slow speed suspension clunking

Chad's Trail Boss · April 27, 2020

On 4/25/2020 at 2:39 PM, Kchampagne said:

I agree with you. Mine is clunking, not squeaking. The dealer is replacing my leaf spring. I would try a different dealer.

So about the clunking, loose ball rolling around in the bed feel/sound, more so on the drivers side noise. (where the fuel tanks at)

When I first got my truck I experienced somewhat of this same thing I guess.

I determined that at slow speeds (when my fuel was around 1/2 to 3/8 of a tank) I was feeling the fuel slosh around in the tank.

Like it was making a wave then hitting the other end of the tank.

I would only notice it when backing up into my driveway then braking to a stop. Like a sudden change in movement or direction. I don't notice it when driving forward from a stop light because I figure there is enough momentum that it holds the fuel back then it gradually comes back forward as your continue driving.

Its only abrupt changes in direction/movement that I've found makes me feel this sloshing of the fuel and only at half to lower fuel levels.

2019_Silverado_HC · May 26, 2020

I have further narrowed my suspension noise to be coming from the passenger side leaf spring where the band wraps around the leaf spring in the back. There is enough play in the “band” that when the truck is shaken side to side to emulate what happens to the suspension when I leave the driveway. The problem is I have not a clue how to even try and isolate the band form the spring. I feel a piece of rubber would be a potential solution, but there is no way to remove the band and do this. I might just buy the composite leaf springs which don’t have this band and see if this will fix it. Anybody got a part number on the Denali rear leaf springs?

topgear1224 · May 26, 2020

I have further narrowed my suspension noise to be coming from the passenger side leaf spring where the band wraps around the leaf spring in the back. There is enough play in the “band” that when the truck is shaken side to side to emulate what happens to the suspension when I leave the driveway. The problem is I have not a clue how to even try and isolate the band form the spring. I feel a piece of rubber would be a potential solution, but there is no way to remove the band and do this. I might just buy the composite leaf springs which don’t have this band and see if this will fix it. Anybody got a part number on the Denali rear leaf springs?

any 2019+ Chevrolet Silverado 1500 equipped with composite rear leaf springs (Chevrolet LT Trim with 5.3L V8 engine (L84) - Chevrolet LT Trim, Short Bed with 3.0L Turbo Diesel engine (LM2)

These above are the only ones with the composite. Denali has the same 3850lb steel springs that all the non max tow trucks have.

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2019_Silverado_HC · June 11, 2020

I brought my truck to a different dealer after getting frustrated with how bad the noise is getting now that it is full on summer in Houston. The tech that did the work noted that the other dealer did in fact perform the service bulletin but that he had a different isolator that he uses when he does the fix. He's been doing truck suspensions for 25 years. After the fix, the rear end is more quiet then when I bought it. I don't know what he used, but it works. Supper quiet and tight. I guess I have learned that the SB fix may not be adequate or the first dealer didn't do the work correctly. I will keep y'all posted if I have new issues.

2019_Silverado_HC · June 11, 2020

2 minutes ago, 2019_Silverado_HC said:

I brought my truck to a different dealer after getting frustrated with how bad the noise is getting now that it is full on summer in Houston. The tech that did the work noted that the other dealer did in fact perform the service bulletin but that he had a different isolator that he uses when he does the fix. He's been doing truck suspensions for 25 years. After the fix, the rear end is more quiet then when I bought it. I don't know what he used, but it works. Supper quiet and tight. I guess I have learned that the SB fix may not be adequate or the first dealer didn't do the work correctly. I will keep y'all posted if I have new issues.

Part number referenced for the isolator he used is 84474225 which is different from the SB part number.

Danny Andrus · June 14, 2020

I have the same problem and if I hear "They all do that" I'll throw up. Mine is due to excess end play in rear axles. I jacked up each rear wheel and the end play is ridiculously excessive (worse on right side). There has to be a fix for this and I'll continue to look for one because I'm also tired of hearing "There's no fix for that". Warranty will be up in 900 miles. I've never driven anything but a GM truck and never had this problem.

LS3GXP · July 14, 2020

I'm unfortunately in the same camp with the ridiculous leaf spring issue. Like others have said, the dealer 1) Replaced the leaf inserts to no avail, 2) Loosened and re-torqued the suspension, including the U bolts. and most recently lubricated the springs. The dealer ordered new leaf springs for driver and passenger side and the truck goes back a 4th time to replace the garbage currently in the truck. Love the diesel/10 speed combo, and we purchased it to replace the Ram to tow our 27' camper. Don't feel comfortable towing anything with as much play, lateral movement and noise coming from the rear. Currently have 4k miles on the truck and can't say I'm too happy with GM after several good ownership experiences in the past.

