i've been hearing this quick "clunk clunk clunk" while slowly/moderately accelerating from a dead stop lately, and wanted to get some ideas before taking the jeep to the dealer. has anyone had this problem before? the previous owner was told by the dealer that it's normal to make that noise, but a couple of kj owners i've asked about this haven't had the problem. i got some suggestions over on the jeepkj forum (cv boot, transfercase) but can't be sure yet. any other suggestions would be huuuuugely appreciated. even if i have to go to the dealership, i'd just like to know what's what before going in there... don't want to be caught off guard. thanks!

well, i finally decided to just call the dealer and get it over with... and he said the jeep is supposed to do that. after a few minutes of deliberation, he told me to come down this afternoon, which i couldn't, seeing that the dealership i originally bought it from is now about 100 miles away and they're closing at 2. since this is an esp and not a warranty, i'll get slammed with deductibles if i go to any other dealer. on 6/1/07 i'll drop her off and he says it could take up to a week! i'm hoping this is a CYA move, but who knows?

"Up to a week" for something they said "normal" at first? My jeep also does something very similar to it, from get go, only at slow get-go (or I don't feel at faster getups) It feels as if I am going over tiny rubles. Nothing loud but you just feel it, it's there...

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NYC L.O.S.T.# 022174 -
Check out my CarDomain

yea... it's funny, isn't it? my jeep will probably sit there for three or four days before they call me and tell me there's nothing wrong with it. but that's what it feels like... it's not so much the sound, its the feel. it just doesn't feel right.

Good luck and let us know when you pick up your jeep with their greasy fingerprints all over the place.
I wish someone would open a JEEP SERVICE CENTER, that doesn't belong to the dealer and totally indipendent, and it had some jeep specialists in there.
I guess DC wouldn't let that happen.. It would be a blow to their profit..

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NYC L.O.S.T.# 022174 -
Check out my CarDomain

update: i brought the jeep down the dealership on friday to have this sound checked out. the tech drove the car and right away knew what i was talking about. he put the jeep on the lift and said he was going to check all the bushings/joints/etc. he found that the last person to do the brakes had used the wrong caliper bolts causing the caliper to move slightly. they ordered me a whole new caliper/bolts and it took about an hour to get. changed the caliper, all seemed well, sounded better, but since it doesn't happen all the time, there was no telling. drove around and finally got on the highway happy. drove 85+ miles home, and after coming off of the ramp by my house, accelerating from the stop sign, sure enough the sound/grind was back. i really have no desire to drive all the way back down there again this week, but looks like i'll have to.

Doesn't sound like you are having much luck! Very weird that the noise came back after they installed a new caliper and bolts.

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**REMEMBER YOU CAN ALWAYS GET A HUMMER IN A JEEP.... YOU CAN'T GET A JEEP IN A HUMMER**
2003 Jeep Liberty(KJ) Renegade,235/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors 245/75/16 MTR's,Factory Skids, Selec-Trac,trac lock,Husky Floor Liners,OME Lift,948 rear/926 front,Rusty's strut plate,clevis 2.5 "s, Al's UCA's Gen 4.5.

Get the ball joint for the upper suspension mount in the rear checked. If its loose and has play, the rear axle can actually move around when you apply torque to the driveline. At first it wont sound like much, and will only do it from a standing start. Over time, it will get noisier and noisier, and will do it whenever you hit the gas. Not saying thats for sure your problem, but its what happened to mine - it's worth ruling out. Unless someone specifically checks that joint, it's easy to miss the problem.

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Steve

Hmm mine does something similar for the first few feet on slow acceleration from a dead stop. Sounds like a groan type noise. Seems to come from the right rear area. I have drum brakes in the rear so it's not the caliper/bolts. I didn't notice it till i put the lift and tires on.

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02' Sport- SOLD

07' Dodge Ram Quad Cab 1500 4x4
Yeah it's got a hemi!

Guys, welcome to the sticking LSD club!

The LSD in the rear axle can stick, you will feel/hear grinding/knocking at the rear axle when driving away after a stop, especially when you come to a stop after highway driving at the bottom of the ramp, when you drive of you feel resistance and hear whoop whoop whoop for a few yards and than it is gone again.
Sometimes it helps to change the oil in the rear axle and ad a modifier but as in my case it does not make it go away 100%.

Had it at the dealer a couple of times but they are useless as the can not duplicate the problem at a test drive and they do not know what to do about it even when I explain to them what the problem is.

I spend days looking for a solution on the internet, and although I find lots of KJ owners with this problem, most do not know what it is, dealers don't want to know what it is and I have not found anybody yet who knows what to do about it.

One thing is for sure it is the LSD.

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The most repeated sentence I heard from my dealer was "I'm sorry YOU are not happy with our service" so it was still my fault.

t-tops,

Is the noise coming from the front or rear? I had that sound on and off this past fall and winter. Took it to a dealership to have it checked, and they couldn't duplicate the problem. It mysteriously went away in February. It was a metallic clanking whose frequency would increase with speed. Some have said it could have been wheel bearings. (Mine was passenger side, front.)

