To me, it sounds EXACTLY like front strut noise from the second video. I probably had about 3 threads on top of the nut to fix my rattle and it sounded exactly the same. I did have the dust cover on mine and only about one thread and I DID have mine installed by an 'expert' (who did not torque the rear shocks right either). It wasn't enough. I busted it down, put the spring assy on a compressor and tightened it up. No more noise at all.

I am doing it all myself now. It was so easy to take apart that I was embarrassed that I didn't do it myself the first time and you don't need that 'ball joint' removal tool...just a big f---ing hammer

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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****

Seems like if you unloaded the side that you want to remove the dust cover...you might be able to get in there with a drill bit and remove the boot without disassembly. I drill out a spacer once using this method...just don't drill to deep and hit the strut rod.

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Founder of L.O.S.T.
2006 CRD Sport
Mods: GDE Hot Tune w/ 364#@2000rpm/Air Box /3" Str8 Exhaust/ASFIR Alum Skids/245-75R-16 Cooper STT PRO/OME LIFT w/Clevis & 4 Spring Isos/AirTabs/Rigid 10" S2 LED/4xGuard Ctr Matrix Bumper
Drag Strip:Reac=.1078_60ft=2.224_1/8=10.39@64.8mph_1/4+16.46@80.8mph

I dont get it, what could possibly be causing the noise? When I looked at mine, it seems that the top threaded part of the shock, with the locknut on it, would hold everything tight. The spring and everything, so what is there to rattle?

Also, the dust boot is very, very loose on the driver's side, and tight as a drum on the left. What's going on?

If that nut is not tightened all the way down so that all of the components are tightly sandwiched together and there is a gap, when your suspension travels up and down those parts will rattle as those pieces separate and close. There are several pieces between the nut and the strut arm, a top retaining plate, a dust boot etc.


This is not our strut but it shows all the pieces involved in the top assembly of a strut. Lots of washers, retaining plates, bushings etc.

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2002 Liberty Limited
2.5" Rusty's Coil Lift + OME 927 springs + 1/4" spacers
265x70 Revos
Warn 4x Floods
ARB bumper
TeraFlex extended front bumpstops
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
Bosch Size 86 battery
Jeepin by Al's 4.5 UC Arms
Kryptonite Differential Cover
JBA Bolt on KJ Tri-Angulated 4 Link

But the Rusty's kit didn't come with any of that....I just got a spring and shock. I took the spring isolators and top plate along with the shocks and spring and gave them to the 4x4 shop...looks like it was stupid simple to put together.

Also, I looked at my shocks, and BOTH sides have misaligned dust boots.....should I remove them? Anyway to get them straight without tearing it apart?

Neither one of my dust boots are crooked + they are tight and don't wobble if you touch them with a probe/screw driver. Check with the wheel up in the air.

If you take it back to the shop tell them to put some lock-tite on the nut and or maybe remove the dust boots all together to make it easier to correctly re-assemble the strut. Remind them to install the lower bolt first on the clevis fork and then the upper so they don't have to twist the strut into position possibly loosening the nut again.

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2002 Liberty Limited
2.5" Rusty's Coil Lift + OME 927 springs + 1/4" spacers
265x70 Revos
Warn 4x Floods
ARB bumper
TeraFlex extended front bumpstops
Rock Lizard Skink Super Sliders
Bosch Size 86 battery
Jeepin by Al's 4.5 UC Arms
Kryptonite Differential Cover
JBA Bolt on KJ Tri-Angulated 4 Link

Guys, I'm one of the ones that helped with Jeep4me99's Liberty. I'm not blasting anyone but, can someone explain to me how to torque the strut nut???? When you put a socket on the nut the shaft of the strut spins. That means you have to tighten it with two wrenches, one holding the strut rod and one tightening the nut. The only way you can tighten the nut on top of the strut is to take it back out, compress the spring and use two wrenches to tighten the nut all the way down to the bottom of the shaft. If you can compress the spring enough you could tighten the nut all the way to the bottom of the shaft, is this where you torque it?? I've never seen one done that way but maybe that’s the way it's done on these. Without a super spring compressor it's tough to even get the spring compressed enough to get the nut on. There is no way to get a true torque reading without complete spring compression with no pressure on the strut rod or nut.

Jeep4me99, take the struts out and take the whole strut to a good shop. Let them put it on there machine and compress the spring completely and then let them tighten the nut all the way down. That would be the only safe way to do that. We tightened them down with only one tread of the strut rod stick out of the top of the nut. It can cause the jeep to sit funny if you don't get the nut tighten about the same distance on each strut. If it stripped out, then it’s a faulty strut or nut. I think some of these guys think we tighten the nut just one tread onto the strut rod, we’re not idiots.

Locktite was not needed on the top strut nut. Rustys comes with a lock nut. Locktite would not have helped and may have hurt the plastic lock ring in the lock nut if we had used it.

I’ve never had a lift on any vehicle that hasn’t made some noise. When you change what DC engineers spent thousand of hours designing you’re going to get a little noise and a little ride difference.

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2006 Jeep Liberty Sport (KJ4DIW) Ham / Warn 9500ti

http://www.cardomain.com/id/wesbronco

It is decieving, I know becasue with your hands or even a big screwdriver, you just can't put enough force in the right direction to make it 'look' loose. I got under the Jeep several times and tried to wag stuff around to make the noise to no avail. I tried everything I could think about. I even loosened all of the suspension bolts, cleaned the busings, sprayed them with silicone spray and re-torqued everything. No dice.

Once I got the spring assy on the compressor, it took way less force than I thought it would to get the assy loose. I knew right then that the noise was coming from there. I tighenend the nut down about three turns and that was the end of the noise. It has been silent for the last 5k miles.

The 'professional' installer goofed on the one side. The other was tight.

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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****

The best way to torque the top strut nut is to hold the strut shaft with a wrench and then use a torque wrench with a crowsfoot attached to the torque wrench.Just in case you don't know what a crowsfoot is,it's a "cut" off wrench with a 1/2" drive or 3/8" drive hole in the other end to attach to a torque wrench,breaker bar,or ratchet.You can get one at most auto parts stores and Sears for a couple of bucks.

hooooooorayyyyyyy problem finaly fixed . I took the strut assembly to a shop and had them comletely tighten the top nut. Then after some arm wrestling with the KJ, and a lot of swearing...the nasty noise is gone!!!!!!!!! I have a little bit of noise, but I think it is from the front bumper since rivets are ripped out and it needs to be replaced. I still have the little jingle, like a washer rattling, but I will hunt that down and solve it..

But THANK YOU everyone for your input, The rig rides much better now and doesn't nose dive as much when I brake hard.

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L.O.S.T. #225019
2003 Sport 4x4
Patriot Blue w/ trail rash
Flex-Zilla 4" Lift
TrailRash hi-lift mounts
Other stuff you wish you had

glad to hear you got that done. Should be much safer and a lot more fun to drive now!

_________________
Ron


"There are few problems in life the liberal application of duct tape can't solve."