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Need some help diagnosing a noise

01_XJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Emporia, KS
I have been getting a bad popping noise from somewhere in the front of my jeep. I can't really tell where it is coming from but this is what i do know. it only does it up to about 25-30 mph, it makes the noise worse when i am turning to the right, the noise goes away when i am on the brakes. i can hear it louder in the car than outside, and i can feel it in both pedals. I notice that if i leave my house and just drive around on surface streets, it doesn't really make noise, but it makes it usually after i have driven on the freeway and then get off to regular streets.

So the story behind is, I changed my front brakes about 2 weeks ago, just the pads. i didn't have time to turn the rotors, and the pads weren't down to the metal so the rotors were in good condition anyway. Well i left my friends house where we did the work and on the way home i heard a slight popping noise, really faint. i didnt think much of it because it came and went away within a matter of a couple minutes. So the next day i went down to Proctor Valley Rd. in chula vista and was messing around in the mud for maybe 20 minutes at the most, no big deal. That night i left from SD and drove to Sacramento. about halfway i heard the noise again for a couple minutes when i was pulling into the gas station. While up in Sac i had my cousin check it out, didnt seem like there was anything wrong. So i drove home to SD and once i got here the noise is an almost constant thing.

What i really need is someone who knows their stuff to come check it out if possible so they can hear it themselves. I don't have much cash, but i can always come up with something.

I live in Tierrasanta, near the 52 and the 15. If anyone can help out let me know via email, [email protected] , or my cell 619-302-3803. or you can always just PM me on here.

thanks
Dustin
 
my Jeep makes a loud popping wen I hit the brakes o, but mines on the passenger side, I think its a bdad ball joint. Do you go to proctor a lot? I go there quite often, theres some good jumps there, thats how i dented my oil pan
 
does the popping seem constant with the revolutions of the wheels or is it intermittent when steering back n forth?

first check for
* loose caliper bolts
* dust shield smacking the rotor
* loose lug nutz (sounds stupid but thought I'd throw that in there just in case)
* ball joint check using a pry bar
 
I took everything off again and checked it all except the ball joints. I've never had to check them, so what do i look for, just any movement in them or what?

oh and XJRunner, i don't go there much because i am way up in tierrasanta, but my gf lives down there so if i have the time i go. my jeep is still all stock though, so it gets boring real quick anyway.
 
theres plenty for a stocker, you just need to know where to look, my Jepp has a 3 inch rancho lift with bald dry rotted all terrains and a locker in the front, it does ok.


heres a video of the only time my Jeep has gone there(not licensed anymore)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RypL8eDqk its not a very good video but its still fun to watch. its kinda old
 
I had similar symptoms when I failed to properly torque the axle nut on mine. That bugger takes 175 foot pounds of torque! The hub bearings sh1t themselves. If that's the problem, I have a used hub you can have. New hubs are about $225 IIRC.
 
jeeperjohn said:
I had similar symptoms when I failed to properly torque the axle nut on mine. That bugger takes 175 foot pounds of torque! The hub bearings sh1t themselves. If that's the problem, I have a used hub you can have. New hubs are about $225 IIRC.
see, that's what i have been thinking it is, but doesn't a bad bearing sound like a scraping noise more than popping?

what mine sounds like is something similar to having a bad CV joint in a FWD car.
 
there's no movement in the caliper once it is tightened down at all.

one other idea i had, but i am not sure about is the front driveshaft. would it make noise at that low of a speed if it was not balanced well or something, and could mud built up on it throw it off enough?
 
Mine had a loud and increasing popping sound. Jack up that side and see if the wheel can be rocked vertically. If it moves at all the hub is bad. It will fail very quickly so I recommend fixing it right away if that is the problem. As I said I got one you can have. If you can make it up to Temecula, I can troubleshoot it for you and if it's the hub we can change it out in about an hour.
 
thanks. what are you up to tomorrow? I have some stuff to do but i might be headed up to oceanside at some point so if you have time maybe i could stop by .
 
Re: Need some help diagnosing a noise*I think i found it*

Hey John, thanks a bunch for the help with the hub. the grinding noise i was hearing is definately gone.

now, the other noise is still there. its what you thought is the exhaust hitting the tranny. well i found this in my driveway a few weeks ago and just now realized that its to my jeep.
DSC01275.jpg

EDIT** So, i went and looked at every part of the driveshaft and realized that its not from there. so the question i have is. Where did this come from? Is there anywhere else that these clips are used? the only other cars that park in my driveway are 2 Civics and a Silverado, its not from them. Any ideas aobut this?
 
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The axle u-joints clips are c shaped and go on the inside edge of the cap, so it's not one of those right? I might also be an extra or a leftover from a previous ujoint replacement. Most of the u-joints I've bought came with an extra clip. If not, you may have a u-joint whose end cap has walked out.
 
BCParker said:
looks like it's gotta be from a u-joint. - you sure you got a look at all four sides of both driveshaft and axle U-joint.
by axle u-joint you mean the axle end of the driveshaft, correct?
 
My control arm bushing popped a lot when going up steep hills and turning. Did you check those?
 
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