Help! Bad Steering Knocking

[qx4dude]

Hey Everyone,

I have a 2002 qx4 with 200k km.

I recently had a whole bunch of work done to my truck and it was perfect for a short period of time before this new problem started.

I am getting a very bad knocking/clunking sound that seems to be coming from the rack and pinion? You can create the knocking if you saw the wheel back and forth. It also knocks very bad over every bump and driving at an angle up drive ways or speed bumps. I can pretty much feel it in the floor right under my feet. I am not exactly sure what is causing it but its in the steering.

Parts that have already been replaced in the front are;
Tie-Rods +end links
Ball joints
CV Joints/Axels
controll arms
Brakes
Wheel Bearings
Sway bar endlinks
struts


Any help or insight would be awesome!

Thanks

[AceEngineer]

Have you tried returning it to the place that did the work? It is entirely possible they forgot to tighten something. The most of your list would be the first things I would check for a steering clunk. The other possibility is a axle joint. Does it clunk when making a slow sharp turn?

AceEngineer

[qx4dude]

Yes everything is tight and fine.

Sorry i forgot to mention both Cv axels/joints were also done.

Its for sure coming from the steering and not any other suspension component. I layed under my truck and had a buddy saw at the wheel. I could hear the noice coming from somewhere inside the rack and pinion, but it sounded mostly on the drivers side.

Thanks

[patqx4]

Ever resolve this? Im currently having the same issue.

[maxmileage]

check your cv shafts for play, (i.e. sliding in and out a little bit at the outer end where it seals against the steering knuckle) I have the same prob right now after I changed out my cv shafts last week. After a few days of driving around I noticed the clunk, exactly as you describe. After some troubleshooting I quickly realized that the culprit was slop in my front drivetrain, right where the new shaft enters into the knuckle. At first I thought I just needed wider snap rings on the end of the shaft but even after doubling one side up with rings I still had the slop/clunk. After reviewing the FSM and Chiltons a bit I realized that I had neglected to pull off the thrust washers from the old shafts and install them on the new ones. This washer, or lack of, is what I believe my problem is. It goes right between the butt of the shaft and the needle bearing in the steering knuckle. Glad I have manual hubs unlocked and haven't engaged 4x4, don't know if that would have been good with no washer in there. I am waiting on ordered thrust washers right now and will hopefully be able to add them to the shaft by Fri/Sat. and hopefully I will have cured this, CLUNK! Just grab the axle and try for movement, you will know right away if it moves. I will know for sure by the end of the weekend if the washer is the problem, but I definitely know the clunk is coming from play in my front axle to knuckle connection.