Suspension pop?

[JDa]

About a month ago I had an axle seal leak on passenger side which Midas installed (mopar seal that I took to them) About 2 weeks ago I started getting a binding pop sound on the passenger side. I took it back to Midas and of course they don't hear it. Got progressively worse and more frequent.

Sound happens when I first start backing out with a cold vehicle, sometimes on the freeway but usually when I am slower (20-30 mph) as I slow. It is not consistent and happens 2-3 times per 20-30 mile trip.

I suspected cv axle due to research and they were aftermarket. I had the OEM ones still, so I had them rebuilt and I installed them this morning. Aftermarket axle was definitely bad. Unfortunately, noise is still there. It is not as bad but the same noise all the same.

Upper a arms are JBA and ball joint replaced about a year ago. Lower ball joint replaced last year and is a Moog greasable one. Tie rods also replaced last year. Do I just need to start replacing ball joints? What else could it be?

Only other thing I have done was replace turbo exhaust clamp. I went ahead and loosened exhaust + clamp and reseated everything with no change (I am not hearing any exhaust leaks).

Appreciate any help I can get. Thanks.

 

[LibertyTC]

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Check the sway bar end links, spay em with silicone spray, make sure they are tight.
If they are worn out, that could make em pop too..

 

[HoosierJeeper]

How is the intermediate shaft?

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

My vote is on the sway bar links - or at least the bolt holes for the links.

Mine have popped since the day I lifted it - I've narrowed it down to the actual bolt holes in the sway bar. The bolt hole is oblong and it would pop when weight shifted from one side to the other in a turn or over a bump. I've gotten it down to just an occasional "bump" instead of "pop" by wrapping the link bolt with aluminum from pop/soda cans. I might get a new sway bar but that's $125 to fix an annoyance - while pop/soda cans are free.

I'm saving for goodies sexier than a sway bar for the KJ :waytogo:

Bob

 

[JDa]

Intermediate shaft appeared to be fine on both oem and the aftermarket. I looked at the sway bar links (changed 2 years ago) but I will take another gander. Going to change the differential fluid as well, Midas should have but who knows what they put in.
Thanks for the help.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

There's always the possibility that when the sway bar links wore out the first time (2 years ago) that the actual sway bar received too much torsional force over time and is allowing your new sway bar links to wear back out in a 2 year span..

 

[JDa]

So wanted to provide follow up + have additional questions. Pop sound was driving me nuts so I changed out sway bar links (used the coke can idea), upper ball joint, and struts (ride was getting rougher , at the edge life expectancy+ nose diving on stops). After all that I am still noticing the pop but I am suspecting CV axle based off location of sound.
To start from the beginning though I had passenger axle seal replaced, couple weeks later I hear pop, cv axle goes bad (was aftermarket and seemed short so not surprised). I had original axles so I had them rebuilt and put back on. Now they are potentially popping, what would cause 2 sets of axles to have gone bad? Only thing that was changed was axle seal. CVs angles don't look any different than the first 120k miles and I have not changed tires in a year. No lift added, just new struts.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

Would a bad alignment (front toe mostly) put escessive wear on the cv axles?

 

[tommudd]

So did you replace the Intermediate shaft or not?

 

[JDa]

The intermediate shaft in there now is the oem one. I couldn't get it apart so I took it as a whole to the axle shop and it came back that way as well. Didn't try to pull it apart when I got it back from the shop as I knew it was all going back in anyways. They said whole assembly looked good and I didn't see anything significant. It was not popping when I replaced it last year. Drivers side was having issues so just decided to do them both.
The intermediate shaft on the after market wouldn't separate either but I know that is a common problem.
Is it possible I need a new intermediate shaft? Would 2 different intermediate shafts go bad/be popping? And how do I go about separating the current shaft from the rebuilt axle?

 

[JDa]

Would a bad alignment (front toe mostly) put escessive wear on the cv axles?

Don't think alignment is bad as I got an alignment about 9 months ago and it drives straight/no pulling + tires are wearing evenly

 

[JeepinJarhead03]

The intermediate shaft in there now is the oem one. I couldn't get it apart so I took it as a whole to the axle shop and it came back that way as well. Didn't try to pull it apart when I got it back from the shop as I knew it was all going back in anyways. They said whole assembly looked good and I didn't see anything significant. It was not popping when I replaced it last year. Drivers side was having issues so just decided to do them both.
The intermediate shaft on the after market wouldn't separate either but I know that is a common problem.
Is it possible I need a new intermediate shaft? Would 2 different intermediate shafts go bad/be popping? And how do I go about separating the current shaft from the rebuilt axle?

if the intermediate is seized in the cv, it's likely seized due to wear of the splines on the intermediate, eventually it can wear enough theyll rotate independently from one another causing all sorts of nasty sounding racket and or vibrations at speed

as long as you stick with reman parts, rather than new manu parts, you're less likely to have that particular issue but it seems the intermediate life expectancy is around 80-100kmi

some/most of the new manu CV's are not the correct length, generally too short, which in turning can cause the cv to ride out to the end of the intermediate wearing the splines, misaligning them and then the cv is forced back onto the intermediate squaring off the splines of the intermediate and eventually either seizing it on the intermediate, or causing a great deal of slippage on the intermediate

 

[JDa]

So I have still have the pop, I also now get some noise, sounds like things trying to align, from the differential on the first backup of the day (fine after that). I haven't changed anything since I last posted.

Thoughts on differential noise? Also could the pop be caused by a bad engine mount?

 

[Scottybones]

Did you happen to swap the strut mounts when you replaced the struts? Have you replaced the sway bar bushings? Also, make sure everything is tight. I left one of the sway bar bushing brackets loose and it make a popping like noise that would sometimes travel thru the sway bar and heard in different areas.

 

[JDa]

Don't believe I swapped the strut mounts but shop assembled them so I assumed they did it right. I replaced swaybar bushings 2 years ago but that's fairly cheap so I will give it a try.

 

[wheeee32]

Front sway bar links are the easiest fix. Go with brand new factory links and see what happens after that.

 

[JDa]

Thanks. already replaced links, no change, that is why I am going to try bushings now. I hate just part changing but not sure what else to do.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I had a pop that would occur after a bump or backing out of a parking spot. Went away and then has turned into an awful creaky squeak noise. Lower ball joint on the driver's side. Worth a look.

The sway bar bushings to me sounded off when both wheels would drop.

 

[GunnerSchenck]

HJ, so the squeaking in your videos from your old thread did end up being a lower ball joint? Or is it a different noise that you're referring to?
Been curious if you've found that problem yet

 

[JeepJeepster]

Mine wouldnt come apart either. Even used a come-along between two trees to tighten it as tight as I could and beat it with a sledge hammer.

Ended up returning the whole thing as a core to napa and bought a new cv joint axle. Greased it all up good and its been fine since.