popping noise when steering

[miljeep]

Chris can probably elaborate more, but when I steer, especially steering to the left, it sounds like a popping noise is coming from the steering box area.

If I am on the road and the road bends to the left and I don't have to steer too much, then there is no noise, but steering in a parking lot or turning at an intersection makes the noise.

ideas?

[korisu56]

And elaborate I shall.

The noise is coming from the steering shaft assembly to the steering box. It wasn't significant enough to feel in the steering wheel (to me), but I heard it as I drive with the windows down. The noise was lessened a bit when we moved the grommeted hard line(on the steering box. If I remember correctly there are two or three hard lines coming off of it) a little bit to the left.

My best guess is that since he did the MML and BL without putting a spacer or steering brace in, it is binding up from the stress from wheeling and DD. I don't think that it's the joints itself, but maybe instead of a dead on input angle into the steering box a bad angle has been created by an impact when wheeling. Jeepinsoldier put the steering brace in with his MML and BL, so I'm sure he can elaborate. Either that or the hard lines were tweaked somehow.

As was said right off the bat, my best guess.

[miljeep]

Wow, I did not understand a damn thing from above other than the word impact.

[korisu56]

I edited it a bit. Is there anything I can explain better? What's hard to paint a picture with? Did you check your fluid?

[miljeep]

This is what Mike (h2_recovery) sent in a pm:

Check the three bolts on the box to the frame and make sure they are tight. Check the track bar at both ends and check all of your front control arm bolts , also check the belly pan bolts.

I ran out, removed the steering box skid and found two of the three bolts he mentioned. I guess it would be better to have someone out there with me and try to turn the steering wheel to see if I can hear where the noise is coming from better. Maybe I will get a video of it tomorrow when it is light and post it for everyone to learn from and maybe help diagnose the issue.

[TexCJ7]

This is what Mike (h2_recovery) sent in a pm:

I guess it would be better to have someone out there with me and try to turn the steering wheel to see if I can hear where the noise is coming from better.

did this just now come to you

[miljeep]

We already heard where we thought the noise was coming from, but I figured I would go back out and try to make sure it was there or try to narrow it down more than just "around the steering box area".

[trailsnail]

I thought this problem was fixed?

[miljeep]

well, the exhaust pipe got hit somehow and tweaked a little to where it was resting right above the frame by the front right LCA (I am pretty sure that is where it was hitting). When I would start the jeep, the engine would move a little, causing the rattling against the frame. When i turned to the left, the flexing would cause the pipe to vibrate against the frame.

Now, there is a noise coming from the steering box. The only time I would think that I could have tweaked something with the steering is from around Jan when we were on the trail and I was driving forward and the front end of the jeep dropped into a washout that was filed with water.

Anyway, going to play around with it tonight and tomorrow. Going to fill the power steering fluid because that seems to be really low, but was good around Jan when I last checked. I checked it last night and it was at the "add" mark. I don't know where all the fluid went, I have not seen any leaks.

[miljeep]

I did a little more listening under the jeep today and I narrow the noise down to what I think is the area at the bottom of the pitman arm. I took a photo and circled the bottom of the pitman arm. I don't have another jeep right here to crawl under and see if the bolt is supposed to look like this, but it appears bent to me.