mysterious rear end clunk

[83 supra man]

so whenever i punch the gas then let off I hear a loud and harsh sounding clunk coming from the back of my car somewhere, today only once when I backed up i heard a squeak squeak then that same clunk. then I started driving forward and it was fine. also this clunk still happens but not as harsh when i floor it and shift into second or third, could this be U joints? I've yet to test them to see for sure, i've only had this car for 5 days now and already replaced the alternator. this car was sitting on a farm for 3 years before i bought it and it has 470,000km-about 300,000 miles on it.

[Linchmob]

I've went through some similar clunks in my rear end...Whenever I start off in first gear you hear it, at times it is a little bit of a violent jolt if. Then you hear the tap when each gear engages. I don't know what it is either???

[Suprademon]

Get it up on some jackstands and get underneath. Could be many things. Check the bolts/bushings on the control arms, drive shafts, shocks and their mounts/bolts, rear end mounts/bolts, etc, etc. You might also check the rear springs, on the bottom of each was a factory rubber/plastic insulator. These wear out and under accelation can cause a POP under accelation.

[Prplehz]

You aren't alone my friend. I have the same issue. I thought for sure it was my U-joints. But with a new driveshaft I still get some clunk, but only on decel some times. Granted the new Driveshaft fixed a lot of my clunks, just not the one I am chasing now. It isn't my rear shafts either. I am thinking I have bad arm bushings, or rear bearings. Especially since mine seems to be coming from the right rear and not the left. I would check U-joints and trace it from the trans. back to the outer wheels. See if there is a lot of slop before the diff. engages when you turn the driveshaft by hand. Some play is normal, but not a lot. I can't get mine to make the sound on jack stands. I am about to strap my neighbor under the car and go for a drive and see what he sees, lol... If I trace mine down I will report back here with my findings.

['82supra]

As these cars age, along with normal wear & tear, similar problems creep up...looking forward to`hearing all the analyses & solutions.

[wildfyr3]

As a general consensus this seems like a VERY common problem with many people.

Regarding the same issue

Check your center drive line bearing.
When they're bad they thump around.

[83 supra man]

well just looking at the shock absorber bushings i can tell you they are all crap, the bushing is so worn out that the shock is sitting cockeyed on the bolt that it mounts on. And the front stut bars rattle when you go over bumps lol, nothing some poly bushings won't fix

[williamb82]

if its the rear end and not the center support bearing, buy the crush sleeve eliminator kit for a toyota 4x4 7.5in diff. this will solve it. the problem usually is the crush sleeve has crushed too much over the years and removes the preload on the pinion bearings. this allows the pinion gear to move and have too much backlash. if your going this route, its a good time to install a new pinion seal in the diff while the pinion flange is off. the side seals are easy if you want to do those too so you know its all sealed up.

[Junaid K]

if its the rear end and not the center support bearing, buy the crush sleeve eliminator kit for a toyota 4x4 7.5in diff. this will solve it. the problem usually is the crush sleeve has crushed too much over the years and removes the preload on the pinion bearings. this allows the pinion gear to move and have too much backlash. if your going this route, its a good time to install a new pinion seal in the diff while the pinion flange is off. the side seals are easy if you want to do those too so you know its all sealed up.

My car does this also. Has a fair amount of lash & clunks on take off, & gear changes, usually at a lower rpm, & the lower gears. Do you have a part number for this crush sleeve eliminator kit?

[Funkycheeze]

Check the diff bolts that hold it to the subframe. I ended up going to grade 8.8 bolts with spring lockwashers to prevent loosening.