After spending some quality Google time I found this thread and how common the issue is. I also see a few have made it this far in the repair process before receiving the "we don't hear anything unusual", but I didn't see much on new leaf springs solving the issue. We firmly but calmly stated our position to the dealer and noted we didn't feel the truck is safe to tow a camper with our family. After several escalations and conversations they are begrudgingly installing the new springs. I'll post back once the install is complete and I have the "typical" 500 - 1000 miles on the truck afterwards, since this seems to be the distance it takes for the problem to recur.

Edited July 14, 2020 by LS3GXP

LS3GXP · July 21, 2020

Quick update for everyone. Dealer installed new leaf springs and truck is still making the same racket. The quote I received from the tech working on the truck and service manager was "something is still clearly not right with the truck". This being said, he said GM isn't offering any further repairs or recommendations, other than to grease the leaves on an oil change schedule.

Absolutely unreal this is the advice on any vehicle built today, and if this was "normal" F150, Titan and Tundra's would have the same issue. My problem is when stability control activates when hitting washout areas on the interstate due to the rear end jostling around, there is a major design and/or quality issue. I've had several GM trucks and vehicles and and as many others in this situation have said, never again. Such a shame.

kpanza · July 24, 2020

I had a little free time after dinner last night, so I rolled the truck up on my ramps and started looking/feeling around. I grabbed and pulled on everything under there - exhaust, shocks, heat shields, etc. The ONLY thing that was somewhat loose was the spare tire, but only if I pulled downwards on it from the rear...but it didn't move or make noise as I rocked the suspension up and down and sideways. Out of pure curiosity and to rule it totally out, I removed the spare tire completely, and went for a quick drive around the street, hitting all of the areas that cause the noise every day. No change, still there.

Oh, and on a side note about the spare tire - if I were you guys, I'd check to make sure yours is tight, and also I'd highly suggest doing something I did while you have it lowered just a bit! My truck is only 5 months old, and I could see two distinct wear areas where the spare tire rubs on the crossmember (when it is all the way UP, the tire butts up against them to get it tight). The sidewall of the tire was getting worn! I suspect over time and a few years, it could make the tire unsafe to use! I grabbed some stiff cardboard I had laying around and wedged it between the sidewall and crossmember to avoid direct contact. With my tire not as tight as it should have been, the movement during driving was causing the wear...not good.

Now, I DID hear the fuel sloshing around in the tank as I rocked the suspension, but it's a different noise/feel than the "bowling ball in bed" clunk when backing out of driveway/off curb/turning when going slow noise. My tank was 3/4 full. But I've heard the sound at all fuel levels, so I'm pretty sure it's not that. It's interesting that the noise/clunk happens worst when rocking the suspension side to side more than straight up and down...which leads back to leaf springs.

Does anyone know the torque specs on the leaf spring bushing bolts offhand? I'd like to check those after seeing how loose my u-bolts were. On my K5 I generally just tighten til the urethane bushings slightly squeeze for max flex, but I'd use a torque wrench on this truck. My service manager is checking on possible fixes (he's become my ally after my 65 day transmission fix ordeal!) but I don't put much faith in that. Love the truck, but this clunk noise is surely aggravating.

topgear1224 · July 24, 2020

yeah I know about the fuel tank issue with my diesel if it's full when you come to a stop the fuel definitely slashes and hits. First couple times I thought that i hit something.

the only real things that would clunk in the rear would be the G80 which if it's occurring only during acceleration would be suspect,

without seeing you drive I don't really know how you drive but in theory if you put down enough torque you could begin to bind the u-joints. Axle wrap would be a concern too.

If it's just going over bumps it likely suspension. the only caveat would be if it's only an occurring going over bumps while accelerating the other things mentioned was coming to play.

if you have a bunch of friends you could always have them get up in the bed and just start jumping. throw on eye protection and crawl underneath the truck and figure out what the hell is making the noise or moving.
Sometimes low-tech is the best tech. if you can get them to jump in near unison, you're going to likely find your problem.

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topgear1224 · July 24, 2020

I have the same problem and if I hear "They all do that" I'll throw up. Mine is due to excess end play in rear axles. I jacked up each rear wheel and the end play is ridiculously excessive (worse on right side). There has to be a fix for this and I'll continue to look for one because I'm also tired of hearing "There's no fix for that". Warranty will be up in 900 miles. I've never driven anything but a GM truck and never had this problem.

