Outer Limits 4x4 Board

G'day guys,

I have recently inherited a noise in my front suspension. The car in question is a 1997 fzj80 40th anniversary auto. It sounds like a sharp crack when the car rolls from side to side, like when cornering, or turning around a round about, or doing zig zags up the street. Its not a dull noise of a slight creak, its more like the sound you get when you crack your knuckles, only on a larger scale. You can hear it inside the car and you can feel it in the passenger side footwell from inside the cabin.

It doesnt make the noise under brakes, or acceleration.

Things i have done:
1) Pulled the swaybar out, noise still there.
2) Tightened all suspension bolts.
3) Tightened body bolts.
4) Removed passenger side front control arm, replaced rear bush, noise still there.
5) Changed front passenger control arm with a second hand unit, noise still there.
6) PUlled out passenger side front shock, noise still there.

I have had about 6 people under there listening for the noise, because i can simulated it with the car parked in the garage by shaking it. The general concensus is that the noise is coming from the front passenger side control arm mount to the chassis. There are no obvious cracks in the mount, or the chassis for that matter.

Has anyone ever come across this? or have any ideas? All bolts are tight, including the engine mounts and gearbox stuff. All steering components are good and tight as well as wheel bearings and swivel bearings. It doesnt affect the way the car drives, its just pissing me off.

Cheers,
Aaron

carts wrote:G'day guys,

I have recently inherited a noise in my front suspension. The car in question is a 1997 fzj80 40th anniversary auto. It sounds like a sharp crack when the car rolls from side to side, like when cornering, or turning around a round about, or doing zig zags up the street. Its not a dull noise of a slight creak, its more like the sound you get when you crack your knuckles, only on a larger scale. You can hear it inside the car and you can feel it in the passenger side footwell from inside the cabin.

It doesnt make the noise under brakes, or acceleration.

Things i have done:
1) Pulled the swaybar out, noise still there.
2) Tightened all suspension bolts.
3) Tightened body bolts.
4) Removed passenger side front control arm, replaced rear bush, noise still there.
5) Changed front passenger control arm with a second hand unit, noise still there.
6) PUlled out passenger side front shock, noise still there.

I have had about 6 people under there listening for the noise, because i can simulated it with the car parked in the garage by shaking it. The general concensus is that the noise is coming from the front passenger side control arm mount to the chassis. There are no obvious cracks in the mount, or the chassis for that matter.

Has anyone ever come across this? or have any ideas? All bolts are tight, including the engine mounts and gearbox stuff. All steering components are good and tight as well as wheel bearings and swivel bearings. It doesnt affect the way the car drives, its just pissing me off.

Cheers,
Aaron

sounds like your front panhard rod is slipping between the chassis mount. jeremy n emmas 80s (aka ferog) was doing the same thing.

id suggest laying under your front end & have the wife or a mate turn your steering lock to lock and place your hand on the chassis panhard mount and/or panhard rod. if its moving you will feel the cracking vibrations with your hands. you should also be looking for witness marks. evidence of your metal to metal contact it should leave a rusty stain

use a large crack bar/bracker bar or if available torque it to at least 120nm

ps i know u have stated you have tightend all suspension bolts but if its the panhard & the bush has been wearing the chassis
mount it may need pulling up alot tighter then with spanner alone

cheers daryl

Yeah, i was thinking the same, but alas, my 3/4 inch breaker bar has provided truck loads of torque for all the bolts. Any more and im sure they would shear off.

I will jump back under there today, and have another look though.

If you have lift and caster correction, the coil springs come into contact with the inner bumpstop up front. One washer on the leading bolt will space it back enough to miss
Andrew

Well, after much gnashing of teeth, my brother, my wife and I have isolated the noise to the inside of the chassis rail, located at the front passenger side control arm mount to the chassis. There is a factory join in the chassis, as well as some internal steel construction (assume it strengthens the chassis at a stressed location).

We arent sure what is causing the noise, as we cant see inside the rail, although if we had a little camera, we would be able to see in there.

There is no obvious external weld issues, it just sounds like somethign is flexing inside.

Any ideas?

Well, i borrowed a can of high pressure spray grease (made by Wurth and comes in a pressure pack) from work today, and shot a whole heap of it down inside my chassis rail roughly where the noise was coming from.

And......whilst the noise is not completely gone under all conditions, it is greatly reduced. Under normal driving conditions it can not be heard and is only very faint when the car is twisting on uneven ground.

So, i am happy enough with that outcome and will continue to monitor it as time goes on. If someone got into the car now, all they would hear is the normal suspension noises.