Joeymb95

I have a 98 xj and whenever i turn the wheel to the left, theres a "pop" sound in the front drivers side wheel any ideas?

jeepcountry99

What kinda poping noise

Joeymb95

Like something popping out of place

gms0623

I have this problem as well, it only happens very seldom and I have been too lazy to seek out the issue but I believe that this popping noise is caused by either worn out control arm bushings or possibly also bad wheel joints? I am inclined to lean more towards control arm bushings as that is the source of the sound.

ZINGGG

Track bar and track bar bracket bolts. First place you should check.

Joeymb95

I replaced the bracket bolts and it reduced the poping to like once every 10 turns or so. Should i do the track bar?

gms0623

I don't think the trac bar itself would cause that noise, however the bushings may be worn out on it

ZINGGG

The tie rod end of it (the part that bolts to the bracket) can get worn out and pop. Have someone turn the steering wheel while you sit in front and inspect the different parts

jeepcountry99

It's u joints

SteveMongr

X2 Axle U-joints. Assuredly.

ZINGGG

Who'll bet me $20 it's the track bar?

xjpioneer

I think I'll have to agree with this guy. That bushing is notorious for going out, and popping.

gms0623

The most sensible thing to do is just crawl under it and try to see if anything is loose. If nothing is noticeable bad, just start replacing stuff, but cheapest/easiest first.

Wheel joints are only like 9$ for an XJ but taking the whole hub assembly off to replace them isn't exactly a walk in the park. Popping new bushings into the trac bar is much easier and I would imagine replacing the frame end of the trac bar would be relatively simple as well. I can see both parts at fault here

ZINGGG

For a stock track bar, the tie rod end of it (the frame side) can not be replaced separate from the bar. You'll need to replace the whole bar.

Like I said, have someone turn the wheel back and forth with your XJ running while you sit in front and inspect the different steering/suspension parts. Keep a close eye on that track bar. Something is going to have play down there.

Joeymb95

Ok so i looked under there and there were a bunch of loose bolts. Some didnt even have nuts on them anymore. I replaced all the loose bolts and put a lock washer and nut on all of them. That seemed to stop it