"Clunk!" in Front End During Slow Turns

On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 09:04:21 -0500, Snow wrote:

> Check the "ball" end of the track bar (on the drivers side mount), mine was
> well worn out when I recently had it replaced, but when it started clunking
> it was only doing so on turns. Have someone start up the J**P and turn the
> wheel from lock to lock while you look under at the track bar mount, the
> joint could be moving in the mount, the hole goes egg shape as it wears.

Thanks a bunch, snow. I'll be checking this tonight as well. I've noticed
that sometimes I can catch it just right on a turn where the clunking
continues rapidly through the whole turn until I correct the wheel again.
Did this ever happen to you?

Thanks!

--
becker;
email = remove the fruit;

I rechecked all of the bushings and had a question about the state of the
ones found on the swaybar.

Should the gap here be this large? (It's the same on the other side)

http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-link1.jpg
http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-link2.jpg

This side (outside) looks ok to me:

http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount1.jpg

But the inside seemed really smashed. It's hard to see in this pic because
I had a hard time maneuvering the camera in there.

http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg

Other than that, the bushings on the track bar and the rest of the
suspension look old, but in relatively good shape.

Thanks!

On Sun, 2 Jan 2005 14:06:35 -0600, Mike Becker wrote:

> Thanks in advance for any help you can offer on this. I've spent about
> $400 on two different sets of wheel hubs trying to track this one down and
> have worn out the search function of web forums and newsgroups.
>
> I have a '98 Cherokee with about 100k miles on it. During any sort of
> slower turn (sub 15mph) a loud "clunk" noise shoots out from the front end
> of the vehicle. It is sometimes a single clunk, and sometimes a rapid 3-4
> succession of clunks. Standing outside the vehicle, it sounds like it's
> coming directly from the wheel. It clunks from either the left or right
> side, but never both.
>
> When this first started, I assumed the hubs were shot and replaced them.
> Unfortunately the problem continued. Everything I read was still pointing
> at the hubs, so I went ahead and bought a different set from Napa, but the
> problem remains.
>
> I'm pretty sure my hub installation is solid: 175ft-lbs on spindle nut, 75
> ft-lbs on hub bolts, and lots of bearing grease everywhere. At this point
> I'm assuming the problem is in either the steering or suspension. Of
> course, I've checked it over fairly well, and it seems solid.
>
> Does anyone have any suggestions at all for what it might be, and a how I
> could test?
>
> THANKS a TON!!

--
becker;
email = remove the fruit;

Mike Becker did pass the time by typing:
> I rechecked all of the bushings and had a question about the state of the
> ones found on the swaybar.
>
> Should the gap here be this large? (It's the same on the other side)

Mine have no gaps.

> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-link1.jpg
> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-link2.jpg
>
> This side (outside) looks ok to me:
>
> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount1.jpg

Yep.

> But the inside seemed really smashed. It's hard to see in this pic because
> I had a hard time maneuvering the camera in there.
>
> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg

That's "normal" wear due to the bars curvature at that point.

Little bit of rust there. Might want to rework the bar
(sand and paint) And make sure that's raggedy looking line
isn't a crack (unlikely, but...)

> Other than that, the bushings on the track bar and the rest of the
> suspension look old, but in relatively good shape.

Remember, sometimes bushing look old because they are.
I found that replacing my otherwise "old" looking sway and track bar
bushings helped the handling a lot.

--
DougW

Hi Doug,
Look again, that's metal to metal, where the lube guy put a bunch
of grease in trying to dampen the squeaks:
http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

DougW wrote:
>
> Mine have no gaps.
>
> Yep.
>
> That's "normal" wear due to the bars curvature at that point.
>
> Little bit of rust there. Might want to rework the bar
> (sand and paint) And make sure that's raggedy looking line
> isn't a crack (unlikely, but...)
>
> Remember, sometimes bushing look old because they are.
> I found that replacing my otherwise "old" looking sway and track bar
> bushings helped the handling a lot.
>
> --
> DougW

L.W. ("ßill") Hughes III did pass the time by typing:
> Hi Doug,
> Look again, that's metal to metal, where the lube guy put a bunch
> of grease in trying to dampen the squeaks:
> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg

It's close, but not much closer than the one in my ZJ.
My suggestion to the OP is to replace those bushings. The ones
on the end look shot (or terribly loose)

On Mon, 03 Jan 2005 16:07:44 GMT, RoyJ > wrote:

>Heh, heh, I've never seen a 2wd Cherokee!
>

My wife had one for 3 years. Great vehicle, but it sucked in the snow
and ice. Front suspension was the same as a 4x4 Cherokee, with a
non-driving axle.
--
Old Crow
'82 Shovelhead FLTC 92" 'Pearl'
'95 Jeep Wrangler YJ
TOMKAT, BS#133, SENS, MAMBM, DOF#51, SPONGER#2

On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 21:18:40 -0600, DougW wrote:

>> But the inside seemed really smashed. It's hard to see in this pic because
>> I had a hard time maneuvering the camera in there.
>>
>> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg
>
> That's "normal" wear due to the bars curvature at that point.
>
> Little bit of rust there. Might want to rework the bar
> (sand and paint) And make sure that's raggedy looking line
> isn't a crack (unlikely, but...)

