as the heading my 98 xj has a clunk now and then when turning. now this doesnt happen all the time so its hard to trace. i have do the tie rod ends, check the hub ball joints and they are ok, it has a new track bar, new swaybar rubbers at rails and links.

the jeep has a 1.75" poly spacer and with standard rubber spring pad between spring and spacer and new shocks and lca's.

the sound kinda sounds like when panel steel is tweaked back and forth if you get what i mean...??? and has a good clunk sometimes and i have noticed it will come from either side.

i have worked in the auto industry on the suspension side of it and it has me stumped...anyone have this happen before???

the jeep also made this noise when i brought it standard so it can not be something i have fitted.

i was woundering if maybe the upper control arms mount holes maybe abit rounded out so the arm is moving abit maybe to cause the chassis/panel steel sound.

 

Axle U joints, Sway bar bushings and links(not such a turning noise problem.)

Also another problem area on the XJ is the frame rail cracking where the Steering gear mounts up. I would check the torque of all the bolts that hold the gear to Frame and check for any damage or signs of movement from the gear while a helper turns the wheel.

 

i have replaced all the swaybar bushings so it cant be them. i havent done the axle u joints but the clunk is more coming from something connected to the frame by the sound.

i was thinking the steering box mount maybe the next place to look...only thing is that the sound can come from either side. i checked the bolts awhile ago and looked at what i could of the cast spacer and it didnt look to be broken.

i have heard that the shocks moving round in the body sometimes makes a clunk but i wouldnt of thought it would have happened with 3 different sets of shocks now i have had in it.

 

any other input...???

 

I would do the u-joints. I had a similar noise I chased for quite some time, lol. Sounded like it was frame/suspension related. Nope. Finally pulled the u-joints, and found this;



New set of Spicers, no more noise.

 

U joints can cause some weird noises. That photo is a prime example, it only takes one of the joints to be bad to cause all sorts of weird noises.

Are you running stock size tires? I know when I put my larger tires on they would rub, and on occasion depending on the elevation differences it would snag the fender and it would "snap" back

 

Make sure, and that means tighten not just look at, your track bar bracket bolts are real tight.

 

i havent done the uni's yet. the clunk noise can happen even when the jeep is run but in park just turning the wheels to get access to change bushes etc. yip all bolts are tight on steering box and track bar.

jeep has 30" tires on it at the moment with good offset wheels so there is no rubbing anywhere and i have checked this.

 

You put a wrench on each track bar bracket to frame bolt and tightened it as hard as you could?

 

u-joints man. Pain to get em out, but mine was the same way, sitting still turning the wheel back n forth. Clunk-pop!