CherokeeOutlaw

Ok so I've had a loud click when I turn the steering wheel past a certain point in either direction and a knocing in the suspension when I off road or the suspension actuates enough on the road. You can hear it with all the other noise of the road and I can feel it in the floor and gas pedal.

Of course I'm lean towards one of my drivers side ball joints...or both...or all four. So I look under there to asses the situation (haven't tested for play yet, but everything else is tight) and I noticed the lower driver's side ball joint (the one I was suspecting) looked freshly wet and greasy. Only that one, none of the others. I looked closer and the whole lower half of that knuckle looked wet and greasy and it almost appears as if its coming out of the axle housing and leaking down. What could this mean?

Here are pics, but its night out and I had to use a flashlight and my phone so they aren't the best...
- lower ball joint...wet

- whole knuckle...lower half wet

- closer look at inner side of knuckle leaking from axle housing?

CherokeeOutlaw

researched some more (google) and came up with axle tube seal? There is a plastic cap on the knuckle near the end of the housing that is spaced from the housing unlike the passenger side and seems like it s loose, but everything I looked up on changing the ball joints didn't say anything about this...which I assume since you have to pull the drivers side shaft out it would have been mentioned. Any help?

nickxj94

Its the axle seal but its on the inside of the housing you have to pull the carrier out and axle shafts to replace it. The clicking noise is probably most likely a axle shaft ujoint, the Thump or clunk is probably your frame mount for the trackbar.

nickxj94

And to replace balljoints that would be a good time to do it you have to remove the shafts and knuckle, then press them out and back in with a balljoint press you can rent one at most part stores or buy one at harbor freight for $60.00 they double as ujoint presses too so there worth buying for your tool box.

CherokeeOutlaw

Any more detail on the process for the seal? Is it easy since I'm replacing ball joints anyway? What more specifically do I have to do to get to it besides the process for the ball joints? And is it a major issue? I just had the front gears replaced because the breather valve broke and water got in so all of that is brand new.

And it's definitely not the track bar frame mount. I installed a drop bracket and adjustable bar two months ago and everything is TIGHT.

CherokeeOutlaw

Is this something that the Mechanic should have done when doing the gears? In other words, is it something that he could have neglected or messed up so I can take it back and have him repair it for free? I mean the seal. I have a good idea on how to do the joints.

CherokeeOutlaw

found this - http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthrea...=D30+axle+seal

does not look like fun or something i wanna do! ugh. doesnt look too difficult just not fun.

caged

replacing seals is not that difficult at all, only time consuming.

you do have to remove both axle shafts and carrier tho.

then use your 36mm socket on a bunch of extensions so it will reach all the way down the tube so you can knock the seals out using a bfh.

then use some rtv around the new seal once you clean the mating surfaces all up with some brake cleaner, and i've used a 32mm socket that fits just inside the new seal so you can knock it into place using those extensions and big f hammer again.

simple job, just take your time and keep an eye on how the seal is setting. make sure it's tapped in all the way.

only thing different is if you have a disconnect axle. then there is only one seal in the diff, the other is down the axle tube at the disconnect housing.

as for the knock, don't rule out the track bar just yet. i've seen brand new track bars do this. just be sure to double check both ends.

nickxj94

Well he probably didn't change them most people forget and if they wasn't in the kit he probably didn't mess with it
The seals are easy its just a pita to get to them,

BimmerJeeper

Do these seals need to be done if you're getting the hub bearing, u-joints, and rotors done in 1 job?

nickxj94

You can but if there not leaking I wouldn't worry about them just be carefull when you pull the shafts in and out you can damage them.

CherokeeOutlaw

Of course this might be a good place to start...

First and last are the drivers side sway bar bushings...mid 2 are the passenger.

BimmerJeeper

Outlaw, are sway bar bushings an easy DIY? How do you know if they're bad? Just yank the bar and see if there's play?

CherokeeOutlaw

oh yeah...simple toolmanship... just disconnect the sway bar from the end links, then take the brackets off, grease the new bushings, slide them on, bolt it all back up.

Mine are fuzzy on if theyre bad enough but its safe to say lean towards bad...if they look soft or cracked or dry rodded and blown out and theres gaps like you see here, they're bad. plus considering the passenger side sway bar doesn't it the bracket and the driver's side does...that's uneven bushing ware.

CherokeeOutlaw

changed the bushings...don't think it made a difference, and the track bar and all is tight tight tight. double checked.