Good luck. If it's the sound, I had, I know how badly you want it to go away. Makes your KJ sound like a junkyard special. Pretty embarrassing.

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2003 Liberty Sport
Bright Silver Metallic
Daystar lift
General Tire Grabber AT2 245/70R16

thanks! i'm going to call the dealership up and make another appointment and ill be sure to bring this to their attention. the whole problem is the fact that i can't duplicate the noise/feel and since the dealer's so far away, i can't just drop everything and pop in to show them.






it's coming from the rear of the vehicle, seems to be more towards the right side, but im not sure on that. its not a constant noise, and not even every time i accelerate, only maybe 40-50% of the time.

thanks for the help/suggestions everyone!

The problem is duplicating the problem at the dealer because it only happens after a long drive.

My dealer took it for a 20 Mile test drive in town, although I told them it only happens after 1 Hour+ of motorway driving and only at the first exit after a full stop.

Driving around town is not the problem it is doing long trips, I'm just back from a trip to Germany and every time when I stopped at the bottom of a ramp and drove of again the LSD was stuck for the first 20 Yards.

This must be something Jeep knows about but they are hiding behind the fact that no dealer can duplicate the problem as no dealer is going for a 1 Hour+ testdrive.

My right rear tire lost 5mm more tread than the left one due to the LSD problem over a 2 year period and the dealer still does not take my problem seriously.

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The most repeated sentence I heard from my dealer was "I'm sorry YOU are not happy with our service" so it was still my fault.

i had this same exact problem... at least now i've got a good understanding of what to tell them

Good luck and please let us know if they have a fix for this.

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The most repeated sentence I heard from my dealer was "I'm sorry YOU are not happy with our service" so it was still my fault.

well, yet another update with no real news. i brought the kj to the dealer friday, and after a full day of looking at it, driving it, cleaning parts... there's no word. worst part is that they didn't have a reason to put in a claim so they couldn't cover a rental, meaning i had to drive all the way home today just to drive all the way back down tomorrow to drop off the jeep and pick up the rental. as far as the LSD issue, all of the techs swear this is not the problem. so far the list of possible problems, as per the dealer, is as follows:
-axle
-driveshaft
-a bearing/joint
-a linkage

so this pretty much means they have absolutely no idea what the problem is. good thing is that if they don't have an answer for me by lunch time on monday, they're going to sublet the jeep out to a "more qualified" jeep specialist at no cost to me. the problem with the dealership the kj was bought at is that it's more-so an auto-liquidator than a dealership, so these techs aren't just working on jeeps all day every day. all things aside, these guys have been nothing but nice and really seem to want to help me out, just haven't been able to. we'll see what happens...

I feel your pain man. Although my dealership is pretty good, there have for sure been a few times where they either could not find the problem, or said there was nothing wrong, when I knew better. You can just tell when something doesn't feel right. Anyway, it really helps if you have a friend or a family member that knows a good mechanic. Paying a bit of cash for a second opinion that gives you peace of mind is worth every penny in my books. If you are lucky like me, all you gotta do is show up at the shop around closing time with a box of beer

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Steve

Same shoes for me too. Seems like everybody is complaining about the same problems that I have lately here at LOST. I get a grinding sound from the back when accelerating from a stop, maybe about 10-15% of the time. I have also heard that this is normal LSD noise, but it just does feel right to me.

Do all of us who have this problem have the same axle and/or have a LSD? I can't remember how to tell which rear axle I have, I think it's the 8.25, but I do know I have the LSD.

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'02 KJ Limited 4x4, trac-loc, factory skids, self installed rear hitch, trailer breaks, & trans-cooler, custom crossrails/canoe rack.

Yeh, I also have been told by someone that 'it is normal' but it simply is not normal that every time you drive away after a stop you feel something is going to break back there and one tire is wearing 40% more than the other.
I think there are a lot of KJ owners out there who have this problem but can't identify what it is.
All European KJ's come in 4wd with LSD but I'm not sure about other countries.
I think we have to hold a poll to see how many Lost members have this problem.

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The most repeated sentence I heard from my dealer was "I'm sorry YOU are not happy with our service" so it was still my fault.

well i brought the jeep down to the dealer and they kept it for a little over 3 days. they changed every engine mount, tranny mount, and a few body mounts, replaced the rear UCA's, ball joints, and greased/checked just about every bushing/bearing/joint they could. they took apart the differential and drive shaft, and still no fix. they came to the conclusion that it is either a body mount or a spot weld somewhere that popped loose because they put the jeep under a load up on the lift and i'm guessing this is the only thing it could be? i'm not sure, but the specialist has told me that it definitely isn't a drivetrain or safety issue, and assured me that if it ever got worse to bring it right in and they'll do what they have to do to get it fixed. i'm at a loss... i've got nothing.