Clunky front end - 02 Liberty

[M38 Bob]

To each his own. I like polyurethane suspension components, never had an issue after replacing with them. The "trac bar" on my old 78 F150 4x4 comes to mind. OE was rubber with steel sleeve. Nearly impossible to press in place without damaging one or two before getting in right. Drove the old ***** 17 years(bought it non-running from a salvage yard,$750. they were gonna start stripping down the next day) . Three bushings in the first 5 years, never again after poly two piece.

Seeing a lot more of it coming out OE on a lot of newer various brands.

Bob

 

[M38 Bob]

Had a young lady in the other day, 08? Wrangler 140k+ miles. Bad track bar bushing. No replacement from Moog, TRW, NAPA. Called dealer, no replacement bushing, complete trac bar only, around $400. Called our buddy at JBA (needed extended bump stops for my Lib, thought it'd be a great time to get both shipped at same price). He had Energy brand drop shipped 3 days later, my cost approx $38. We can replace em a LOT of times for $400.!!!!

Bob

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Had a young lady in the other day, 08? Wrangler 140k+ miles. Bad track bar bushing. No replacement from Moog, TRW, NAPA. Called dealer, no replacement bushing, complete trac bar only, around $400. Called our buddy at JBA (needed extended bump stops for my Lib, thought it'd be a great time to get both shipped at same price). He had Energy brand drop shipped 3 days later, my cost approx $38. We can replace em a LOT of times for $400.!!!!

Bob

Called our buddy at JBA

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is why we like JBA :waytogo:

Bob

 

[fishyx]

Easy way, spray them with a small amount of WD40 or something like that and drive it, if its quiet then you know, if not, keep on looking:gr_grin:

I'm sure this might be a stupid question but, if it is the swaybar, how would spraying the bushing stop the thump I'm hearing and feeling? It's feels like someone is hitting the floorboard with a baseball bat when I go over bumps at slow speed (5-10 MPH). Also, would it be a big deal if I just removed the sway bar???

 

[M38 Bob]

I'm sure this might be a stupid question but, if it is the swaybar, how would spraying the bushing stop the thump I'm hearing and feeling? It's feels like someone is hitting the floorboard with a baseball bat when I go over bumps at slow speed (5-10 MPH). Also, would it be a big deal if I just removed the sway bar???

Do you take it on the highway? If so you won't like it without swaybar.

I'm not sure about the WD40 either? Tom does it swell the rubber enough to close the gap? The ones on the mini-vans I mentioned, you can get a solid grip on em and shake. If you feel any up and down motion they're too loose.


bob

 

[NewerJeeper]

Spraying wd40 is for squeaks not thuds/thumps. A thud/thumps means obviously something is loose. I would check everything from battery tray to motor mounts.

 

[fishyx]

I want to check the upper shock bolts on mine and was just out looking at it. How the heck do I get to them???? Do I have to remove the whole strut assembly? Again, this 2002 drives and rides just fine but it sounds like someone is hitting the floorboard with a hammer when going over bumps at any speed.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

I want to check the upper shock bolts on mine and was just out looking at it. How the heck do I get to them???? Do I have to remove the whole strut assembly? Again, this 2002 drives and rides just fine but it sounds like someone is hitting the floorboard with a hammer when going over bumps at any speed.

On the drivers side you need to remove the battery to get to the upper shock bolts & nuts. On the passenger side remove the air filter box to get to the bolts.

Bob

 

[fishyx]

Working on her right now. Two quick questions: How the heck is the air box connected and how tight should the front sway bar bushings be around the bar? I definitely have a decent amount of bushing play. OK to order the blue Moog poly ones on E-bay? The links feel OK but should I just go ahead and replace those too?

 

[RenKJ]

Working on her right now. Two quick questions: How the heck is the air box connected and how tight should the front sway bar bushings be around the bar? I definitely have a decent amount of bushing play. OK to order the blue Moog poly ones on E-bay? The links feel OK but should I just go ahead and replace those too?

Pull the airbox straight upwards, it uses plunger type clips and will go back in same way, there should be absolutely no play in the swaybar bushings, i cant sya what kind you should order as i still have oem but you probably need new ones

 

[fishyx]

Thanks Ren! Horsed the air box out but don't see the upper shock mount, just 4 strut assembly nuts on studs. Good news is I got to clean the dirty air box really good. I think I'm gonna wait for the sway bar bushings and see if that keeps the clunk demons away.

 

[CzarKJ]

Thanks Ren! Horsed the air box out but don't see the upper shock mount, just 4 strut assembly nuts on studs. Good news is I got to clean the dirty air box really good. I think I'm gonna wait for the sway bar bushings and see if that keeps the clunk demons away.

To get to the shock mount you have to take those out and drop the whole spring out with the shock. Pretty much taking the whole front suspension apart. Not hard but definitely takes some time and a little bit of effort.

 

[ArtO]

I recently replaced the sway bar bushings and end links on my KJ with 110,000 miles on it. It made a world of difference. No more clunking on every little ripple. Its actually a pleasure to drive now. I used Moog on all.

 

[fishyx]

Well, I was a little bored at hunt camp today so I decided to check out the sway bar bushings even though I haven't picked up any new ones yet. They were really hogged out so I decided to go Macgyver on them to see if that's the source of my clunking problem. I found a thin heavy rubber sheet that I've been keeping around for some unknown reason. It's like heavy floor mat rubber. I cut two pieces that fit perfectly inside the old bushings and, with a lot of brute force, was able to force the bushing sleeves back on and bolt them up. Just took her for a little test drive and, to my surprise, she didn't let out a peep!!!!! I know it's not a permanent solution but at least I now know the source of the wicked clunking and can order me up a set of Moogs. It's nice to be able to sneak around the woods again without alerting every animal in a square mile radius to my presence. Thanks everyone for the help!!!!!