Hey all,

I have a 2011 JKU that started life out as a Sport but is far from it now. Within the last 8 months or so, I have done most of the major modifications and the jeep ran really well. A few issues came up the more we drove/wheeled it such as a U Joint failing and destroying my stock drive shaft, but nothing major. Over the last month or so, a clicking sound has started that seems to be coming from the front, left (passenger) wheel but my passengers have said it sounds like it is coming from more of the center of the jeep. The clicking is very apparent while driving straight or turning left but as soon as I turn right, barely turning the wheel right even, causes the clicking to stop. The speed in which the clicks happen DOES get faster the faster the jeep is actually moving down the road but its not in relation to the RPM (idling and pressing the gas won't cause any clicks).

This has been my first major jeep build so I am not too experienced with tracking these noises down, but it seems to make sense that it is related to the hub/wheel bearing/axle. I have spent hours trying to figure it out and haven't seen anything that can be the problem. I have had other mechanics look at my jeep and they can't figure out where the sound is coming from. Does anyone have ANY idea what might be causing this? Don't care what kind of voodoo magic it takes to get it to stop, I just want my jeep to stop being sick!

 

Its possible that its the door latches. I had an 08 what made those noises. It's an easy fix it that's the noise. Get can of WD-40 with a straw squirter. Spray the heck our of each doors latch up down and inside as much as possible. If the noise is gone great if not you latches will be well lubricated. My noise was a clunk sound but all gone after WD-40.

 

Sounds like possibly a u joint in your front axle shaft. They are loaded differently depending on which way you turn. If you google it will tell you how to determine which one is bad depending on how the noise changes when you turn.

 

Sounds like the same thing I just went through.

Mine ended up being a front driveshaft failure.

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Thanks for the tips. I wish it was related to my door handles but the clicking is still there even when I have all 4 doors removed.

A U joint was what I was thinking it was but after having multiple people look at it and all saying they are fine, that is when I started to get confused. I did replace the driver side u joint a month or two ago when I noticed it was about to break in half, but I cannot remember any clicking coming from it. My drive shafts are Tom Woods and were purchased maybe 5-6 months ago. I did get that awful clicking/grinding noise when I put my jeep into 4 high/low but not a single noise since (until now).

I have watched a ton of videos on how to tell if a u joint is bad and what the symptoms are, and all the videos about symptoms show videos of people driving down the road and/or turning while getting the clicking sound. Should have mentioned earlier, but I can only hear my clicking sound when the windows are up. As soon as the windows are rolled down, can't hear it anymore. I have even had some buddies of mine stand in the street and I drive around them and none have said they hear the clicking sound.

My guess is still the passenger axle u joint since that is the only one that hasn't been replaced, but I just can't find anything wrong with it...

 

check for chips or cracks on the ring and pinions

 

I did get that awful clicking/grinding noise when I put my jeep into 4 high/low but not a single noise since (until now).

If the noise was there in 4WD and now its all the time. Maybe check oil in the transmission and transfer case? I just destroyed a transmission on a Ford Excursion towing a trailer so that's why I thought of oil.

 

Alright, checked over everything again (fluid levels, joints, drive lines, etc.) and I do believe that it is now the front, right u joint. There is a tiny bit of play in that joint compared to the left side which I had replaced about 2 months ago. But, I just found out that the guys who I had replace the joint for me replaced it with a cheap NAPA brand joint instead of the Spicer joint I paid for. I'm one for the 'upgrade it as you break it' mentality so I want to replace them with high quality parts but am I going to run into issues if I run a NAPA joint on the left and a Spicer joint on the right? Or should I replace both sides with Spicer to keep it the same?