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Front End clunk in Reverse

jeepsrock

NAXJA Forum User
Location
LA California
Over the past few weeks, i have been getting this really odd clunk in the front end that can be heard nicely when in reverse.
Today i had someone reverse the jeep while i look under it and its obvious its from the passanger wheel area. I have verified that its not tracbar, shocks or swaybar related. The noise seems to be coming form the wheel/brake area .
By putting the jeep in reverse and pressing the brakes you can hear it and if you let go of the brakes and then brake again the noise happens again. The noise is present in forward/drive but not as much.

Any ideas , maybe something with the brakes ?

pete
 
Check your motor mounts and drive shaft U-Joints. If it's happening when you put it into gear from neutral/park, the clunk you hear is something taking up slack. A bad driveshaft U-joint, or motor/tranny mount will do it. Look at your driver side motormount, betcha if it has 100k or so on it, it's wasted and what you're hearing is the engine moving.
 
Are you hearing the brake pad shift directions? The 1st time the brake is applied, going forward or reverse, you might hear the pad clunk. Just a thought..
 
Also check the bushings in the control arms. I had one go bad and it would clink but only in reverse when I hit the brakes.
 
Check your calipers.. I had this issue a couple of years back. It had the same exact clunk you are describing.. I couldn't tell by moving the caliper, but the bolt was just loose enough to only move by the force of the car..

When I got under there and started tightening things down, the caliper bolt was a couple of threads loose.. After tightening it, the clunk was gone..

Elias
 
Its commen for the brake pads to walk between the ears on the knuckle and make a clunk. I have some shims that I use on mine when I put pads on it.
The bad thing is I have only been able to find the shims in a set of Ceramic pads for a Dodge Caravan. I have never seen the in a set of pads for a XJ.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions i will take a look at all of them in the next few days. Unfortunately final exams are coming, so time is hard to come by.

i wil let you guys know, thanks
pete
 
Well props to whomever who suggested that i look at the control arms bc thats what it was. Actually the bushings were fine but the frame side bolt on the LCA was so loose that i could tighten it a few turns by hand, lol.

Glad thats taken care of, one of the many things that need to be taken care of.

Thanks again

pete
 
I had the same problem this past summer, but does anyone know the proper torque for those bolts so they don't come loose again? Or do I just tighten them as much as I can?
 
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