Clunking sound from rear of vehicle problem solved (not suspension related)

[megatone]

Ok, so I bought my daughter a Liberty and there was a clunking sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. I inspected all the suspension related bushings and everything looked to be in good condition. I had my buddy check it out and he too could not find anything wrong. So I took the Jeep to a suspension shop and they also said they could not find the source of the clunking sound. After about two weeks of off and on looking, I decided to climb behind the back seat and had my daughter drive on some bumpy roads I kept my ear to the floor till I found the source of the clunking sound.

I was sure it was coming from a worn bushing or a bad shock absorber because that's exactly what it sounded like BUT, as it turns out the thumping sound was coming from the rear cargo door. I found that there is a "door striker" thing that lines up the door with the latch as the door is shut. The striker is adjustable.....so I moved it outwards a little bit........shut the door and went for a nice bumpy ride, Problem solved, no more clunking noise while riding over bumps.

Hope this info helps someone out. I was getting frustrated at not being able to find the source of the noise.

 

[twowings]

I think you may have just solved a problem for me...thank you!

 

[mx3_ryder]

I think you may have just solved a problem for me...thank you!

X2

 

[megatone]

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Good luck. I hope this solves your problem. In this diagram....the part is identified as item number 1

 

[twowings]

^^ Worked like the proverbial charm...I had looked for that rattle for weeks...had the interior panels off looking for dropped tool(s),re-torqued shock mounts, trilink mounting bolts, re-checked exhaust hangers, took right rear door panel off looking for dropped tool(s), checked seat mounts, seatbelt hanger, etc....

To complicate matters, when I recently took a family trip, the noise all but disappeared for a few days..."what the hell is going on?" thinks me...

The tendency is to blame the LIFT because there are so many fasteners to torque correctly, shock bushings can be to big for bolts, hardware can be misplaced...BUT I'm now convinced it was adding the heavier TIRE to the spare tire mount combined with the 85,000+ miles of previous tailgate usage that made re-adjustment necessary...AND the reason the noise disappeared during the road trip is the back cargo was full of stuff crammed up against...wait for it: THE TAILGATE!!!! (and quieting down the rattle temporarily)...this proves you're NEVER too old to learn something new!

Thanks again for posting, megatone!

 

[profdlp]

Look on the bright side, twowings. At least all that troubleshooting means your Jeep has been checked out from stem to stern. :gr_grin:

 

[twowings]

I still feel like an idiot..

it IS the first tailgate I've ever owned that didn't fold DOWN...but that's no excuse...

 

[megatone]

Awesome job getting that annoying clunking sound eliminated, twowings.....Glad this helped you out.

Might try to add an extra door striker to help carry the load of the door.

 

[megatone]

Here's a better view the door striker that I am referring to......I've highlighted it in yellow. Earlier I did not realize the image I posted was really small and the item identification numbers are too small to read. Anyhow, here is the same picture with the part identified with the yellow coloring.....this is an image of the passenger side cargo door jamb.

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[megatone]

The first and second picture are of the striker located on the door jamb.....the third picture is a shot of a bracket that the striker lines up with as the cargo door is closed. The bracket has no adjustment, but the plastic door striker bolted to the door jamb can be adjusted. That fourth picture is a bad shot of the door jamb, horizontally upside down....I'll try to post a few more pics.in another post.

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[megatone]

The second picture shows the cargo door striker in relation to it's receiving bracket. The bracket is bolted to the gargo door.

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[jeepfan]

Can't wait to try this, the clunk has been bothering my wife for awhile now