Here's what I got: a metallic rattle from the Driver's Side front wheel when going over rough pavement/little bumps & potholes.
Here's what I'm pretty sure it's not:
1) Struts - have been replaced (including a couple thousand miles where I had a completely diff. Strut/Spring set up - Tein 'S' Tech w/ Echo Struts). Now, I'm back to OEM (the rattle was present regardless).
2) Lower Control Arm (replaced)
3) Outer Tie Rod (replaced)
4) Sway Bar End Links (replaced)
5) Tires rotated
6) Driver's side (xmsn) mount & rear mount were both replaced.
Rattle still present.

Last Summer, I had the Trans rebuilt and a new clutch installed, which means the CV Axles were pulled and put back in. The rattle was there before AND after that job.

Everything that I can think of has been checked for tightness and I'm unable to 100% recreate that EXACT rattle when I'm under the car probing around. So, I'm calculating remaining possibilities.
A) Could that Brake Rotor be sloppy? Enough to slide around just a little on the lugs when I hit bumps? I had both rotors machined last Summer. The hubs are original AFAIK.
B) Could the wheel bearing have some slop to it? When the CV Axle was removed for the Trans. job, it was put right back in, so any pre-existing slop would still be there.

Things to check:
i) This weekend, I think I'll swap rotors and see what happens.
ii) Other than that, the CV Axle/Hub slop is the only other thing I can think of.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

 

Was thinking with the first message that it would be control arm bushings (and then end links), but with you having replaced them the only other thing I'm thinking could be the strut mounts on top of the springs. The other thing to look at can be the retaining springs for the brake pads - if they're missing the pads can rattle around and that gets super annoying - stops when any brake pressure is applied so easy to test. Axles don't usually rattle, they typically start to click when they go bad or give you a violent shake on acceleration. Rotors shouldn't make a difference either as they should be secured by the lugs and only make a difference while braking. If your car shakes while you brake though, then your rotors are warped and should be replaced.

 

Re: Strut mounts - both are new (I replaced when I did the lowering springs). And checked, and re-checked, and re-rechecked tightness of the top strut bolt.
Re: CV Axles - yeah, I'm familiar with worn ones as well as el-cheapo's on our family van a few years back.
Re: Brake Pad springs/clips - that's an interesting take. I have "troubleshot" this problem by applying brakes when going over bumps. It seems to alleviate this issue...I think. I'll have to pursue this a little more. I seem to remember having this issue BEFORE I replaced the pads last year...when I had the rotors turned and all. Hmm...

 

Could be hub / wheel bearing related then. If you jack up the vehicle where the wheel is off the ground, can you get any play in it from side to side or up and down? check for bad wheel bearing - Google Search

 

Yeah, I've checked that. Seems okay using that method. Since I've owned the car (5 years now), I've always thought the LF had a more pronounced "whirring" sound of a wheel bearing going bad, but it never got worse
I always check it whenever I have the front jacked up. But, here we are at 198k and maybe it's time anyway. I think I'll check the brake pad clips, then pursue getting a new bearing and maybe even a hub as they're relatively inexpensive.

 

I had a (possibly) similar issue with my first 2006 xB. We traced the problem to a loose fitting set of disc brake pads of all things. As much as I hate to admit it, a little creative re-forming of the retention clips to add more tension solved the issue.

 

That's what you get when you order parts from China...

 

But I don't know how to fix it.

The LF brake caliper sliding part rattles when it assembled. Piston operation seems normal. Pad wear is normal and matches RF.

Can I post a video?

 

Is the sliding pin smooth and well greased?

 

Yes. Did brakes last Summer. Took my time with the cleaning and lubing. Rattle was present before that brake job as well

 

Tomorrow, I'll take the caliper bracket off, do a super clean / lube of it. I'm kinda meticulous when it comes to this, so this feels like I did this when I did the brakes a year ago. But, we'll see. I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos and most talk about the pad clips...of course, I replaced those. Some mentioned the slide pins need to be cleaned really well. If this doesn't work, I guess the next step will be to replace the pins & boots as they are relatively inexpensive.

 

But they had free shipping?

Unfortunately, all of my issues were with 100% OEM Toyota parts. I think what may have contributed to the problem was the previous owner having brake work done by somebody who didn't know what they were doing. (Birsan's mechanic maybe?) I've seen some guys really go to town with a die grinder cleaning up caliper brackets. If you remove too much metal - which is pretty easy to do - you might need to replace the bracket. I didn't have to go that far.

 

I just took apart the caliper bracket, cleaned the pins & boots really good. Lubed it with silicone grease and reassembled. She good-ta-go!

I would never use a pea grinder or anything like that. I wire brushed the pad clip surface and hit it with some Emory cloth.

The only thing I did different today than what I normally do, is remove the pin boots for a "deep clean". Huh. Whatevs. It's fixed now. Thx, y'all.

 

Win.