Knock/thud sound occasionally happening from under jeep.

[Zaptrac]

First some background. My gladiator currently had the 2” mopar performance lift, with the teraflex leveling kit in front. And an aftermarket adjustable track bar.

Now the issue: a few months ago i would occasionally hear what sounded like a knock or kinda thud come from under the truck. Sometimes it sounds like it’s coming from the front right. Others more like center front. At first it only happened rarely and just when braking. but recently it’s been happening more often and it’s a lot more repeatable now. It always happens when making a slow left turn, like pulling out of a parking spot. Then it won’t make the sound again until i have to press the brakes a little harder then usual or if i go in reverse. Then after that it will happen the next time i make a slow left. All of that makes me think something is loose and shifting around under the jeep. And this part may all be in my head, but the steering feels like its a bit more floaty the past month. Like it’s loose but also kind of feels like if my back end was always sliding a bit when i turn even though it’s not. I went under and checked everything i touched or replaced for the lift and track bar and everything is tightened to spec.

So before i drop off my only vehicle at the shop for weeks just for them to try and find the issue, does anyone here have any ideas of what i should investigate before leaving it to them?

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[Lunentucker]

Did you check everything else, or just the things involved in the lift?
Folks have found all kinds of loose things. One of my rear sway bar end link bolts simply fell TF out one day.
Others have discovered loose brake calipers, pitman arm nuts, ball joints, track bar bolts, sway bar links, drag links, tie rods ends, and on and on.

 

[mtudb24]

Had the same thing. Dealership found ball joints loose and a loose skid plate. Same MOPAR lift and a aftermarket track bar, but those parts were still to spec for torque. I had 30K miles on mine when it started making that sound. Now I have 33K and its still quiet.

 

[Wat Dog]

I have the exact same problem. I’m taking it to the dealership Tuesday. I called Jeep cares to make sure I had a rental waiting. I’ll update after I get it back

 

[Hootbro]

A clunk or thud sound is a pretty common complaint, especially those that have had a lift. Like what @Lunentucker mentioned, it can be a myriad of things. There is no magic bullet other than to check and retighten everything touched on the lift.

On my 2021 Willys, It took me numerous attempts of loosening everything, retightening before my clunk went away and even then, I could not tell you exactly what was causing the suspension clunk I had.

 

[Zaptrac]

Did you check everything else, or just the things involved in the lift?
Folks have found all kinds of loose things. One of my rear sway bar end link bolts simply fell TF out one day.
Others have discovered loose brake calipers, pitman arm nuts, ball joints, track bar bolts, sway bar links, drag links, tie rods ends, and on and on.

So far just the suspension parts that i’ve replaced or temporarily removed for the lift. Was going through a process of elimination before moving on to the rest of the suspension

 

[Zaptrac]

Had the same thing. Dealership found ball joints loose and a loose skid plate. Same MOPAR lift and a aftermarket track bar, but those parts were still to spec for torque. I had 30K miles on mine when it started making that sound. Now I have 33K and its still quiet.

I’ll look into the ball joints. My clunking started around 35k miles and that paired with the floaty steering would make sense

 

[Darel]

Do this, just to eliminate the possibility. When you get in the situation where you KNOW it's going to make the noise, pull back on the 4x4 shifter slightly, just to the point that you feel resistance but NOT before it fully goes into 4wd. If the noise goes away, it's your front axle disconnect.

When you pull back on the shifter it electrically engages the FAD, and it won't make the noise when engaged if that's the problem.

I had the same issue almost from new, started out as a slight bumping or grinding noise, eventually got worse to the point that every concrete seam would trigger it and it would just howl constantly until I would slightly pull back on the shifter. Eventually it got to the point that I constantly had to hold the shifter in that position the entire time while driving, which was a real PITA since I have a stick. I tried to wait out the dealer's "3 months to get a diagnostic appointment then come back when parts are available" but couldn't, had to buy parts on my own and fix it myself. Been good in the 25,000 miles since.

 

[Zaptrac]

First some background. My gladiator currently had the 2” mopar performance lift, with the teraflex leveling kit in front. And an aftermarket adjustable track bar.

Now the issue: a few months ago i would occasionally hear what sounded like a knock or kinda thud come from under the truck. Sometimes it sounds like it’s coming from the front right. Others more like center front. At first it only happened rarely and just when braking. but recently it’s been happening more often and it’s a lot more repeatable now. It always happens when making a slow left turn, like pulling out of a parking spot. Then it won’t make the sound again until i have to press the brakes a little harder then usual or if i go in reverse. Then after that it will happen the next time i make a slow left. All of that makes me think something is loose and shifting around under the jeep. And this part may all be in my head, but the steering feels like its a bit more floaty the past month. Like it’s loose but also kind of feels like if my back end was always sliding a bit when i turn even though it’s not. I went under and checked everything i touched or replaced for the lift and track bar and everything is tightened to spec.

So before i drop off my only vehicle at the shop for weeks just for them to try and find the issue, does anyone here have any ideas of what i should investigate before leaving it to them?

Well i think i found the issue. One morning i started driving and the steering wheel was no longer centered, and when i got out i noticed the front axle was shifted to the side about an inch. I’m guessing that knocking noise was coming from the track bar and the axle finally shifted after a while. Even though it was one of the first things i checked. But i re aligned the front axle and recentered the steering wheel and haven’t heard the noise in a few days. Even when doing things that would cause the noise 100% of the time

 

[Brahmajoe]

Is it a knocking or a thump type sound. I heard this too usually pulling off to work. At 7 mph the abs does a self check, and that’s what it was

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