Hey all,

I've been having some small problems with my steering lately and I'm pretty sure I've got it figured out but I other opinions too before I spend a lot of money lol

So basically when I'm driving less than 20 mph on uneven roads, I hear like a weird metal clicking. Also when turning the wheel all the way to the left at parking-lot speeds (0-10 mph), there's a really loud metal creaking noise- like some metal bar or bolt is about to snap. It is most noticeable when I’m pulling into a parking spot to the driver side and have to turn really tight (also all of these noises appear to be coming from the front driver side, but 100% somewhere in the front end).

My first thought was the axle shaft u joint, wheel bearings or rotors but when I jacked it up, there wasn’t any noticeable play with the wheels and the u joints looked old & dry, but it wasn’t loose/moveable at all. I then moved to the steering linkage, and found that all the end joints on the tie rod & drag link are loose with a lot of vertical play, and specifically the driver side tie rod end looks completely blown with oil all over it. I could also wiggle the steering stabilizer quite a bit. Couldn’t find any other potential issues looking under there, the only other thing I wanna check tomorrow are the control arm mounts to see if there’s any play in those.

Assuming the control arms & mounts look okay, my plan is to replace (and upgrade) all the steering linkage components but I just wanted some other input before I spend the money on a new tie rod, drag link and stabilizer.

As a final note, all of this is going to be replaced very soon regardless, but money is tight right now and I just wanna deal with the issues now and take care of optional performance upgrades in the summer when it’s warmer.

 

I would put my $5 on the u-joint. A bad TRE isn't going to click like that. Also, I have had u-joints that look fine on a visual inspection...and can't force play in them when trying to, but upon disassembly due to still being suspect, they were indeed toast. Given that is the typical sound, and in the typical situation you'd expect it, and considering it's an easy DIY job, I'd throw a new u-joint at that axle shaft before worrying about replacing other parts. Just my opinion though. Looks likely that you're dealing with a decade-old u-joint as your profile notes 2011 JK.

 

I second what Resharp says. Experienced wheelers recognise that sound the minute it happens. Thats what makes the new JLs nice when you click the AWD addition to the transfer case option you get CV front axles like the very first Jeep had in 1940. Not sure why the manufacturer went back wards after that.

 

I have this same metal click/clunk on my drivers side, and have confirmed it's a u-joint for me. Going to do the job this weekend I hope.