OEM Rubicon front end noise. (knock, creak?)

[av8or]

Maybe try disconnecting one side of the front sway bar and see if there’s play inside the disconnect housing.

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[Aramis76]

Could be many things but you initially said you could jiggle the shock and hear it? The shock could be damaged as well.

When I push down on the bumper, I can hear the shock do a little "fwoump" sound.. hard to write. Sounds like a vibration but I know it's piston/seals doing their thing. Pretty sure that's not it.

All the ball joints appear tight.

What if I was to hang a weight on the drag link? Not under it but ahead of it. This would force the link to always be rotated down let's say. This way it would not rotate and occasionally thud down (or up). It's not a fix of course, but that may help pin-point this.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

I’d agree with someone else who said to have someone turn the wheel from inside the jeep and watch all the front end/steering components. I’ve had stuff like this before on other vehicles and it can be a real pain to locate. I’ve gone as far as to attach chassis ears to locate noises.

 

[Aramis76]

Spent some more time underneath it this morning.
I'm 80% certain it's the front left shock.
When I push down on the left front corner of the bumper , only by about 1/4 inch, I can hear it creak/moan...
If i give a bigger/faster push, I don't hear a thing.
So small/slow movements of the shock piston seem to be making it.

Which would match the conditions where i hear it (slow speed, slightly uneven terrain).

I'm not 100%, and aside from swapping them, hard to test.

 

[Rodeoflyer]

If that's the case bring it to the dealer and have them swap the shock out. Sounds like a defective shock.

 

[Aramis76]

Another interesting thing, the rear left shock does it too. No wonder i couldn't locate it precisely.

It's like the piston sticks a bit so when it finally travels it "sticks" a bit.

Also, the gas tank is almost empty. I wonder if that relieves enough weight for the jeep to sit ever so slightly higher and thus in a spot where the piston usually does not "sit". I know it may be far fetched, but hey, i've seen weirder things.

 

[av8or]

my original steering stabilizer was replaced for a ”groaning/creaking” sound. its the same thing as a suspension shock, so I can see how they could make an annoying noise.

 

[Aramis76]

Quick update, took it to the dealer today.
They called me about 2 hours later and said they ordered the front sway bar link kits.
Seems the noise is coming from them.
Odd that they didn't feel loose when I was under looking for the noise, but they likely know how to check that better than I.

Appointment on wednesday, will keep you informed!

 

[Aramis76]

Bit of an update...
Finally got the links changed, took long because dealership is running on limited staff because of covid.

Well, didn't, change, a dam, thing....

It's the second time they do that to me, act like they are 110% sure they know and then they miss the mark entirely...

I think it may be time for a different dealer (after giving them hell monday morning)

 

[Roky]

Bit of an update...
Finally got the links changed, took long because dealership is running on limited staff because of covid.

Well, didn't, change, a dam, thing....

It's the second time they do that to me, act like they are 110% sure they know and then they miss the mark entirely...

I think it may be time for a different dealer (after giving them hell monday morning)

Is the noise more of a squeak like metal against rubber?

 

[Aramis76]

Is the noise more of a squeak like metal against rubber?

No, it's more of a clunk.

 

[zrickety]

I get a creaking sound similar to your first post. Front left.
2020 Rubicon 2 door. I've heard this before on cars...I think it's the spring. The perch gets some grit in there or something. I haven't been to the dealer or tried to solve it, it still drives ok. Just a bit annoying because a new vehicle should not have so many little issues. This is one of 4 small problems I can think of off the top my head.

 

[Aramis76]

Yeah I still hear that, and I wonder if that may be what I hear in the cab as a knock/clunk. Sounds can be different depending on what they travel through.

 

[Roky]

Yeah I still hear that, and I wonder if that may be what I hear in the cab as a knock/clunk. Sounds can be different depending on what they travel through.

Something I found that was making a squeak, but felt like a clunk was my sway bar where it connects to the frame with the U brackets that hold the rubber bushing on the bar.

Try unhooking the sway bar links, not electronically, but actually remove the bolt so the sway bar doesn’t move at all, and push down on the bumper like you did before. Might not be it , but it also might be what the dealer was chasing but went about the fix in the wrong way.

If this happens to be it then to
fix it I just moved the bushing down the bar and cleaned it and applied some silicone grease then reinstalled. Don’t use any kind of lubricant that is mineral oil based , as it will degrade the rubber.

 

[Aramis76]

@Roky So I checked under a few minutes ago and it seems the dealer while they were changing the links actually did grease those bushings, I can see fresh grease oozing out.

I also tightened the lower castle nut on the driver side as it was barely more than finger tight. I did have to go a bit higher than spec to reach the next opening for the pin. We'll see what that yields.

My left front shock is still creaking a lot when I push down on the bumper which I'm still convinced is (at least in part) my problem.

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