Hey guys, I've been trying to locate and correct a "clunk/knock" I hear in the rear of my 99 Grand Cherokee's suspension. I just can't seem to sort it out.

So here's what all I've done: I bought the truck with 92k on it, and the suspension was super worn out. I replaced all the shocks with Pro Comp ES9000 series shocks, and installed a Crown BB while I was in there. This is when I developed the clunk. After some research, I ran across the common problem of the too large of a space where the upper shock mounts up. I installed the bolt sleeve kit that came with the shocks, as well as spacers on either side of the bushing. This helped significantly.

I still had a very slight clunk, but I had still to replace a few things. I proceeded to take the WJ off road a bit (nothing too extreme), and I seemed to have wore out whatever bushings were about to go, and I developed a more significant "clunk." The shocks seemed nice and secure, so I replaced the obviously worn out sway bar bushings and sway bar end-links. I also replaced the rear upper ball joint and A-arm bushings (all OEM parts).

Still...the damn thing clunks. It seems to happen whenever the vehicle's weight shifts, and less on bumps and things. I know for sure the sound is coming from the rear, and it seems to happen more frequently from the passenger's side, but it does come from both sides.

So what do you all think this could be? I'm starting to go a little nuts trying to fix this thing. Could it be the lower rear shock mount? I read something about that stock bolt necking down and leaving room for the bushing to clunk. It does sound, though, like a point where something mounts to the body. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. You all know way more about these Jeeps than I do. Thanks!

 

I know this sounds trivial, but check to see if your tailpipe is banging on the side of the fuel tank cover.

Check out wjjeeps.com and scan the service bulletins. There are several on clunking noises.

 

Thanks for chiming in. I pulled around on the exhaust and it has plenty of clearance in all directions. The noise is definitely related to the rear suspension itself, particularly the passengers side.

Could a bad drive shaft or hub knock like this?

 

For what it's worth, years ago I had an 87 Ford Ranger (2.9L/4WD/5-Speed) and it developed a clunking in the rear end whenever (if I remember right) I accelerated while making a right-hand turn, like pulling out of a drive onto a street. The rear end eventually gave out on me. If nothing else this should serve as a reminder for everyone to check/change your rear end grease at regular intervals.

 

A good reminder indeed. This isn't any kind of noise like that. This clunk is definitely suspension related. You can hear it in accordance to the road.

 

Jump up and down on the back of the jeep let the suspension cycle,If the sound is from the suspension you should hear it,If you hear it like that have a friend jump up and down on it and you lay on the ground next to it see if you can pin point out where its coming from.

 

Well jumping up and down on the bumper yielded no results, but just to be sure, I went through every bolt in the rear I could think of and tightened everything down. And wha-lah! the clunk is gone. I'm guessing it was the upper shock mount. Either way, the clunk is gone for now. I'll just have to wait and see if it returns...

 

I'm happy you got it fixed for free.