Need Help Mysterious Clunk

[JD522]

My 2015 Ram Crew Cab 4x4, an oddball with 6'4" bed, has started making a clunking sound when I go over bumps, even when barely moving. It happens when driving straight. I can't say I have noticed it happening or not when turning. Oddly, I don't seem to hear it as much on taller bumps. It seems to happen more on short, sharp bumps. It sounds like the sound is originating behind me. My wife in the passenger seat agrees. My sons in the back seat say it sounds directly beneath them. I got under the truck and nothing seems to move by hand, though I don't know what things to try. The spare tire is tight. The exhaust pipes are secure. The only thing I see is a cable that looks like it goes to the brakes. It has a place right around the spot beneath the back seats where there is a joint and long bolt. Anyway, that cable/joint is free to sway 6" or more in any direction. I'm wondering if it clunking up against the bottom of the truck could be what I hear. What is this cable and should it be swaying like this or secured in some way?

 

[AkNoad2]

Sounds like the parking brake cable is hanging because the linkage at the parking brake itself is sticking, mine doesn't hit the bottom of my truck but it hangs down lower than it should. Try lubing the linkage for the parking brake and see if that frees it up.

 

[audiophile]

The cable is gor your parking brake. It will sway and as the parking shoes wear down it will drop slightly. Mine moves quite a bit as well but I have never heard a noise from it.

 

[JD522]

It is very possible it isn't the source of the clunk. It was just the only thing I saw that had free movement to smack into something else. I will have to do more troubleshooting...

 

[Lyle Longboat]

Check your upper shock bushings. If these get pinched or become old and brittle, the shock mount bolt will clunk when you go over the bumps as you described. Also, the shock top mount may be moving ever so little side to side and may only Move when you hit bumps, thus if you checked, may not move with push of hand. It happened to me and I chased that clunk around for almost a year. Finally got um!
Could Be loose as well!

 

[Daw14]

Sway bar end links ? Shocks ? Track bar ?

 

[Jeepwalker]

Good suggestions guys ...the first thing that came to my mind when reading the post was shock bushing or sway bar link.

OP, You'll just have to get under there and see if anything is hanging down. Wiggle the exhaust, shocks, push up/down on the front drive shaft CV joints (inner and outer). Check muffler and catalytic converter shields (I guess they don't usually 'clunk'). While you're doing the checks, it might not hurt to jack it up to raise each front tire off the ground and wiggle (violently) in the 6:00-12:00 positions to check upper ball joints and wheel bearings, and just for good measure the 3:00-9:00 positions for steering loosness. And while you have the wheel off the ground, I'd stick a pry bar or board under the wheel and have a helper lift it up/down while you watch for lower ball joint movement.

Let us know what it turns out to be

 

[NJMOPAR]

Does the 6.4 bed have a two piece driveshaft?
If so, it might be the carrier bearing.

 

[Green_Manalishi]

Something inside under the seat against the back of the cab?

 

[RangerWeaver]

I had a similar issue a few months ago. I had been hearing a clunking sound when hitting small bumps. Eventually, I found out that the passenger side front sway bay link ball joint has separated and the link was coming free and slamming into the ball joint whenever I hit a bump.
If its the sway bar link ball joint I recommend having either a Sawzall or hack saw ready. I had to cut off the joint to get it free.

 

[JD522]

Thank you all for the replies. I tried easy stuff first. I checked under all the seats. I thought maybe it was the jack which is under the front passenger seat. It is not very tight and can wobble a bit. If I do it with force it makes a similar clunking sound. I stuffed a wadded up cloth between it and the floor to prevent that. Clunk still present.

It definitely comes from the rear. Today I tried getting in my truck and squatting/standing to bounce the bed. I can easily reproduce the sound while only making the bed drop an inch or so. The clunk comes from the driver side rear. While standing beside the truck, I can even just put my weight on my forearms laid on the side bed rail above the tire and bounce the truck enough to make the clunk. It makes distinct clunk if I do that on the driver side. If I do it on the passenger side, there isn't much of a clunk but there is sometimes a sharper clack sound from the driver side. I had my son bounce the bed while I was under the truck. I could not tell where it was coming from exactly but it seemed like it was well above me, so closer to the bed than axle. It seems like in the spring or shock. I can feel the clunk in both. When driving we all feel like we can feel it in the floor. I'm not sure what exactly to look for. Due to the fender liners, I can't see the top of the shock or spring very well. I think I'd have to take off the Bushwacker flares to remove the liners. Nothing is loose by hand while the vehicle's weight is on its tires. I have not jacked it up. The only jack I have is that one under the passenger seat.

