MTLXJ

I got some clunking noise coming from both front end wheels. Just wondering if its my ball joints? When I drive on a rough road you can really hear the clunking. Did lifting my xj cause this to happen?

White92

Could be ball joints, could be sway bars, could be a lot of stuff. Easiest way to find out : Inspect your front end. If you don't know how take it to somebody who does. Balljoints could VERY well cause a clunking but it isn't always the case.

tiwvr1

sounds like sway bar link loose or broken, or shock not bolted tightly. A lift will not do anything to your ball joints, and most likely, unless they are scarry bad, u wont hear a bj clunking

MTLXJ

Ok thanks! I'll check my sway bar and shocks then. Can also maybe be the u-joints?

EvilMaster

I just finished working on my truck 15 minutes ago. Sitting here with a beer cooling down right now. I had a mystery "clunk, clank, click" intermittent sound in the front end. Everything in my truck is brand new, but I still went over the wheel bearings (fine), shocks (fine), all 5 front u-joints (fine x5), upper and lower ball joints (fine), lower control arms (fine), brakes (fine), trac-bar (fine), front drive shaft centering ball (fine), end links (fine), springs (fine). I was really starting to get pissed off.

So tonight I went over everything that I could have possibly missed. And it ended up being my passenger side front upper control arm. The lower bolt (Axle end) had somehow managed to work itself loose. It took about 8 half turns on my ratchet to get it tight. Took it for a ride and the annoying sounds were gone. It rolls quiet like a new truck again.

The sound this made mimiced a bad u-joint sound. But at times it sounded like it was a bad shock. Then at other times I was convinced it was a wheel bearing. Been banging my head on this for almost a week now.

Since my truck runs so quiet now, I treated it to another coat of carnauba wax to show my appreciation to it before tucking it in for the night.

MTLXJ

I just checked my UCAs and they are loose when I get home I'll tighten them. Crossing my fingers it stops the clunking!
Thanks you so much if this solves the problem!!!!

EvilMaster

Hope it works out for you.

MTLXJ

How tight should I make them, to make sure they dont come loose.

EvilMaster

For a 2000 XJ.

The upper control arm lower bolt is 74 N-m or 55 ft. lbs. (Axle end)
The upper control arm upper bolt is 89 N-m or 66 ft. lbs.

Might as well torque the lowers as well while you are at it, the specs for those are...

Lower control arm lower bolt is 115 N-m or 85 ft. lbs. (Axle end)
Lower control are upper bolt is 115 N-m or 85 ft. lbs.

MTLXJ

Shoot upper control arms didn't seem as loose as I though. Oh well I'll test drive it tomorrow to see if it helped.

Gee oh Dee

Since your lifted this has gotta go into Advanced tech.

Moved.

MTLXJ

My apologies.

MTLXJ

It's still making the noise after tightening the UCA.