My end play was noted as 6mm per side. Still feels disconnected, but hasn't gotten worse.

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topgear1224 · July 24, 2020

Side to side could be the stabilizer bar, or more likely the links. I'd invite some people over and ask for their help

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LS3GXP · July 24, 2020

I videoed the drivers side leaf spring while the truck was backing and turning out of our driveway. You can hear and visually see the leaves moving laterally when the sounds occurs. The dealer did the torque, re-torque routine and also changed both leaf spring and torqued down again. The only fix was when he applied the lube between the leaves, which led to GM's fallback answer that leaf springs are a maintenance item.

It's also easy to replicate this on my truck when it's sitting in the garage: grab the bed hand insert and shake the truck side to side. You can hear the exact sound the truck makes when backing out of the driveway and if you have someone hold the leaves, not in a way to pinch your hand, you can feel the popping and resonance from the leaves when someone is shaking the truck.

As I said before, I know from doing this same "shake" test to the Titan, Tundra and F150, they don't exhibit any of these sounds or movement. Given GM has replaced leaf spring on several trucks over the years for this same issue, and none that I know of fixed the problem for more than a few months, in my opinion it seems there is an issue with the leaf mounting point or something similar. I find it hard to believe there is this prevalent of a manufacturing defect in the leaves, that has been going on for this long. If the mounting point are off by fractions than maybe it's putting the leaves in a bind........dont' know for sure but it amazes me GM isn't trying to permanently resolve.

Ojustracing · July 25, 2020

8 hours ago, kpanza said:

I had a little free time after dinner last night, so I rolled the truck up on my ramps and started looking/feeling around. I grabbed and pulled on everything under there - exhaust, shocks, heat shields, etc. The ONLY thing that was somewhat loose was the spare tire, but only if I pulled downwards on it from the rear...but it didn't move or make noise as I rocked the suspension up and down and sideways. Out of pure curiosity and to rule it totally out, I removed the spare tire completely, and went for a quick drive around the street, hitting all of the areas that cause the noise every day. No change, still there.

Oh, and on a side note about the spare tire - if I were you guys, I'd check to make sure yours is tight, and also I'd highly suggest doing something I did while you have it lowered just a bit! My truck is only 5 months old, and I could see two distinct wear areas where the spare tire rubs on the crossmember (when it is all the way UP, the tire butts up against them to get it tight). The sidewall of the tire was getting worn! I suspect over time and a few years, it could make the tire unsafe to use! I grabbed some stiff cardboard I had laying around and wedged it between the sidewall and crossmember to avoid direct contact. With my tire not as tight as it should have been, the movement during driving was causing the wear...not good.

Now, I DID hear the fuel sloshing around in the tank as I rocked the suspension, but it's a different noise/feel than the "bowling ball in bed" clunk when backing out of driveway/off curb/turning when going slow noise. My tank was 3/4 full. But I've heard the sound at all fuel levels, so I'm pretty sure it's not that. It's interesting that the noise/clunk happens worst when rocking the suspension side to side more than straight up and down...which leads back to leaf springs.

Does anyone know the torque specs on the leaf spring bushing bolts offhand? I'd like to check those after seeing how loose my u-bolts were. On my K5 I generally just tighten til the urethane bushings slightly squeeze for max flex, but I'd use a torque wrench on this truck. My service manager is checking on possible fixes (he's become my ally after my 65 day transmission fix ordeal!) but I don't put much faith in that. Love the truck, but this clunk noise is surely aggravating.

Rear Spring Unit Bolt Nut (3)»Tighten in sequence[4x]

First Pass:80 Y (59 lb ft)
Second Pass:loosen 180 degrees
Third Pass:80 Y (59 lb ft)
Final Pass:120 - 140 degrees

Rear Spring Front Bolt (1)»Tighten160 Y (118 lb ft)

Rear Spring Shackle Nut(2)»Tighten[2x]115 Y (85 lb ft)

wahoowad · July 25, 2020

With only 6k miles on my 2019 Trail Boss I am getting the 'loose spare tire' clunk noise and the groaning suspension. Darn near $50,000 vehicle and this thing makes more noise than my 2003 Silverado with 190,000 miles.

All it takes is moderate downward hand pressure on the rear of the truck to get the groaning suspension noise. I also get the clunk but haven't figured out a pattern, but surely it's the same as others are hearing.

My suspension groaning noise even does it with a couple hundred pounds of camping gear packed into the truck. My shiny new truck sounded like an old rust bucket as I bounced around on a forest service dirt road. I have not gone to the dealer yet - they are the only chevy dealer in my small town and known for sucking.