Can a shock go bad and cause the clunk? Or, is it going to be a mount-point issue? The shocks are the Fox Performance ones you can add onto the Zone lift. The springs are the ones you get with the Zone lift. The lift was installed less than 10k miles ago. The truck has less than 45k miles total. The only time I've been off road was at my buddy's property where I have to drive up a driveway cut-in that is still just dirt. So, I have not been on anything rough.

Treat me like I'm ignorant, because I am on this stuff. I've never done any auto work. I replaced the brake light bulb above the cab last weekend and felt pretty proud of myself. Pictures would help a lot.

 

[RangerWeaver]

Thank you all for the replies. I tried easy stuff first. I checked under all the seats. I thought maybe it was the jack which is under the front passenger seat. It is not very tight and can wobble a bit. If I do it with force it makes a similar clunking sound. I stuffed a wadded up cloth between it and the floor to prevent that. Clunk still present.

It definitely comes from the rear. Today I tried getting in my truck and squatting/standing to bounce the bed. I can easily reproduce the sound while only making the bed drop an inch or so. The clunk comes from the driver side rear. While standing beside the truck, I can even just put my weight on my forearms laid on the side bed rail above the tire and bounce the truck enough to make the clunk. It makes distinct clunk if I do that on the driver side. If I do it on the passenger side, there isn't much of a clunk but there is sometimes a sharper clack sound from the driver side. I had my son bounce the bed while I was under the truck. I could not tell where it was coming from exactly but it seemed like it was well above me, so closer to the bed than axle. It seems like in the spring or shock. I can feel the clunk in both. When driving we all feel like we can feel it in the floor. I'm not sure what exactly to look for. Due to the fender liners, I can't see the top of the shock or spring very well. I think I'd have to take off the Bushwacker flares to remove the liners. Nothing is loose by hand while the vehicle's weight is on its tires. I have not jacked it up. The only jack I have is that one under the passenger seat.

Can a shock go bad and cause the clunk? Or, is it going to be a mount-point issue? The shocks are the Fox Performance ones you can add onto the Zone lift. The springs are the ones you get with the Zone lift. The lift was installed less than 10k miles ago. The truck has less than 45k miles total. The only time I've been off road was at my buddy's property where I have to drive up a driveway cut-in that is still just dirt. So, I have not been on anything rough.

Treat me like I'm ignorant, because I am on this stuff. I've never done any auto work. I replaced the brake light bulb above the cab last weekend and felt pretty proud of myself. Pictures would help a lot.

It could be a rear shock bushing or something that came to mind was to check the spare tire. I noticed a clunking/thumping sound after a tire service that was caused by the spare tire being loose even though I watched them crank the tire back into its spot and checked it and it was tight.

 

[Brian2081]

Ok, here is one last suggestion. Do you have anything in your receiver hitch ?. Noticed a clunk in my 2500 one day, took a week to find it, took the pintle hitch out, no more clunck.

 

[Daw14]

Get a dowel rod or a piece of heater hose and use either one like a stethoscope . Hold one end to your ear then while someone is bouncing the truck go under and put other end to different parts And places until you locate the noise.

 

[cdn cj]

You can usually feel a clunk with your hand. Start grabbing stuff while someone is bouncing the rear end.

 

[NJMOPAR]

You didn't mention in your first post that aftermarket suspension parts are installed, that's where I would focus on now.

 

[Lyle Longboat]

Take out the rear shock and look over the bushing and check the frame mount, you’ll see if it the issue, bushing will be shifted and marks will be on the shock mount and the frame mount. This was my issue. I did all the same thing you
Mentioned you did to get the clunk.

 

[kurek]

My mystery clunk was a (valve?) Thing mounted on the fuel filler hose, visible from under the truck. It had come loose and was hanging by its hose. I used two huge 1/2" wide zip ties to hold it, since the original method of retaining it was one big-ish zip tie

 

[Mister Luck]

Do you have air bag suspension ?
Do you have storage bins in front of the backseat in the floor ?
Do you know what the white pencil looking thing is in your pics of the brake cable ?

 

[roadrnnr]

Try torqueing your Bed and Body Bolts.

If loose they will cause this.

Check your E Brake levers at the rear hub. If your cable is that loose you probably got one froze up