Signs of a bad axle bearing? + mystery clunk when going over bumps. Help please.

[Zero_Accel]

Was wondering if anyone has any advise on diagnosing a potential issue.

TLDR: 37's might be killing carrier bearing:

Truck specs:

2020 Gladiator Sport, ~45000 miles
Non-Maxtow axles, stock knuckles, drag link, tie rods.
Clayton Adjustable front track bar, Fox ATS stabilizer
2.5 inch Ready lift w/Mojave suspension.
Yokohama Geolanders 37x12.50r17, 76.1 lbs
Fuel Ammo wheels, 33 lbs
Yukon 4.88 gearing w/install kit
Factory Jeep LSD, no lockers

Long version:

So I got back from the Chile Challenge about two weeks ago, was a lot of fun, was able to get out there with my family. We did a fairly mild trail rated at 5, plenty of spots where we had the suspension flexed out and any tough spots just needed a better line, didn't use lockers or do anything too hard on the drive-line, other than the occasional binding when having to turn mid flex and mild throttle over some bumps. Had a blast and as a bonus the whole family got back without breaking anything.

Or so I thought, a few days ago I heard a loud clunk coming from the passenger side of my truck whenever I hit a decent dip in the road, like going from the street to parking lots. Went under the truck and saw this.

I'm wondering if the extra strain from the trail ride plus my 37's is killing my carrier bearings, or if this is a leftover from the re-gear (had a family friend do the gears, they've worked on our trucks for years and I've never had any complaints, just always a bit of a mess behind which I usually clean up).

Any help or tips anyone can provide is greatly appreciated.

*Tweaked the title, meant to ask about the axle bearing, not the carrier.

Sponsored

 

[JRobes]

I've had the carrier bearings go on my WJ rear axle a couple times, and it almost sounds like a brake pad slightly grabbing on the rotor, a light grinding noise. When mine went there wasn't any axle oil leakage, so I'm guessing what you're seeing is something else.

 

[bleda2002]

37s shouldn't have any effect on your carrier bearing under the truck. I think you might be talking about something else though and not actually the carrier bearing, maybe the carrier in the diff?

Picture of a gladiator carrier bearing:

Edit: are you asking about the little bit of oil on the c in that picture? It looks more like someone touched it with oily hands than a leak given where the oil is to me.

 

[Rusty PW]

37s shouldn't have any effect on your carrier bearing under the truck. I think you might be talking about something else though and not actually the carrier bearing, maybe the carrier in the diff?

Picture of a gladiator carrier bearing:

Edit: are you asking about the little bit of oil on the c in that picture? It looks more like someone touched it with oily hands than a leak given where the oil is to me.

2x

 

[Randonexplosion]

Clunk while hitting a dip would have me looking at suspension, not axle internals.

Ive only had to replace carrier (differential) bearings after bad pinion bearings have been run for too long.

 

[Cburd61]

Could be something simple. Check your spare’s air pressure, and that it is fully drawn up into the well. If you have a hitch ball, make sure it isn’t clunking around. My daughter has an ‘06 Grand Cherokee. She asked me to Look at it, as she was hearing a clunk when hitting bumps. Sure enough, it was a flat spare bumping around. I lowered it and filled it with air, then made sure it was winched all the way up tight. Clunk was gone. When I first drove it to see what she was hearing, it sounded like a broke shock or something even more serious.

 

[Jteakus]

Check your sway bar end link bolts and that all your coils are sitting in their buckets.

 

[XJFanatic]

looks like a good time. I’m with everyone else that’s not anything I would worry about oil wise.

FWIW I just spent the past 4 weeks chasing a clunk from the front similar to what you described. Turns out the front up shock bolt had backed out or I never fully tightened it after swapping in the diesel springs. Odd thing shock was dead tight when I grabbed and pulled on it.

 

[Zero_Accel]

37s shouldn't have any effect on your carrier bearing under the truck. I think you might be talking about something else though and not actually the carrier bearing, maybe the carrier in the diff?

Picture of a gladiator carrier bearing:

Edit: are you asking about the little bit of oil on the c in that picture? It looks more like someone touched it with oily hands than a leak given where the oil is to me.

Sorry for the confusion, after looking it up, I meant the new axle bearings for the half-shafts that were changed as part of the gear service, they came with the gear install kit, although I wouldn't be 100% sure where they belong as I paid a shop for the install because I didn't feel comfortable messing with the diffs. Looking at everyone else's replies, a bad bearing would be more like a grinding noise vs a clunk, so I'll look at the suspension.

 

[Zero_Accel]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I took some simple green and wiped down the knuckle, looks like it was a stain from the gear swap. I'll keep an eye on it just in case, hoping it doesn't come back.

I'll take a torque wrench to both the front and rear track bars, shocks, and swaybar links to see if they're in spec, since those were added by me and they may have worked themselves loose on the mountain.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Clunk while hitting a dip would have me looking at suspension, not axle internals.

Ive only had to replace carrier (differential) bearings after bad pinion bearings have been run for too long.

Mine was a loose sway bar link - oddly, it seemed fine, but one bolt was just loose enough to clunk on a dip.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

and swaybar links to see if they're in spec, since those were added by me and they may have worked themselves loose on the mountain.

Those will make the sound you describe at the times you describe - I had the exact same thing and I asked the dealer to look things over while they were doing a wave service - they actually took a torque wrench to things and found a sway bar link loose. I was surprised they did it in the oil change bay.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

meant to ask about the axle bearing, not the carrier.

Axle bearings will groan, maybe whine, or rumble, a rough sound, not a clunk.

 

[TheOpa]

+1 on the advice already given to check your sway bar links. Especially the top bracket where the rear sway bar attaches to the frame. I just had what sounds like exactly the same thing last weekend and I believe it was caused by flexing the suspension. Where the sway bar attaches to the rear frame is a surprisingly weak welded on bracket that I bent back into place with one hand. It’s a known issue. I have a set of bolt on brackets on their way to me from Metal Cloak that just shipped yesterday. Several manufacturers make similar brackets but the Metal Cloaks were recommended to me from a trusted member here and were only $79 + free shipping. Cheap insurance that it won’t happen again.

 

[HorneyBadger]

Control arms do that also(ask me how I know). Check the torque on the LCA's.

Sponsored