OK LOST, I really need some help here. I am running up against some very, very frustrating things that makes me want to rip off this Rusty's lift and go back to stock.

There are several noises going on at low speeds (5-30mph) that are really starting to concern me. In the front there is a "metal on rubber" sounding squeek that is pretty much constant every time I roll over a pebble. There is also a clunking sound that I can feel with my feet in the floor board. It sounds as if something is loose and rattleing around. I yanked off the tires a couple of weeks ago and re-torqued every nut and bolt in the front suspension, looked at the ball joints, and sprayed all of the bushings with silicione spray to no avail. The rear clunks too but I think that is Rusty's shocks that really don't fit. Using washers there is a real crock of poo if you ask me.

I am starting to get scared that something is going to break on my wife and kid and possibly cause an accident. I am seriously considering taking off the lift and putting the stock pieces back on and taking it to the dealership under warranty to be looked at.

Obivously, this is suspension stuff that won't be coverend under warranty so taking in the the dealership is out.

Any suggestions here?

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2004 KJ Sport 4x4
L.O.S.T. #006901
Rusty's 2.5" Coil Lift & Diff Skid, 245/75-16 REVO's, K&N
****Grocery Rated****

Take the sway bar completely off. Clean everything and use a non-petroleum grease on the bushings, brackets, and links. The silicon spray is a band-aid and to do this right you need to take it completely off and use grease. If those bushings are completely dry then the silicon spray ain't gonna cut it. This eventually happens to everyone regardless of lifting.

The other possibility is that the cover for the passenger side CV joint is bouncing around. This happens to a lot of guys, but there's not much that can be done. This also happens even when stock once you get some miles on the KJ. It's not a safety issue or a "problem" per say - just annoying.

On the rear - call Rusty. He'll probably replace them for you or even give you credit toward something better. If you've torqued everything and added washers then the shocks could be shot. Consider upgrading to some ranchos with the correct bushings and I bet that takes care of it.

I found that the rear shocks need to be re-tighten after a few hundred miles, them seem to loosen up. Really tighten down on the bolts! That should stop most of the noise from the rear. In addition, the rear upper "track" bar which I loving call the boomerang, uses an upper ball joint that allows the the differential to pivit. When the Liberty is lifted, it places a little more stress on the large ball joint and it tends to clunk when you accelerate.

The front CV joints oin there lifted position bind slightly at 2.5 inches. When they bind and when they unload they will generate a popping or a bang. I haven't heard of the Rusty's lift causing upper a-arm to spring contact, but you should check the spring for removed paint around the a-arm.

Worn out (some as soon as 10k miles) sway bar bushings will also create banging noises. Make sure they are tight. I like the idea of removing the sway bar links to see if the noise goes away. These are a dealer item only if they need to be replaced. You can not just look at them. I looked at a set on my wifes GC and they looked brand new, chnaged them out, the noise went away! darn unibody!!

I hope we have helped.

Al

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One Ruby, One Grand Cherokee, One YJ, One disassembled CJ, one Chevy Mason dump, one hotrod IH Pick-up, couple of antique tractors.
Former owner of a 5.5 inch lifted KJ

The end links are available at Napa for half what the dealer charges. The bushings are a dealer only thing as stated above, but not very expensive.

Thank you for the help.

I will do as you say and see if it clears up. I was a bit surprised that the noises were still occuring even though everything was tight in the front end. As long as there is no unsafe condition, I can work with the noises.

_________________
2004 KJ Sport 4x4
L.O.S.T. #006901
Rusty's 2.5" Coil Lift & Diff Skid, 245/75-16 REVO's, K&N
****Grocery Rated****