• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

What is this sound?????

Dvipercop

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Washington D.C.
I recently (last week) rotated the tires on my '92 XJ. The day after doing so, I began hearing a loud clicking sound while coasting or lightly braking. After a week, it seems to have gotten louder and more frequent. It only happens when I let off the gas, or if I tap the brakes. I had my dad drive it up and down our street and it sounds like it's coming from the middle of the undercarriage. We were thinking possibly U-joints going bad?? Anyone else had this similiar problem? I have to commute on the freeway and don't want some catastrophic failure while going 70mph. Any help is GREATLY appreciated!

1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 247,000 miles, AW4, NP231, auto, 3 inches of lift.
 
Get underneath and check all the U-joints. They make the clicking noise when there's no more grease coating the needle bearings. If they're really bad then the joint will visibly wobble when you apply force to it.
 
This may be a stupid question, but how would I go about greasing them? Is there a zirc fitting on the stock u-joints?

I got up under there and checked the U-joints for any play, but couldn't get any. They seem to be solid.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for link MJ6000. I got under there and greased everything I could, but unfortunately I still get the loud, rapid clicking sound when coasting or lightly braking. Any other suggestions??????
 
Not to be insultingly obvious, but have you checked the lug nuts? The Jeep alloy wheels do not have steel inserts in them, and it's pretty common for them to loosen even if they were properly torqued the first time.
 
Matthew Currie said:
Not to be insultingly obvious, but have you checked the lug nuts? The Jeep alloy wheels do not have steel inserts in them, and it's pretty common for them to loosen even if they were properly torqued the first time.

X2

Rev
 
Matthew Currie said:
Not to be insultingly obvious, but have you checked the lug nuts? The Jeep alloy wheels do not have steel inserts in them, and it's pretty common for them to loosen even if they were properly torqued the first time.

No insult taken. That honestly was my first thought, so I went back and re-torqued all the lugnuts. I guess I should have mentioned, these are 32" BFG AT's mounted on 15x8 Rockcrawler Streetlock wheels. Any other ideas/things to check? This sound is making me crazy.
 
Put it up on jackstands and see if it does it, then *carefully* * VERY carefully* crawl from front to back trying to isolate it...
 
Back
Top