ANOTHER Clunk / Popping Thread

[TSquared]

Okay, sorry for yet another thread about clunking and popping noises but none of the other threads seem to mirror what I am seeing.

This started around 15K miles over the Summer and has recently gotten much worse at 19K and now that it’s much colder.

22 SS Max Tow with Rancho lift springs up front (and their adjustable shocks) and the drop brackets for the control arms.

Every time the weight of the truck shifts forward or back at low speed I get a loud clunking or pop from the front passenger wheel/suspension area. I can easily replicate this going between forward and reverse in my driveway that on a slight incline. There is a slight shudder I can feel in the steering wheel. It also sometimes happens when coming to a stop at speeds under 20-25.

what’s different from every other post I’ve read is that this is not related to nor can I replicate it with any steering input.

When this started happening a few thousand miles ago I checked every suspension bolt for torque and joints for excessive play while on the ground.
It should be warm enough in a few days for me to crawl under and check things over but it’s bad enough now that I’m considering taking it to the dealership.

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[JTnw96]

I had the same issue, and it was driving me crazy for months. I found a lower control arm bolt was way under spec for torque. I tightened it up a few weeks ago and haven't heard it since. I had a similar issue before and it was a loose sway bar link. I'm now going to start checking the torque on suspension items when I do my oil changes. Good luck!

 

[JustinLentz]

If possible, attach a gopro near where you think this may be happening. I know everyone doesn't have one but if you do, its worth a try.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

Assuming all the suspension bolts have been checked including control arms….

I would check the front passenger body mount. The factory is known to not torque or properly loctite those either. They will pop when moving froward and then pop when moving back as the weight shifts. Check it with a 3/8 drive but don’t torque it. You really need to heat the bolts before attempting to torque or remove them or they can break. I would remove and inspect them before just torquing them down. I also anti-seized mine. If yours is loose I would take it to the dealership and tell them it’s loose. Let them break it. To heat and remove/torque them yourself you can use a torch or much preferably an induction heater.

 

[TSquared]

Finally had some time (albeit in the dark) to have my wife rock the jeep back and forth while I took a look. I could not see anything in the suspension moving other than the drag link / track bar pivoting.
The clunk is very notable in this video but sounds like it’s closer to the differential area.

 

[OHJeeper]

Have you looked inside the wheel where the brake calipers are? Wondering if you have some weights or something else hitting the caliper... just a thought since it seems (based on the video) to be in the same spot when going forward/backward.

 

[chorky]

Finally had some time (albeit in the dark) to have my wife rock the jeep back and forth while I took a look. I could not see anything in the suspension moving other than the drag link / track bar pivoting.
The clunk is very notable in this video but sounds like it’s closer to the differential area.

It almost looks and sounds like the clunk is happening right when you hit the brake. Like said above, have you checked your brake calipers and brackets?

 

[TSquared]

I had not considered the brakes but after searching it looks like a somewhat common issue with TSB so I’ll check them all tomorrow. Finally have time to get under it in the garage tomorrow.

I’m not driving until I figure out what’s causing this. I mostly want to eliminate that it’s part of the lift before taking to to the dealer.

 

[Hootbro]

Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, but it looks like to me the lower control arm rear caster adjusting bolt is moving. More noticeable on the forward movement than rear.

 

[Proximo]

I had not considered the brakes but after searching it looks like a somewhat common issue with TSB so I’ll check them all tomorrow. Finally have time to get under it in the garage tomorrow.

I’m not driving until I figure out what’s causing this. I mostly want to eliminate that it’s part of the lift before taking to to the dealer.

Since you have time now, I'd get it on jack stands, droop the front axle to get the weight off of the suspension, and then check for movement in the suspension by using a jack. That's how i found my sway link clunk. Just something to try ?‍

 

[TSquared]

Well I couldn’t find a single loose bolt within the control arms or brakes. Checked the body mounts too and I didn’t torque them for fear of breaking but they were not loose.

the only appreciable movement I can see other than springs is the track bar and drag link rotating.

given the fact that the clunk is very loud and can been felt from the inside of the truck I am going to unbolt and retorque all of the body side suspension mounting points

 

[TSquared]

Issue identified!

I had to let the truck settle in neutral to make this obvious. Any tension from going to park from drive or reverse kept me from being able to move the passenger upper control arm but that was the culprit.

so I have Rancho’s drop brackets and torquing the upper control arm bolt on the bracket side to factory spec leaves just enough of a gap for the bushing to slide sideways on the bolt and smack the bracket. I verified by taking the nut in another half turn and the frequency and volume of the clunk reduced significantly.

so this weekend I’m going to disassemble the passenger side drop bracket and reinstall to see if it’s just shifted, hopefully not bent.

 

[TSquared]

Confirmed the issue was that passenger side drop brackets got misaligned / bent at some point. Can't image how? I only hit 12 BOH trails last year

I reinstalled the bracket hand tight and then torqued the control arm bolts first (jeep on the ground) followed by the frame mounted bolts. Quite as a mouse again!

 

[NorthCountry]

I had the same issue, and it was driving me crazy for months. I found a lower control arm bolt was way under spec for torque. I tightened it up a few weeks ago and haven't heard it since. I had a similar issue before and it was a loose sway bar link. I'm now going to start checking the torque on suspension items when I do my oil changes. Good luck!

Looking for specs. What did you torque it too? My lower control arm, at the frame, shifts and knocks when I apply the brake or when I accelerate. Not all the time or real bad, but why wait. Thanks.

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