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need help identifying cracking noises

T

themauler

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Va Beach
like the title says, I am trying to identify a cracking noise coming from the front of my jeep while flexing and turning the steering wheel. my jeep is a 92 with 3.5" RE lift and stock steering and track bar components. For my life I could have sworn it was the steering box or the frame around it but I have checked twice now and that is not the problem. So my question, is the track bar bracket area as vulnerable as the steering box? If so I believe that is where I hear all the activity. not sure if this helps but I cannot feel any activity in the steering wheel either.


Nick
 
I've heard of the trackbar mount coming a bit loose and causing noise, and of course if the ball joint is worn out it will make various popping and snapping noises. You can get a little noise too if the hole at the axle end is elongated, so that the bar moves just a little back and forth. Don't forget to check axle u-joints too.
 
Very interesting. I have the crack, bang, popping noise. I felt it in the track bar, but then I thought it was the steering gear box. The noise seems to reverberate thru the frame near the track bar and next to the gear box. Fixing the track bar is a lot cheaper. Does this happen at low speed during tight turns? I crawled under the front end while someone turned the wheels left and right.
Walt
 
i just upgraded to one ton steering, and after going to the we-rok track with special privilages to use the course the steering box ripped open my frame. the stock track bars on cherokees suck, if i were you i would upgrade. i was a moron and bought two stock strength track bars and broke the top loints and the bottom joint on my first one.
 
The track bar brackets can come loose from the frame rail. Tighten it up just for giggles to eliminate the possibility that's it. You can't always see that it has been moving.
 
Cruiser: One of the 4 bolts was a little loose. I tightened it and the noise is gone. I never thought 1 loose bolt could to that. Wow, you saved me $80 for a new track bar.

I wanted to move to Prescott many years ago. But I'm married. I wanted to drive Route 89 down to Congress in my Austin Healey 3000 sports car.

Thanks for the help. Walt

Master: I have done the rocks in PA, with no damage so far, and down here in south Jersey, it's all sand and mud. Luckily the track bar looks OK now.

Walt
 
Thanks. If your wife's mother lives in Jersey, you live there too.
I never got to Prescott, but I subscribed to the local paper and government weather reports for a year. Studied it on maps. Now I can go to Google Earth and look down on it and they even have street views.
Enjoy, Walt
 
Walt Stanley said:
Thanks. If your wife's mother lives in Jersey, you live there too.
I never got to Prescott, but I subscribed to the local paper and government weather reports for a year. Studied it on maps. Now I can go to Google Earth and look down on it and they even have street views.
Enjoy, Walt
Click to expand...

Okay, you're off the hook. Check out GoogleEarth and look for the 4 Jeeps in the yard out off Williamson Valley Rd. Great place to live. Friendly people and lots of car folks.
 
Walt Stanley said:
Thanks. If your wife's mother lives in Jersey, you live there too.
I never got to Prescott, but I subscribed to the local paper and government weather reports for a year. Studied it on maps. Now I can go to Google Earth and look down on it and they even have street views.
Enjoy, Walt
Click to expand...

Not true. My wifes mother lives in NJ. We left anyhow. :)
 
Walt, I had a thought. You might wanna take a 3/8" impact gun and snug up all the bolts again. This was such a common problem in the new Jeeps that we did this during the Pre-Delivery Inspection just so we wouldn't have customer complaints in the future.
 
I just about fit a breaker bar in there to snug up the bolt. I just did it last night and moving the steering wheel did not cause the noise as before. Driving around today should confirm if it's fixed. Thanks for the info and help.
Walt
 
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