Post Lift Tweak Suspension Noise

LostRenegade · **Posted:** Wed Nov 01, 2006 8:57 pm

I added the Rusty's 1/2" strut plates and a generous clevis lift to my sagging Rusty's suspension lift. My CV angles look ok. I am getting a crunching noise from the front end when I brake hard. When the nose dives down, it sounds like a beer can being crushed, going down and back up. Nothing seems to be loose. I hit all the swaybar joints with WD 40.

I am thinking my struts may be bad. Any where other suggestions?

What happens if the CV angles are bad?

Big D · **Joined:** Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:08 pm **Posts:** 349

After reading all the clevis lift, and OTT suspensions and spacer messages, I can say that I'm almost certain that your struts are bottoming out on the top. I think a set of larger bumpstops equal in length to the sum of your 2 lift items might solve your problem.

LostRenegade · **Posted:** Wed Nov 01, 2006 10:28 pm

It is not a clunk. It is a longer sound, something like a creaking door hinge. Would the suspension creak like that when it is getting close to bottoming out?

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

That sounds just like swaybar bushings needing grease. Worth a try, it's easy and they probably need it anyway...

nolakj · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 12:57 am

Jeepin Al was telling me about how he has found a plastic cover on the Struts in the Rustys Kit (OME I think...) to be a source of noise. More of a squeek than a crunch from what he told me but somehing else to check.... He just "gently removed" them. I have yet to locate this cover but when I do, it's coming off.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

I doubt its your suspension bottoming out. You have to be coming to some really hard panic stops to bottom it out an kind of suspension. Just stopping at a light is not going to do that. A 1/4" plate is hardly going to make a difference. Even an OTT kits is far from bottoming out on most everyday driving. Plus when your suspension bottoms out it you will know it. It's a nice thud that can you will feel throughout the whole jeep.

Sounds like some sort of creaking from a dry bushing. Hit up the sway bar bushing and the anything else that looks like it could squeeze with some silicon. The Frankenlifts are notorious for squeaking and creaking, because of the polyurethane spacer. A little silicon fixes the problem. Might just want to double check some the bolts to see if they are tight.

FastTRX · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:05 pm

Eddo wrote:

I doubt its your suspension bottoming out. You have to be coming to some really hard panic stops to bottom it out an kind of suspension. Just stopping at a light is not going to do that. A 1/4" plate is hardly going to make a difference. Even an OTT kits is far from bottoming out on most everyday driving. Plus when your suspension bottoms out it you will know it. It's a nice thud that can you will feel throughout the whole jeep.

Sounds like some sort of creaking from a dry bushing. Hit up the sway bar bushing and the anything else that looks like it could squeeze with some silicon. The Frankenlifts are notorious for squeaking and creaking, because of the polyurethane spacer. A little silicon fixes the problem. Might just want to double check some the bolts to see if they are tight.

Not to stray off topic...but I discovered something scary about my Liberty not long ago. Granted it was raining that day and the street was wet..but w/ the stock tires and brakes on my 02' the light quickly changed as I was approaching an intersection one day..and I was quickly panic stopping like I would do w/ any other vehicle. Instead of slowing down fast and the vehicle hunching forward like most do...the libertys brakes LOCKED up!! :shock:

Scary when you are sliding w/ your mom in the passenger seat grabbing the OH s$#@ handles screaming!! The fronts were the only ones I think that locked up...and thank god I was far enough from the intersection that I stopped before going over the line. But that makes me think twice about how to handle certain situations in the snow and other slick conditions!

All other vehicles I've ever drove had anti-lock and never locked up...so I was definitly not used to this. I'm guessing the older libertys dont have anti-locks? Is this feature even availiable?

Video Guy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 1:17 pm

FastTRX wrote:

All other vehicles I've ever drove had anti-lock and never locked up...so I was definitly not used to this. I'm guessing the older libertys dont have anti-locks? Is this feature even availiable?

I have an '03, purchased new in June 2003. Salesman told me ABS was not available. Some dumb pitch about it not being helpful offroad. I swalled that excuse hook, line, and sinker. Although I enjoy my older KJ, it's a little rough around the edges -- especially compared to the newer KJ I drove two weeks ago (nice rig, Skymech!). I try to avoid sudden moves of any kind in the KJ. Having oversized tires helps a bit, because of the minor loss of low-end torque off the line. Harder to peel out now.

Overall, for a vehicle that's so nimble offroad, I sure feel its heft on pavemenmt.

kj@best · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:08 pm

I have a noise that is alot like yours, but mine is a pulsing creak.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:22 pm

The '02 and '03 KJ's had the option of ABS(did not come standard) and it cost $600,this was a way of going back to the begining of Jeeps in which the KJ was supposed to be(don't really know why).In '04 the fed goverment stepped in and made DC make ABS standard for safety issues.My '02 does not have ABS and I'm glad,I hate ABS since I grew up in snow and ice and learned how to drive and don't need a computer to pump the brakes for me,I can stop faster without ABS then with it.ABS will not and I repeat will not stop you faster just prevents the wheels from locking and lossing steering control,it actually will take you longer to panic stop with ABS then without it.And by the way the '02 and '03 KJ's where the only vehicles sold in the US(for those years)that did not have ABS standard as far as I know.[/quote]

2006KJSPORT4x4 · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 4:46 pm

I don't think that is entirely accurate...my 05 didn't have ABS in it....it had no ABS pump or fuse for the ABS. I remember having to look for it because my parents wanted to know for insurance reasons...

