2021 Jeep Gladiator Willys front passenger side clunk.

[ShadowsPapa]

UPDATE - Still haven't found the source of the clunk and no one can figure it out besides the one mechanic that indicated that the passenger lower ball joint is shot.

I did tighten the ball joints REALLY tight and the clunk has gotten much worse.

There's no adjustment, so once the nuts are to the factory torque spec, any other movement is wear and you can't tighten wear out of them.

So you removed the cotter pins, tightened the ball joint nuts to spec, and put cotter pins back?

Sponsored

 

[Harry818]

There's no adjustment, so once the nuts are to the factory torque spec, any other movement is wear and you can't tighten wear out of them.

So you removed the cotter pins, tightened the ball joint nuts to spec, and put cotter pins back?

Exactly, took em out tightened them and put em back in.

 

[Harry818]

UPDATE - Took it in to another off road shop and due to the rain they couldn't really do a deep dive on the issues but the mechanic did take a look and stated that it can be the ball joints, drag link ends, loose track bar, or just a simple fix of the transfer case skid plate. He did indicate that the transfer case skid plate does flex when under load and articulation. I'm going to take it in for a deeper diagnosis soon by them. I'm hoping its the transfer case. The sound did dissapear when driving in the rain, maybe everything was lubricated down there, who knows.

 

[Harry818]

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE.

Took my Gladiator to the follow up with an off road shop and the issue is the DRAG END LINK on the passenger side. They did indicate that they have to change the entire drag link because the model of my Gladiator has the ball joint "sealed" in there. I am going to update it with a Synergy drag link over the weekend with them. I will updae evryone on here to confirm if that fixes the problem. They did confirm that there is a lot of play and the clunking sound is coming from there. The U joint, axle, ball joints, & everything else in the front end is fine.

 

[Jaxmax]

Hooray, been a long struggle , glad ya found it!….Jack

 

[Harry818]

Hooray, been a long struggle , glad ya found it!….Jack

Thank you! I will update on here once I get this fixed. It's been a long journey.

 

[Gizmo]

the sway bar end link on some require an allen wrench inserted on the end of the threaded end, same side the nut is on . That stops the bolt part from spinning

 

[Harry818]

the sway bar end link on some require an allen wrench inserted on the end of the threaded end, same side the nut is on . That stops the bolt part from spinning

The sway bar end links are tight and good. The issue is the drag END links. The end links on the passenger and driver side. The passenger side had a lot of play and clunking and the driver side boot was torn with all the grease out. Usually online it is called the steering linkage. A lot of confusion.

 

[DanW]

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE.

Took my Gladiator to the follow up with an off road shop and the issue is the DRAG END LINK on the passenger side. They did indicate that they have to change the entire drag link because the model of my Gladiator has the ball joint "sealed" in there. I am going to update it with a Synergy drag link over the weekend with them. I will updae evryone on here to confirm if that fixes the problem. They did confirm that there is a lot of play and the clunking sound is coming from there. The U joint, axle, ball joints, & everything else in the front end is fine.

Thank you so much! I'm going to have it checked on mine. I've got a clunk, too that sounds very similar to what you described. I've tightened the bolts on mine and it went away for a little bit. A trip to Moab brought it back with a vengeance. Lol.

 

[Harry818]

Thank you so much! I'm going to have it checked on mine. I've got a clunk, too that sounds very similar to what you described. I've tightened the bolts on mine and it went away for a little bit. A trip to Moab brought it back with a vengeance. Lol.

Of course! I've had the the issue since I bought it used back in February of this year. Clunking when making left & right turns, reversing from the driveway, & popping sound when moving the steering wheel from left to right. I do have loss of MPG as well with uneven tire wear. When you google the symptoms it narrows it down to the ball joints or drag link. I haven't done the work yet on the truck, going in this weekend. Fingers crossed but the mechanic was very confident.

 

[Gizmo]

The sway bar end links are tight and good. The issue is the drag END links. The end links on the passenger and driver side. The passenger side had a lot of play and clunking and the driver side boot was torn with all the grease out. Usually online it is called the steering linkage. A lot of confusion.

I understand it was draglink. You also said end link bolt would just spin. That means its not tight. I was just explaining how some dont notice it may require an allen wrench to hold it so you can tighten it if you are interested

 

[Harry818]

I understand it was draglink. You also said end link bolt would just spin. That means its not tight. I was just explaining how some dont notice it may require an allen wrench to hold it so you can tighten it if you are interested

Didn't mean it that way, dealers & parts dealers all call it by different names. Super confusing. At first I thought it was the actual upper & lower ball joints then I had another mechanic say the drag link ball joints & tie rod ends. Now I learned that it is best to take it to the dealership first and if they cannot fix the issue then the best option overall is to take it to an off road shop.

 

[Harry818]

UPDATE**

Bad news guys. I was really excited picking up my vehicle with a brand new drag link. I drove the vehicle home and right when I pulled into my driveway .... the clunk was still there. I called the shop and they said they looked at everything but want to help out. They are going to reach out to Jeep and see what else it may be. At this point, I am just really over it and upset. Really wanted to share the good news but nothing to share.

They did say the axles were fine & pretty much everything else. I have been hunting this down since February and no one can fix the problem.

 

[JeepCares]

UPDATE**

Bad news guys. I was really excited picking up my vehicle with a brand new drag link. I drove the vehicle home and right when I pulled into my driveway .... the clunk was still there. I called the shop and they said they looked at everything but want to help out. They are going to reach out to Jeep and see what else it may be. At this point, I am just really over it and upset. Really wanted to share the good news but nothing to share.

They did say the axles were fine & pretty much everything else. I have been hunting this down since February and no one can fix the problem.

We appreciate you bringing this to our attention. If you need additional support, please feel free to reach out. We went ahead and sent you a PM that you can reply to if needed.

Yenori
Jeep Cares

 

[Harry818]

UPDATE - Jeep Cares reached out and told me to schedule a visit to the dealer and I did go ahead and do that. I took the vehicle on Monday and they were diagnsing the vehicle and now they are saying that they can confirm that there is a clunk but it is normal for the gladiator to have a clunk. Total nonsense. They are saying that they visually looked at the front suspension and used "mechanical ears" and did not hear a clunk in the front suspension. They did say that the crossmember is causing a clunk BUT it is normal for the vehicle to have. I told them that it is not normal and for them to actually take a look at the vehicle and not just visually looking. Hopefully @JeepCares can escalate this because it is total nonsense. They were also saying that there was vibration found in the steering wheel at highway speeds and they are reccing all 4 tires to be changed which again is nonsense because I changed all 4 tires earlier this year.

Sponsored