The crack is just in the paint. It's coated in some really thick paint
that comes off in sheets when you so much as touch it. Any special paint
to use? Just some black rustoleum spray paint?

Thanks

--
becker;
email = remove the fruit;

On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 22:39:42 -0600, DougW wrote:

>> Look again, that's metal to metal, where the lube guy put a bunch
>> of grease in trying to dampen the squeaks:
>> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg
>
> It's close, but not much closer than the one in my ZJ.
> My suggestion to the OP is to replace those bushings. The ones
> on the end look shot (or terribly loose)

I tried tightening the ones on the end and they wouldn't budge. Sounds
like I'll be ordering a new set of sway bar bushings regardless

I tried jumping all over the front of the vehicle to really hit the
suspension and try to get it swaying, but couldn't get anything to clunk.
I then jacked both wheels off the ground and tried turning it from lock to
lock several times without any sort of noise.

I followed it up and down the driveway a few times holding on to various
components. It was clunking like crazy but I didn't feel or see anything
in the suspension. I then just held onto either wheel, and I could
distinctly feel it when it clunked. It was a sharp metal to metal clunk
(more towards a "clink" when you're outside the vehicle) that sounds like
something is getting bound and unbound.

The only things this could possibly be are the hubs, the calipers/rotors,
or the steering knuckle mounts. Nothing else attaches here. The
pads/rotors are relatively new but I went ahead and disassembled and
cleaned them for good measure. I rechecked the torque on everything at the
hub and it looks good. There is no play in the wheel at all when I try to
rock it back and forth, so I can't imagine anything is wrong at the
knuckle. I'm totally stumped.

--
becker;
email = remove the fruit;

A loose sway bar bushing link will clunk like mad!

When the vehicle is under weight load and the steering wheel turns
sideways it shifts the front axle sideways, that is why you have the
track bar. I would fix that one in the photo before worrying about
anything else.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Mike Becker wrote:
>
> On Mon, 3 Jan 2005 22:39:42 -0600, DougW wrote:
>
> >> Look again, that's metal to metal, where the lube guy put a bunch
> >> of grease in trying to dampen the squeaks:
> >> http://www.mwjtc.com/jeep/sway-mount2.jpg
> >
> > It's close, but not much closer than the one in my ZJ.
> > My suggestion to the OP is to replace those bushings. The ones
> > on the end look shot (or terribly loose)
>
> I tried tightening the ones on the end and they wouldn't budge. Sounds
> like I'll be ordering a new set of sway bar bushings regardless
>
> I tried jumping all over the front of the vehicle to really hit the
> suspension and try to get it swaying, but couldn't get anything to clunk.
> I then jacked both wheels off the ground and tried turning it from lock to
> lock several times without any sort of noise.
>
> I followed it up and down the driveway a few times holding on to various
> components. It was clunking like crazy but I didn't feel or see anything
> in the suspension. I then just held onto either wheel, and I could
> distinctly feel it when it clunked. It was a sharp metal to metal clunk
> (more towards a "clink" when you're outside the vehicle) that sounds like
> something is getting bound and unbound.
>
> The only things this could possibly be are the hubs, the calipers/rotors,
> or the steering knuckle mounts. Nothing else attaches here. The
> pads/rotors are relatively new but I went ahead and disassembled and
> cleaned them for good measure. I rechecked the torque on everything at the
> hub and it looks good. There is no play in the wheel at all when I try to
> rock it back and forth, so I can't imagine anything is wrong at the
> knuckle. I'm totally stumped.
>
> --
> becker;
> email = remove the fruit;

Yup, especially on turning into an uneven driveway, as in quoting
the Original Poster: "During any sort of slower turn (sub 15mph) a loud
clunk noise"
God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

Mike Romain wrote:
>
> A loose sway bar bushing link will clunk like mad!
>
> When the vehicle is under weight load and the steering wheel turns
> sideways it shifts the front axle sideways, that is why you have the
> track bar. I would fix that one in the photo before worrying about
> anything else.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's