92 XJ 4.0 with 180.000 miles

Recently greased all zerk fittings (I think) and tightened the track bar mount and steering box.

What's the next step?

 

could be the links to the stabilizer bar. the bushings wear out, get loose, and then pop when you turn the wheels side to side.

have someone turn the steering wheel back and forth while you look under it.

 

Have somebody crank the wheel back and forth whilst you lay underneath, and watch all the tie rod ends closely for any play. Every time I've had a pop when turning one of those has been the culprit.

I'd rule those out before looking at anything more difficult.

 

Thanks for the input. It's the stock system so it's due for a refresh, I guess.
If I find the tie rond ends to be the problem, should I just redo all the components?

 

It's up to you really. I tend to replace just the bad part, but then I inevitably find that others follow along not long after!

 

My technical background tells me the same thing, although my wallet sometimes prevents me from doing so...
Thanks for the input.

 

No problem, I'm the exact same! Wallet tends to win...

 

My friend came over today to help. While he was turning the steering wheel left to right I found no movement in any steering components.
The sound really comes from the steering box and also appears when shaking the vehicle heavily from side to side. Any further ideas?

I did find that the tie rod and drag link both can be turn around their axis (so the ends move around the axis, but not from side to side). Is this normal?

 

It could be the steering gear box, but I am not convinced it is because if it was you should hear the pop more often when turning, especially if you are going slowly. Another part to consider is the axle shaft ujoints (by the front wheels), they can pop when they are getting stuck.

Have you checked the fluid in the reservoir of the steering pump? is it filled up properly? how does the fluid look?

I would not recommend changing all the steering linkage parts at once without first finding out what the issue is. I have done this and it leads to new issues and adjustments you will be looking to fix. For example, the Jeep alignment could be thrown off and now you are trying to get the Jeep to drive straight, which means new alignment and more money.

If the popping is not an issue when driving and the Jeep is safe to drive, just let it be for now. If it really is an issue, it will get worse and louder, and easier to find. Once you find it, then you fix it.

And yes, both the drag link and tie rods can rotate in their sockets, but should have no lateral movement .

Good luck.

 

Well said. Rotation is what those joints are designed for. Any lateral play and they'll be soon to fail. It's difficult to see if you don't know what to look for. It's not as obvious sometimes. The helper has to know what they're doing too.

The helper has to slowly move the wheel back and forth. Kind of like sawing, but slowly. And only until it barely has any opposition to movement. I like to tell people to move it with the engine off and with one or two fingers. Not much pressure. Left for 2 seconds, right for 2 seconds. It's slow.

The person looking for the side/side play should inspect every joint. There shouldn't be any sideways movement. Just don't confuse it with rolling.

Something else to look for is the steering box mount. The aluminum spacer can crumble, and I've also seen the steel behind that crack.

 

It's been getting a little colder in Belgium and I also sprayed some WD-40 around the mounting of the upper spring and the bushings of the shocks. The popping is now gone.

I'll be sure to notice you if it comes back...