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

I agree with tjkj2002 about preferring no ABS. It is easier for me to control a vehicle without ABS, even in icy conditions. Just seems to be a better feel for the road if you have to control the brakes yourself. But it must be a matter of personal preference or whatever. :wink:

FastTRX · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 6:02 pm

tjkj2002 wrote:

The '02 and '03 KJ's had the option of ABS(did not come standard) and it cost $600,this was a way of going back to the begining of Jeeps in which the KJ was supposed to be(don't really know why).In '04 the fed goverment stepped in and made DC make ABS standard for safety issues.My '02 does not have ABS and I'm glad,I hate ABS since I grew up in snow and ice and learned how to drive and don't need a computer to pump the brakes for me,I can stop faster without ABS then with it.ABS will not and I repeat will not stop you faster just prevents the wheels from locking and lossing steering control,it actually will take you longer to panic stop with ABS then without it.And by the way the '02 and '03 KJ's where the only vehicles sold in the US(for those years)that did not have ABS standard as far as I know.

I completely agree w/ you...I never found ABS that effective either in certain situations I've been in. It's just that being used to it...it was quite scary having a vehicle that locked up. I now know what to do in ice/snow instead of depending on ABS. I like the fact that it doesn't have ABS...especially being offroad. For beginning drivers, this probably isn't the best vehicle to have!! :shock:

tinbender · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 9:25 pm

I have a 2004 Limited and no ABS. Mine has a noise in the left front at mid-compression caused by the upper control arm hitting the spring (I'm Frankenlifted). If by stock tires you meant Goodyears, it has been my experience that they leave a lot to be desired in the wet and snow. Sorry man, but they aren't the tires to expand the envelope with in wet or icy conditions. A lesson I've learned at some expense.

LostRenegade · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:13 pm

snowsport wrote:

That sounds just like swaybar bushings needing grease. Worth a try, it's easy and they probably need it anyway...

I took off the front caps that hold the sway bar on and greased them. That is not the problem. Saturday I am going to greese the smaller control arms of the way bar and double check all other bolts. It only makes the noise when the vehicle rocks. All other driving is fine.

FastTRX · **Posted:** Thu Nov 02, 2006 10:28 pm

tinbender wrote:

I have a 2004 Limited and no ABS. Mine has a noise in the left front at mid-compression caused by the upper control arm hitting the spring (I'm Frankenlifted). If by stock tires you meant Goodyears, it has been my experience that they leave a lot to be desired in the wet and snow. Sorry man, but they aren't the tires to expand the envelope with in wet or icy conditions. A lesson I've learned at some expense.

Oh I know the tires suck... :lol:

Haven't owned my liberty long yet but it didn't take me too long to discover that also. I'm almost sure that was why I locked up in the first place. I'll soon be in search of some moabs and MTRs!

Guyute1210 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:46 am

I hate ABS, and my 2005 Rennie doesn't have them...I wouldn't have bought it, if it had ABS.

KJ-BOL · **Posted:** Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:54 am

Back to topic....
I had the same noise on the Driver's side front - kind of metal against metal - I took it to dealer, tech said most probly your LBJs are failing so let's do the recall now - picked it up after lbjs recall and noise was still there - when stopped, I rocked the steering wheel side to side and I can hear that noise - suddenly out of nowhere, noise is gone completely... so, the only change made was recall of the lbjs - did it help?? - don't know...

LostRenegade · **Posted:** Fri Nov 03, 2006 11:34 pm

KJ-BOL wrote:

Back to topic....
I had the same noise on the Driver's side front - kind of metal against metal - I took it to dealer, tech said most probly your LBJs are failing so let's do the recall now - picked it up after lbjs recall and noise was still there - when stopped, I rocked the steering wheel side to side and I can hear that noise - suddenly out of nowhere, noise is gone completely... so, the only change made was recall of the lbjs - did it help?? - don't know...

I had my LBJ recall done about a month ago. So thats not it, but sounds like your problem s the same as mine. Seems to be driver side front. Almost sounds like the spring is rubbing on something. It does it when the suspension flexs up or down and sometimes when the wheel is turning. Under normal driving, its quiet and smooth.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:31 pm

I was getting some fairly bad sqeaking from the front suspension. I took the sway bar bushings off and cleaned those. Then sprayed every bushing I could find with silicone spray.. Took care of that problem..

Im also glad my jeep doesnt have ABS. Take it offroad or go through some mud and you will find out why. :wink:

Get some wider tires and the jeep will do ALOT better in the rain with braking..

Post Lift Tweak Suspension Noise

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