OK, so I've been searching around and haven't found what I'm looking for so I'll just ask and see what happens. I've got 2" OME suspension on my Jeep with 225/75-16 tires. I've noticed than when cruising down back roads and trails the front suspension will bottom out fairly easily when I hit a dip in the trail, like a low point where water runs across when it rains or something. I know it's hitting because I hear a nice solid THUMP in the front end when it does. I've looked to see where contact is being make and the only spot I can see is where the bolt for the UCA on the passenger side has hit the flange of the oil pan and bent it up a little. I have not been able to determine any other contact spots. I haven't been able to verify the shocks aren't bottoming out, but they're the standard OME shocks and not the extended ones.

The bump stops are original but they seem solid when I grab them with my hand and don't seem to be falling apart where they would allow the axle to come up too far, but I don't really know how to test them.

Does anyone know how to test the front bump stops to see if they're shot or have any ideas what else I should be looking at? Everything in the suspension system is stock except the springs and shocks so when the front suspension compresses everything should be in the same location it would be in from the factory. I'm just puzzled why I'm hitting the oil pan. I'm pretty sure that would not happen on a stock XJ. Any help is appreciated.

 

Chances are its the bar pins in your front shocks making the noise, very very common, look up bar pin eliminators. When these get sloppy they sound just like the suspension bottoming out.

 

I don't get the noise unless I hit a big hole or something and severely compress the suspension, and even then I can also feel the thump in the floor. I'll take a look at them just in case, but I've had this problem since I got the suspension installed and took it off-road the first time (never had it off-road before putting the suspension on though).

 

Your axle is off center, you need an adjustable trackbar.

 

Why do you say that? Sure it's barely over enough to notice at ride height, but I have the stock track bar on so when the axle moves up against the bump stops it's in the exact same lateral position as a completely stock XJ. That's what puzzles me.

 

A picture would help. Double check your shocks are nice and tight, and not bottoming out.

 

I'd bet your shocks are bottoming out...

Stock bump stops wouldn't allow the axle to contact the oil pan at all. If they're there and in one piece they should work well enough to prevent the axle from hitting the oil pan.

Look at your shocks.

Jerry beat me to it.

 

I'll try and get a pic of the contact with the oil pan and check the shocks. Don't have anything handy to try and drive up on to flex it out so I'll see if measurements can suffice.

I also went ahead and ordered new OEM replacement front and rear bump stops too. I wanted the longer ones for the rear (4.1") anyway and new ones for the front won't hurt: not sure they'll help but they won't hurt anyway!

 

I'll have to check the shock compressed length when I get time to disconnect the bottom of it and compress it. I have three inches of air space between the bump stop and the axle pad, and it's 3 inches from the top of the UCA mount to the lip on the oil pan. I did snap a couple pics though of the contact area on the oil pan. Oh, and the shocks are tight when I grab them and try to move them.

I snapped this one sitting flat on the ground.


Then I disconnected the sway bar and flexed it as much as possible with the floor jack.


And then this is what it looks like from behind the axle.

 

trackbar.

 

I have a hard time believing I need an aftermarket track bar on what is essentially a stock vehicle. I keep thinking there is something else amiss and putting on a track bar would be more of a band-aid. Not to mention it's rather difficult to find an adjustable track bar that will work on only 2" of lift.

 

Turn your wheels straight, measure from the top outside edge of the tire to the "frame"
Do this on both sides, measure to the same spot if possible.
I agree with the track bar. Even if it is a strange thing, it may help. Look up a track bar relocating bracket. One came with my pro comp lift so I know they're out there.

 

Mine is doing the same

 

Check your motor mounts. If they are bad it can drop the motor down far enough to come in contact with the oil pan

 

That was a poorly worded sentence, I sure hope your motor was contacting your oilpan far before your motor mounts went out... and even if they were completely gone, the motor would only sit about 2" lower at most, and you'd have other things to worry about before your axle would hit the pan. That being said, checking your motor mounts is not a bad idea, if they're deteriorated significantly it can cause your motor to shift and clunk on its own.