Things that go 'pop' in the night...

[Uglygreenxj]

I also had the popping noise every time I turned the wheels at slow speeds. After redoing my front suspension with long arms and all new joints, and welding in the JKS steering box frame reinforcement, I figured my pop would be gone.......nope! I finally broke down and replaced my ball joints and finally, the pop is gone!

 

[Highlander]

I found mine in my LCA bushings....Just needed replacing

 

[jeepxj89]

found mine in my wheel bearings today. replaced them and like magic the noise is gone.

 

[BAs96XJ]

My saga continues. Added JKS quicker disconnect, I broke a sway bar link. Replace all the ball joints, replaced the hubs, replaced the front axle u-joints, replaced all the TREs, double checked the Rusty's trackbar mount I welded it to the frame. The only thing I have left is the control arms. I still have the noise. Now I'm broke and the XJ will have to wait. BTW, i did have 2 bad ball joints and a bad ujoint up front.

BA

 

[98JeepXJ]

Well, I replaced the LCA bushings yesterday, the noise is still there... It was getting late in the day so I didn't get to the uppers. I may get to them tomorrow, depending on the weather. If it rains, I'll do 'em; if it stays nice, then I have grass that really needs mowed so the Jeep will have to wait.

If the UCA bushings don't fix it, I don't know what it could be. I'll have replaced every part in the front end that moves with the suspension/steering...

 

[Muddy_XJ]

My 91' with a 4.5 and 33's is doing the same thing. The ball joints have no slop to them what-so-ever, is there anything else to check on them? If somebody finds another solution please post!

 

[jeepxj89]

ive narrowed mine down to wheel bearings, trac bar balljoint slop, and a bad drivers side tie rod end.

 

[xuv-this]

if you have ANY balljoint or unit bearing making THAT SOUND; something major is preparing to fall apart, and your vehicle is not safe to drive. period. like i have said before, TIGHTEN THE S#IT OUT OF THE TRACK BAR FRAME MOUNT!!! i have maxed out a craftsman 1/2" drive air ratchet runnin' 150ish psi tryin' to tighten those studs, and it still wasn't enough. the bottom bolts, too. those studs are DAMN STRONG!!! what i mean is "use a 2' long breaker bar and and pull till your eyeballs start to bulge" type of force. -but carry spare bolts just in case. you tighten about a 1/4-1/3 turn, drive it, repeat until it stops making the sound.

 

[xuv-this]

if you have ANY balljoint or unit bearing making THAT SOUND; something major is preparing to fall apart, and your vehicle is not safe to drive. period. like i have said before, TIGHTEN THE S#IT OUT OF THE TRACK BAR FRAME MOUNT!!! i have maxed out a craftsman 1/2" drive air ratchet runnin' 150ish psi tryin' to tighten those studs, and it still wasn't enough. the bottom bolts, too. those studs are DAMN STRONG!!! what i mean is "use a 2' long breaker bar and and pull till your eyeballs start to bulge" type of force. -but carry spare bolts just in case. you tighten about a 1/4-1/3 turn, drive it, repeat until it stops making the sound.

 

[UNCC_99XJ]

I have noticed the same noise on my 99. Slow speeds, right hand turns only. Also only seems to do it as i'm entering a parking lot where there is a bump between the lot and the street. Sounds like a tire rubbing, but it's not. Goes away when I straighten the wheel back out. Noticed mainly when it was cold outside, Haven't heard it in quite some time though. Had my old man listen to it a few months back and we're both puzzled as to what it is. I'll have to check the ball joints and all this weekend when I can get access to the tools to tighten stuff back up if needed.

 

[Uglygreenxj]

As I said earlier, mine was coming from the ball joints. But I replaced most everything else first. I had checked the ball joints for extra play many times and couldn't see any. My front tires seemed have too much negative camber and thats why I figured my ball joints were in need of replacement. Even though I couldn't "see" any extra play, they were still bad. It just happened that it fixed the popping noise too.

 

[xuv-this]

As I said earlier, mine was coming from the ball joints. But I replaced most everything else first. I had checked the ball joints for extra play many times and couldn't see any. My front tires seemed have too much negative camber and thats why I figured my ball joints were in need of replacement. Even though I couldn't "see" any extra play, they were still bad. It just happened that it fixed the popping noise too.

the inside of ball joints is actually PLASTIC! if a balljoint makes that sound, it's not worn out; it's broken. and that's bad. like risking the whole wheel assembly falling off while driving to the store-type-of-bad. and you will have death wobble from hell. so if your jeep doesn't drive like a clown on a unicycle, then the sound cannot be balljoints. if you can "feel" the pop through the steering wheel, it's definately the track bracket or loose steering box.

