Conejo70

Hi everyone! This is my first post... I have been experiencing a clicking or snapping sound coming from my front end, left side of my 2013 JK . It started about 7 months ago and since then I have been trying to tackle the problem with 0 results.
In order to discard ANY possible cause, I did replace ball joints, tie rods, checked the calipers and brake pads, CV joints, dismounted the sway bar and track bar and the noise didn´t disappear (I read extensive complaints on sway bar links and track bar under torqued) , re-torqued every bolt on the frame, replaced shocks, control arms (upper and lower) and absolutely nothing seems to work. The noisy jeep is now on his second week at the dealership, after visiting four jeep mechanics in my area.
You can only hear the noise when you enter a bumpy road or hit a driveway, and apparently you don´t get the noise when you rock the car from the top. Hopefully somebody has been trough this experience and found the source of this metallic clicking sound!! I leave you a couple of videos, one from the outside (left front side) at low speed drive and the other from the trak bar driving at 10-15 mph. Thank you for your feedback and for sharing your opinion and knowledge!!

Sixty4x4

Sounds like dry axle u-joints. Had same noise once on a Dodge pickup.

Conejo70

I gave a quick look into the u joints and it doesn’t seem to be in a bad shape when you spin the wheels. Yet it will be a good idea to dismount the left joint and give it a closer look.
This is. A second video (although it’s only sound) where I taped the camera to the track bar, so the noise is quite louder


Thank you Sixty4x4

Sixty4x4

Hard to tell. An axle u-joint can look good but be dry inside and make a creaking sound. That is the stage where it is starting to fail. Look for rust or powdered steel around the rubber joint seals. Also does the noise get worse turning vs going straight.

Conejo70

No, it doesn’t get worse when turning. Actually when you are driving over pavement or flat surfaces you don’t get any noise. It starts snapping when you enter a bumpy or unpaved road and the suspension starts to work and “bounce” even if you are driving at low speeds (3-5 mph). It appears to be something cracked or loose but I just can’t find the culprit or the exact source ...
following your advice, this week I’ll take out the u joints and look for potential damage. Thank you again !!

TheDirtman

Is the sway bar hitting the tube sticking thru the frame?

Conejo70

Hi Dirtman. In order to discard any noise coming from the sway bar I removed it and drove a couple of miles. The noise was still there...so I moved into another possible sources. Apart from that the sway bar doesn’t seem to be hitting or rubbing any other component. There are no signs of contact between the links or the sway bar with the tube. The links seem OK although they are stock.

Conejo70

Regarding the persistent clicking noise on my JK, during the last two weeks I removed the front shaft and inspected the u joint of my front left wheel in order to tackle every possible cause of the noise...nothing.

I also realized that by lifting the jeep from the front, right side -opposite to the noise- I managed to replicate the noise both, in the way up and down. Following the suspected source from closer, it seems the noise originated around the bolts that hold the steering box, which I did retorqued, and the engine mount left side. Still, unable to stop the snap noise ...does anyone have an idea of what lies inside the double wall cam where the steering box is attached ?? Could it be a broken piece of metal in between these iron sheets?? Or maybe something under the left anyone mount?

sorry for so many questions but I am running out of ideas and clues as you can see!! Thank you for the help.

Regards

Sixty4x4

OK if you can make the noise with the Jeep stationary then you can disconnect components and repeat the raising up/down process. I listened to the second video again. The noise seems to be even with speed of the vehicle IE go faster noise increases in frequency? Silly question but have you checked for a stone between disc and brake backing plate? Did you pull the axles to check those steering u-joints? What about the unit wheel bearings. Again it seems proportional with speed so focus on rotating components. Of course diagnosis from videos and distance is difficult.
Now this final suggestion is off the rails but worked for me with a Subaru Outback that had a clicky front suspension after I installed externally adjustable coilovers - I sprayed the top and bottom of the coils with WD40 just for shits and giggles. Noise went away!! Company sent me new pads from springs to spring support plates. So try lubing the spring top and bottom and see what happens as in hot climates stuff like this happens. Try spraying water in there and going for a drive ASAP before it evaporates though.

Conejo70

Thank you Sixty4x4
It has been a great help being able to replicate the sound with the jeep stationary, I am trying to “follow” the culprit or source with the help of a tube, disconnecting all moving components one by one...with no luck up to now. I also checked in between the disc and the metal plate looking for some strange object but everything seems in order. The noise doesn’t seem to increase neither in frequency nor in intensity with the speed of the car, it is completely irregular and it seems to be more related to torsion movement or bouncing when driving over uneven pavement or off-road. I am aware of how difficult it might result to have a complete picture of the situation with a video or recording, but your experiences and insight are really useful for me.

I will apply some W40 to the base of the spring, which by the way seems to have burned and cracked its plastic cover. I washed the bottom of the car today and drove while it was wet , the noise didn’t decrease.

Thanks again for your time and for sharing your experience!