Jordie

Hi guys...a woman who loves her JEEP
Have a great mechanic! Can not find reason for bobbling sound mostly in RRear but sometimes sometimes simetrical. If road is bad can go on until I hit a smoother road.
Has something to do with wheels going down a drive way lip, or uneven road. Very prominent at 15-30 mph. Can't hear at faster speeds. Sounds like ball in a bucket?
OMGOSH the new parts...shocks4 , sway bar links and bushings, rear upper arm control, both rear axle seals, tire are all matching,
When I go over a manhole cover it sounds like it drops with a bobble sound.
Jeep is well cared for...noise is quite annoying!
HELP GUYS...GOING BROKE

dave1123

Welcome to CF!

This may sound stupid, but check for the tailpipe rattling against the fuel tank shield. It happened on mine. Also check the transmission mount. A bad mount can cause the tailpipe to move around and cause this noise with the tank shield.

Jordie

Thank you Dave...I will get my mechanic to check these parts. I tell you it's the darnedest noise. I have about turned myself in a knot trying to hear where it's coming from. Once this happened they changed the sway bar links and it helped. But then it came back!

Jordie

Dave...do you think my shocks could have gone bad ? Should I put shock spacers?

dave1123

Try replacing the rear shock mounting bolts with new ones. Some of them are tapered on the end and can loosen up. The new ones should be standard straight ones. Several people have had this problem. I should have remembered it before this. My problem was a broken trans mount so that's what I thought of first.

Jordie

Hi Dave
Just want to be sure before I go to my mechanic that you are talking about a Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ and not. Jeep Cherokee xj

Thank you

dave1123

If you read my signature block, you'll see I own one. Yes, I'm talking about a WJ! Mine's a 4x4, but the suspension is the same. I was going to mention the upper control arm ball mount, but I see you've already replaced that.

Jordie

Yes, just had it replaced last week. I think its suspension or something with the shock-mounts. But practically everything has been replaced. Way too sloppy in the rear. Plus the noise!
This is my 4th Jeep. 2 box and 2 wj.
Only thing NOT replaced is sway bar. Maybe I should put a new 7/8 or 1" on...what do you think? I have read the factory ones are too thin????

Jordie

Sorry Dave...just read it and saw your pictures! So tell me, why the Zebra look? Very cool!

dave1123

Funny about that! I found that driving a white vehicle in a snow storm isn't the best for visibility for other cars and I was tired of driving a white SUV like everybody else. After all, it IS a JEEP! I've been a rebel non-conformist most of my life and thought it would be fun! I remembered the jeeps in the TV show "Daktari" and Ted Nugent drives one, So....

I don't find the rear sway bar to be undersized unless you're trying to drift corners. I've put over a ton of newspapers in my jeep and never had a stability problem. You may want to check the mounting bushings, however.

Jordie

Makes perfect sense to me...who doesn't love different! What was that show growing up..The Wild Kingdom�� Careful...you might find a female zebra Jeep out there in the snow!
So humor me Dave...how do ya get a decent ride in a WJ? Not hard- stiff ride that when you hit a bump you leave the road...but a firm comfortable straight away ride. Am I asking to much from a Jeep!

dave1123

No, you're not. You should NOT be getting a harsh ride at all. What shocks are you using? Have the springs been changed from stock?

When I bought my WJ, I was impressed with the smooth ride and solid feel of it. It was better than my ZJ. I have the standard base model Laredo with stock springs and Monroe Sensatrac shocks. If I hit a manhole cover, all I get is a "thump" and a slight tickle in the steering wheel. It corners like it's on rails and is very stable on any surface. The rear axle should not feel loose in yours. What tires are you running? Mine are Cooper Discoverer AT3 245/70R16 at 35 psi pressure.

When did you buy your WJ? I'd be willing to bet someone changed the springs to something stiffer before you got it. Have your mechanic check for lift blocks on the upper spring seats.

Jordie

I was sooo afraid you were going to say that. Just 6 months ago I went to Jeep dealer and bought 4 new factory Jeep spring coils to replace original factory. Shocks are 4 all new Monroe Sensatrac, tires all 4 purchaced at same time, B F Goodrich long trail t/a
All new sway bar links and bushings, rear
upper arm control.
Yet still loose in rear with a suttle left to right movement. Not straight away. Should I Replace sway bar with 1". ???????
As for the comfort of the ride...great if road is smooth and flat. But a road that is just a normal road with imperfections is quite unpleasant. WITH SIDE TO SIDE SWAY.
My box Jeep in 85 road better ....but as we know, entirely different suspension.
Almost everything has been replaced in rear, except sway bar.

Jordie

Just thought of something...when I had my old factory springs my brother put spacers chocks in until I could get new coil springs. That was a much better ride. Absorbed a lot of the road! Maybe my shocks are bad?

dave1123

You keep saying that; "my shocks are bad." How can they be if they are new? Go ahead and check out the swaybar. It's possible it's cracked or broken where you can't see it. Most swaybars today are hollow, not solid, and they do crack.

Swaybars cancel body roll in cornering by twisting and transferring the weight shift to the opposite side. Most of the time the ends break off so they are easy to see, but not always. I don't think you need a bigger one, but you DO need one in any case. The way they work is when one wheel goes up or down, they try to move the other wheel the same way, thus keeping the body flat.