 

[Uglygreenxj]

Sorry to dissapoint you, but my jeep did not drive like "a clown on a unicycle", it drove down the road just fine, but it did make a pop at slow speeds when turning that I could feel in the steering wheel and no, it wasn't the track bar (but I did check that first) it WAS the ball joints. Popping noise, replaced ball joints, no popping noise. I'm not saying that worn out or broken ball joints aren't bad, but for you to say it "cannot" be the ball joints, and it's "definately" the track bar bracket or steering box is a false statement. I thought so too, that's why I replaced everything else first. In the end, it was indeed the ball joints.

 

[xuv-this]

Sorry to dissapoint you, but my jeep did not drive like "a clown on a unicycle", it drove down the road just fine, but it did make a pop at slow speeds when turning that I could feel in the steering wheel and no, it wasn't the track bar (but I did check that first) it WAS the ball joints. Popping noise, replaced ball joints, no popping noise. I'm not saying that worn out or broken ball joints aren't bad, but for you to say it "cannot" be the ball joints, and it's "definately" the track bar bracket or steering box is a false statement. I thought so too, that's why I replaced everything else first. In the end, it was indeed the ball joints.

it was not your ball joints!!! like i said earlier, if the ball joint is making that noise; 1)you will not "feel" the pop in the steering, 2)a broken ball joint gives a buttload of play in the wheel's hinges, and they will not even point or stay in the same direction when turning, braking, etc. your ball joints were not broken. when they were replaced, the linkage got dissconnected and moved around, and something got tweaked back. so it was not permenantly fixed, and i promise you that it will show up again.

 

[JJacobs]

it was not your ball joints!!! like i said earlier, if the ball joint is making that noise; 1)you will not "feel" the pop in the steering, 2)a broken ball joint gives a buttload of play in the wheel's hinges,

I think you need to quit with the advice xuv, much bad info flows from your keyboard. :rattle:

Key is to get underneath and locate the source of the noise. If you can hear it while turning the wheel back and forth at a stop, someone underneath checking around will be able to pinpoint the cause.

 

[xuv-this]

I think you need to quit with the advice xuv, much bad info flows from your keyboard.

I think you need to quit with the advice xuv, much bad info flows from your keyboard.

good grief. please don't tell me i'm wrong on this. believe it or not, this farm boy knows quite a bit about this stuff. i've worked on ball joints, kingpins, tracked vehicle steering systems, all kinds of stuff. this is a simple problem that has an easy fix. going under the vehicle to look for it is a given. i see people make misconceptions all the time. so somebody asks for help, i give it and then somebody else tells me that they don't want my help. if he know so much, then why ask a question in the first place? i'm really competant at mechanical stuff, i love it. it's my life. i was trying to help. hell, i've even had the same problem myself. if my help is not wanted, then i will go somewhere else.

 

[Uglygreenxj]

good grief. please don't tell me i'm wrong on this. believe it or not, this farm boy knows quite a bit about this stuff. i've worked on ball joints, kingpins, tracked vehicle steering systems, all kinds of stuff. this is a simple problem that has an easy fix. going under the vehicle to look for it is a given. i see people make misconceptions all the time. so somebody asks for help, i give it and then somebody else tells me that they don't want my help. if he know so much, then why ask a question in the first place? i'm really competant at mechanical stuff, i love it. it's my life. i was trying to help. hell, i've even had the same problem myself. if my help is not wanted, then i will go somewhere else.

Give it a rest already, apparently you feel threatened that someone might perhaps have a different experience or opinion than you. Yes, someone asked for help, as many do. And you, and I, and others with first hand experience answered and tried to help. But you are not the "be all, end all, bible of Jeeping knowledge". Your not trying to help, your trying to win what you've turned into an argument and those who probably actually needed the help have probably given up on this thread now. I guess after I tightened the track bar bracket and addressed the steering box/frame (which you claim are "definitely" the cause) the popping noise that remained must have been in my head. At least the popping sounds in my head subsided when I replaced my ball joints. :kissyou: