ideas and tips.

Clunking over small bumps....It does sound like a typical Torque Rod bushing failure.
These are not Solid rubber bushings. the Top and Bottom of the bushings are hollow.. so the front and rear that is rubber cracks and tears. Probably hard to see without taking the hardware off.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.lyse.net/brox/TonyPage4.html http://cleanflametrap.com/tony/

I bought the IPD kit, and had 6 of the 10 replaced. I tried to do them myself, but it wasn't going to happen. so I had a shop do them.

I did the torque rod bushings, and the one that goes from the left side of the car to the right side. The other ones will be harder to do (in the sense of prepping them), so I'm going to do them later.

It made a BIG difference, but I can tell the other 4 are still bad. The ones i took out were really bad too, cracked, very flexible and obviously the original.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Is it something one can do themselves without a crazy tool?

The boge shocks almost make clicking/clunking sounds after a few thousand miles. It drove me nuts trying to figure it out. Did you recently have your shocks replaced?

I bought new shocks at the IPD garage sale in May of this year, and put them on soon after.

They were boge (I believe). I don't know if they're the shocks making the noise though. I hear the sound of the shocks (like a fizzing sound). This is an obvious "clunk" sound, that doesn't come from the shocks (at least, I can't hear it there).

I did feel the torque rod (or what I assume is the torque rod) and it was movable. In that I could move it around with my hand. Not a LOT but still moveable.

Do a search on the below and you will see it was not just me that had the problem of the boge shocks. It drove me nuts. I had lots of bushing work done all for naught.....

"No more rattling rear end. No more Boge Turbo Gas Shocks!"

Hi,

Get a light and shine it up on your torque rod bushings on each side to see if the rubber is cracked, do the same with the rear position trailing arm bushings. You can probably check that stuff with the wheels still on the ground.

Travis