I had this issue years ago....search clunky steering here on JKF.

I took the post info and had my dealer it it under warranty! It required grease on the steering shaft ( intermediate shaft) worked like a charm....100,000 km ago no issues.

 

have the same noise on my 2010 Jk , I've had this funny noise since it was new .

At 5,00 mile I took it to the Dealer & they claim it normal, and this come noise from the steering column it self. nothing can be done .

No , it was not jack up , no lifts or any alteration until it had 15,000 miles. again the noise has been there since day one ..


now with that said I have taken time to look over the steering linkage . and spend a lot of time hunting down the problem.

The steering linkage in the JK has many components, and the problem lie with the UPPER intermediate linkage . .

you must up to an after market product to solve the problem , replacing the stock components with stock part and the problem will return . .

 

Bringing this one back to life! I have the same problem when turning my wheel...it's a clunk about 15 degrees into the turn. I think it's bad tie-rod end(s) on the drag-link.

What did you find out?

 

I'm putting my $5 on the ole standard loose TB bolt, probably axle side. Seems to me that bad DL or TR ends don't typically clunk, you just get a feeling out of them when hitting a bump. Noises typically end up being loose bolts (assuming not a u-joint).

 

After reading several similar threads (and your advice), I think you're right. I'll let you know.

 

So I checked the track bar bolts (which are 9/16) and they were at 125 ft-lbs. could it be that the track bar bushings are bad? Seems to be coming from the passenger side wheel area.

 

Is this a noise you can duplicate while stationary? If so, I typically have my wife or one of the kids sit in the jeep and turn the wheel back and forth while I inspect everything. Typically it’s a TB issue, but you’ve ruled out a loose bolt there. If you have a bad TRE or DL joint, you will typically see some up/down movement in the joint when someone turns the wheel. It looks like you have a JKS track bar…..I’m not sure what those ends are like, but watch them closely for movement. I’d be surprised if a worn bushing was causing a noise though…..you typically feel those rather than hear. Control arm bolts typically have a clunk when switching from forward to backward, or under braking situations….when the weight of the jeep shifts, so those are most likely ruled out, but I’d check torque on everything.

When you’re driving and hit a bump, do you feel anything or is the jeep solid? Is the sound a single clunk when turning the wheel, or is does it repeat as you’re moving forward, like u-joint would? Does it clunk when turning both directions?

 

Yes, the noise occurs when stationary. Wife was in the jeep turning the wheel. It primarily occurred when turning to the right at about 11 degrees (steering wheel). Pop seemed to come from the DL TRE...but can't be sure.

Also, when driving, it seems solid, but had a slight shimmy. I also have hydro assist, so I was thinking about disconnecting the DL and turning the wheels while stationary...

 

The issue was a loose nut on the tie-rod end. Tightened it down and the sound is gone.

 

Glad you got that figured out, and it was a simple fix. Seems like a odd bolt to come loose...... Is that not a castle nut with a pin in it?