Popping, creaking, clicking when steering

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danredtj

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Sep 24, 2019
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Portland, OR
I have a problem that developed recently on my 2005. I started noticing a creaking, popping, clicking noise while driving at slow speeds. After some experimentation, it seems steering-related. With the jeep sitting in the driveway running and my wife turning the wheel back and forth, the noise is reproducible, per this video:


I've checked the bolts on the steering shaft where it clamps to the splined input on the steering box, as well as the clamp before the support bracket. The support bracket itself is also tightly fastened. If I grab the steering shaft by the bracket, I can feel a small amount of play as it moves in the bracket, maybe 1/16" or so. I dunno what it should be, but that seems okay. The noise definitely seems like it's coming from closer to the steering box though.

With the jeep off and the wheels on the ground, I can't reproduce the noise by trying to turn the wheel (I can't actually steer of course, but if I put torque on it by trying, no noise). If I jack up the front end so the wheels are in the air, I can turn lock to lock without any noise, both with the jeep running and not running.

I feel like if it was something bad in the steering box, I would hear the noise when I turn the steering wheel with the wheels off the ground as well. I feel like if it was related to torque on the steering shaft (i.e. the support bracket or similar) then I would be able to hear it with the jeep off and me pulling on the steering wheel when there's more torque than with it running.

The steering pump has fluid, it looks okay, and there are no leaks.

I'm not sure where that leaves me.. Maybe the U-joints in the steering shaft? The video shows the forward U-joint and it doesn't look to me like it's binding up or jerking when the noise happens. I feel nothing at all in the steering wheel when the noise happens.

Any ideas?
 
Anyone? Bueller?

I swapped out the tie rod end at the pitman arm today because it looked like it needed it, but it didn't help the noise. When I did, I could feel about 1/16" (maybe less) of lash in the pitman arm. I assume that's normal?

I want the noise to go away, but I'm also worried about being "that guy" that put off some maintenance item and had to get drug off the trail when it fails.
 
To me it sounds like the noise is coming from your steering box. My XJ made a similar sound prior to replacing the steering box. The fact that the sound is not present when the axle is supported by jack stand may be due to reduced load on the steering box.

Just my observation. Sure other will add input.
 
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Thanks, that's my big concern of course, and I agree that it surely seems like that's where it's coming from. I conclude the same from the fact that it doesn't do it under stress.
 
Well, for posterity if nothing else, it wasn't the steering box. Got another one and swapped it out and it still does it. Still sounds like it's coming from the same place, but I'm thinking it has to be something like one of the moving joints that are creaking as the stresses of turning the wheel back and forth make it shift.

My primary concern was being "that guy" on the trail with a ceased up steering box because I was ignoring the noise. I'm definitely still looking to make the noise go away, but I'm less concerned that it's going to be the steering box grenading itself soon.

I'm thinking ball joints, track bar joint, control arm joints next. Ball joints feel fine to me pulling up/down and left/right with a wheel in the air. I guess for the other joints I can unhook one at a time and see if the noise stops when I turn in the garage.
 
Do you have a lot slack or play in the steering wheel? Steering shafts can make a pop or clunk when the ujoints are going bad.
 
danredtj said:
Nope, steering feels tight and smooth.
Click to expand...

Then I think you can rule out steering shaft and steering box , which you already did.

Maybe double check the pitman arm. I would think the steering dry test should find the issue.

Wheel hub?? Jack the car up again and grab wheel at 12 and 6 position. Give it a rock back and forth. Any play? Also grab it like at 2 and 8 and do the same thing.

Make sure the steering shaft isn’t rubbing on any of the power steering lines running next to it. Mine did that once.
 
Yeah, I've done the wheel shake test looking for loose stuff (hub, ball joints), and have also put a breaker bar under the wheel and tried to lift up. Everything feels tight.

The steering shaft is clear of stuff, especially PS lines, since I just rearranged its guts replacing the steering box and was pretty cognizant of that. The noise is also louder than I would expect could be possible from rubbing a soft aluminum line on the shaft.

Thanks for these ideas, keep them coming. If nothing else, it's making me feel like I'm not crazy or incompetent.
 
First show pics of your entire set up.

I had a dropped track bar mount nearly drive me nuts once and a transmission skid crossmember also.
 
Since @AndyG asked, here are some pictures:

Here's the driver side:

2023-06-18 15.44.33.jpg


Here's the passenger side:

2023-06-18 15.44.42.jpg


Transmission cross-member is a UCF with a lo-pro:

2023-06-18 15.45.15.jpg


Here's the axle side of the track bar from the ground view:

2023-06-18 14.49.40.jpg


I thought that contact between the track bar and the bracket might've been it, but with me laying underneath while my wife makes the noise (!) it's clearly not contacting right then.

I'd love to put my hand on the shaft (!) while it's turning, but I don't think there's any safe way to do that with the engine running and it turning under force. My aftermarket fenders make it a bit tight to get down there. I've tried to feel where it's coming from and I can feel it with my hand on the steering box, and my hand on the driver's side of the bumper (closest to the steering bits). On the passenger side of the bumper I can just barely feel it. I feel it ever so slightly in the drag link, but not at all with my hand on the axle side of the track bar.

I've tried watching all the moving joints to see if they're hopping or binding at any point, like the ball joints on either end of the drag link, tie rod, and the ball joints on the knickles. I've watched the lower steering shaft U-joint rotate a thousand times and I don't see it looking obviously bound up or anything when the noise happens. The noise is the loudest right at that lower steering shaft U-joint, so i guess that's my next thing to replace, I just can't see that it's doing anything other than what it should.
 
Okay, I cinched up my panties and put my hand on the steering shaft under load. I was focusing on being hand-on the lower U-joint, which is tight, but I can get my hand on the lower part right after the bushing, and the upper part right before. I barely feel anything on the steering shaft when the noise happens. I feel much more on the steering box itself, on the steering box mount, and the bumper right at where it bolts to the frame and further to the driver side from that. I barely feel anything in the pitman arm or drag link.

I looked all over for a cracked weld, but found none. The bumper, winch plate, steering box bolts, etc are all tight.
 
Probably unrelated but many on this forum would tell you to ditch the dropped pitman arm and use the stock one.
 
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Probably unrelated but many on this forum would tell you to ditch the dropped pitman arm and use the stock
 
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Hard to tell but on the driver side pic is the spring making contact on the bottom right? Looks like it’s sticking out a little? Maybe making contact when the wheel is turned??
 
Make sure your steering gearbox is snug and look at the top of your coil springs and see if you have the isolators- Sort of like rubber discs that prevent noise.
 
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