TJ wrangler, makes a clunking noise during braking

wildrice

wildrice

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Location
Washington, NC
what could that be? when ever I brake, and the vehicle is traveling below 10mph it starts making an alternating clunk, then tick sound, that gets slower as its reaches its stop..

sounds like its coming from the rear of the jeep... hope it isnt a diff problem..
any suggestions would help..

I think Im gona put it on jack stands this weekend and test it to see where the sound is coming from..

Joe
 
well I took the drums off, and other than a bunch of rust and brake dust.. everything was in its place and operating normally.. I heard a slight chain ticking coming from the transfer case... but thats not the noise I was hearing earlier..

I actually couldnt get it to reproduce the sound it was making on the road.. I jacked it up on jackstands and put it in gear and hit the brakes... no sounds... it was normal... I guess it only does it when it is on the ground..

my next option is to put new rear brakes on it, check the Tcase oil level, and put it back onthe ground and see if it still does it.

any suggestions would be helpful..

the U-joints appear to be stock and rusty... but they are tight and arent making any noise under rotation.
 
We had the same problem on our YJ

It was the Unit bearings in the D30. When we took them off they fell in the floor.
While your there U-joints are cheap.
 
Also an idea, double check your caliper bolts on the D30. When I bought my '97, it had a clanking noise coming from underneath; felt around the front caliper and realized there was no lower bolt holding the caliper in place. After trying to put new bolts in it that wouldn't tighten up, I found that some jack arse over torqued the caliper bolts and completely busted up the holes that the caliper bolts use to mount.

After another knuckle from a junkyard, all is good :D
 
what is a unit bearing?
do you mean wheel bearing? pinion bearing? carrier bearing?
Im not sure what you mean by unit bearing.. I live in washington also, maby you could stop by and take a look at it

Joe Clark
 
Unit bearing or Wheel Bearing

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maby it is coming from the front, it really sounded like it was a rear problem, but as short as jeeps are who knows where the sound was coming from.

I suspect that if the unit bearing is bad I should be able to tell it by examining the play in the wheel with it lifted up off the ground..
Ill get on that and check it out.
thanks
Joe
yea I still live on asbury
 
wildrice said:
maby it is coming from the front, it really sounded like it was a rear problem, but as short as jeeps are who knows where the sound was coming from.
I suspect that if the unit bearing is bad I should be able to tell it by examining the play in the wheel with it lifted up off the ground..
Ill get on that and check it out.
thanks
Joe
yea I still live on asbury
Click to expand...

Yeah, you should be able to feel play in them when a unit bearing goes.

Did you check the rear wheel bearings? Also I've heard blown control arm bushings make some wicked popping noises at start/stop. Doesn't really sound like what you're describing but its worth checking.
 
I changed the rear brakes, there was nothing out of place at all, but I changed them anyways.... voala.. no more clunking sound...

so either it was somehow linked to that, or it is an intermitent sound, and it will appear later..
Ill keep yall posted..

thanks for the help

Joe
 
Keep an eye out for gear oil on your rear tires, If it is a rear wheel bearing you will see oil on the tire as the bearing is starting to mess up the seal. That will also tell you which side is bad, But you should replace them both if ones bad, There like $10 each.
 
wheel beraing

be careful as the wheel bearing can and will lock up, wouldnt want to be going fast when it does. just replaced one on a freinds tj two weeks ago, it would barely roll it had gotten so bad, only noticed it for about a week before we had to take action so it could be driven. she got hers at advance it believe.
 
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