Clunking sound after Eagle Run trip...?

S

SurfXJSnow

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Charlottesville, VA
yeah, its jonathan, the newb in the green jeep. just wondering if anyone would know what a "clunky, popping" sound would be right under the floorboard of my heep. It only happens when I am in a turn, Sounds as if something is shifting out of place. I hear the sound when taking left and right turns. Its coming from right under where my feet and pedals are. Transfercase loose? Checked my cross member and all my bolts holding it up are fine. LCA's loose? Just from eyeing them, they seem to be tight with plenty of thread coming through the nuts. I looked at where my transfer case connects to the cross member and it looked way out of my league to be able to diagnose it. No vibrations during driving though. Just that damn sound when i turn. Any ideas?
 
oh, and driving home last night I noticed my steering wheel was off canter. Drives straight tho and doesnt pull. Then after a ran some errands i got back on the highway and it was back in place and tracked just fine?..... could it be something in the steering eventhough its coming from under the floorboard?
 
Check for a cooler under your rig. Seriously, check all the bolts on your track bar and track bar mount. They tend to loosen up on the driver side by the wheel.
 
Rockken said:
Check for a cooler under your rig. Seriously, check all the bolts on your track bar and track bar mount. They tend to loosen up on the driver side by the wheel.
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I dont think i will ever live the "cooler crawling" down. Im going to torque the hell out of the track bar bolts and LCA's in the morning. any other ideas?
 
check the trac-bar, also check to see if you have any slop in your u-joints
 
DutchVDub said:
check the trac-bar, also check to see if you have any slop in your u-joints
Click to expand...

what do you mean by "slop"? like if they wiggle back and forth? when i turn the driveshaft by hand it has about an inch or so of play in it before it stops. but its always been like that in the front and rear.... i swear it sounds like its the lower control arms shifting but their tight as hell...

ALSO, i have the trac bar drop bracket on my rig. good or bad idea? could this be the prob?
 
Led said:
steering box bolts
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? even though the sound is coming from under my car/floorboard? i know they can get loose often but the sound isnt coming from the front of the car, and it only happens when im in a full turn. It feels like its the momentum of the jeep making this popping sound, not the actual turning of the wheel.
 
SurfXJSnow said:
? even though the sound is coming from under my car/floorboard? i know they can get loose often but the sound isnt coming from the front of the car, and it only happens when im in a full turn. It feels like its the momentum of the jeep making this popping sound, not the actual turning of the wheel.
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with a Unibody it acts like an antenna for everything. I had the same prob and it was two things, my trac bar frame mount was a little loose and the lower shock mounts...... But also check everything else everybody suggested...........
 
Last edited:
Skully said:
with a Unibody it acts like an antenna for everything. I had the same prob and it was two things, my trac bar frame mount was a little loose and the lower shock mounts...... But also check everything else everybody suggested...........
Click to expand...


ok, i checked my track bar drop bracket and nothing, ill check the frame mount for the track bar tomorrow morn. and the shock mounts. I thought it was the shocks before and only tightened the top pins, will check the bottoms tomorrow to. im going to get to the bottom of this!
 
You're describing almost the exact same thing I was experiencing before everyone pointed out my trackbar mount bolts (frame side) were loose. Hopefully once you check those you'll find the culprit.
 
right on. i was just worried it was the transfer case knocking around under my jeep. ill post back in the morning after i check my frame side trac bar mounts.

And i thought BFG AT KO's were good tires. I got the ones i ran on the trail about 2 weeks ago. I took a look at them today and they are torn to hell... I can honestly pull off peices of rubber off the nubby points at the top with my finger. Took them by sears today where i got them, and they said that thats "normal wear and tear"... Of course i didnt tell them i took my "cooler crawler" up eagle rock on saturday. The "rim protector" also failed, for alot of the rubber surrounding the rim is torn off, and my rims look like they took a few good hits on the rocks, bent in a few spots.


Still trying to buff out that 4 foot long scratch off the side of my jeep. =)
 
Seems to me that if you're feeling the popping as well as hearing it, then it's probably the upper control arm - could be either side, but they both bolt up to brackets that are spot welded to the unibody and floorboard metal below your feet. You may have a bad bushing in there or simply a loose bolt.
 
I'd like to see a pic or two of what you call "tore up" tread. I have a feeling your tires didn't get all that chewed up.

Anytime you run an open diff rig on a trail primarilly made up of crushed rock, gravel and rough surface large rocks, you're gonna grind on your tires.... Especially when you get heavy on the throttle....... :rolleyes: ....... that's the price of admission brutha - 'wheeling is hard on tires. And that "rim protector" thing built into the sidewalls..... that's a joke. About all that's gonna protect your wheels from is the tall curbs at the mall.

The worst tire thrashing I've experienced was down in the Silverton/Telluride area driving up some wagon trails cut into the shale. That shale is like driving on piles of razor blades! Serious tread carnage there.

BFG makes a GREAT all around use tire and the AT's are a great tire for the guy that daily drives his rig and only occasionally gets out on the trail. Dedicated weekend-warrior rigs will generally stick to a mud terrain or even softer compound tire - which would NOT be a person's first choice for driving on the road because they're generally much louder and wear faster.
 
ok. list of things to check tomorrow. let me know if i miss one

upper control arms
lower control arms
lower shock mounts
track bar frame side mount
steering box bolts
cheddar brats, potato salad, beer cans, or anything else that could have gotten caught up there during my cooler crawl.
 
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