FRONT END HELP

[SkyJumper]

HEY X BUDDIES, I GOT A SOUND I NEED HELP IDENTIFYING. I GOT THE 3" SPINDLE LIFT AND WHEN I HIT A HOLE OR A DRIVEWAY CURB THE FRONT END ON THE DRIVER SIDE MAKES A POPPING METTALIC SOUND LIKE A BALLJOINT OR TIEROD END POPPING IN AND OUT. OR IT COULD BE A SWAY BAR. DON'T KNOW, ANYONE WITTNESS THIS BEFORE OR WORKED IT BEFORE? LET ME KNOW SOME FEED BACK. HOW WOULD I DETERMINE A BALLJOINT OR TIE ROD FAILURE OR NEAR FAILURE OTHER THAN SHAKING IT OR TURNING IT? THANKS

 

[X-1]

First you don't need to yell, we can hear ya.. anyway, most have found on the second generations that it is caused by worn swaybar bushings. If you want to check for balljoint or tierod, try this. For balljoint jack the front up one side at a time, and use a rod placed under the bottom of wheel and try to pull up, there should be no play. For tierod jack up one side, and try to manually turn or shake the wheel in a side to side motion, if the tierod is bad, then you will see the play in the joint.

 

[SkyJumper]

Thanks I will try that. I kept thinking it might be a sway bar bushing but they look very good. But I will try all that you have suggested. Thanks for the imput. I do not know what you are referring to by do not yell unless you are talking about the caps lock on the post. Anyway where are you from in Fla? I am from Fla., too! I am from a town called Dunedin, next to Clearwater and Tampa-St. Pete area. But stationed @ Ft. Hood, Tx.

 

[GIJOE]

For me when I removed my front sway bar the noise stopped. But I do not know if you want to run without a front sway bar.

 

[X-1]

All capitals can be taken as yelling, I am from Miami, but am currently in West Tennessee. Try this site, www.flexplorers.com that is a florida based site with alot of their members from your area.

 

[SkyJumper]

Hey GIJOE, nice to hear from you again. I am going to replace all the swaybar bushings this weekend. Yeah, I do not think I will go w/o a swaybar either. As for X-1, thanks for the info of the club in Fla.

 

[GIJOE]

Well I am driving without sway bars on right now. My X does lean when I turn but over all I like the ride of my X without sway bars I feel less bumps when I am driving.

But before you buy new bushings you could disconnect your sway bars for a day and drive around without them connected to see if that was casuing the noise and hey you never know you might like how your X rides with sway bars.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well GIJOE, I will try that tomorrow. And see how it works. Did you disconnect your rear too? Or is it just your front disconnected?

 

[GIJOE]

Yes I removed both thr front and back sway bars from my X.

 

[SkyJumper]

GIJOE, it ended up the front swaybar bushings. I bought new energy suspension bushings today at Auto Zone and I will be putting those on with the skidplate I am going to make this week all at the same time. Thanks for your help.

 

[GIJOE]

Cool glad I could help.
Man I was reading what you are going to do to your X And it sounds like with in the next two weeks your X will way better then my X.
I can't wait to see pictures of it when you are done.

 

[SkyJumper]

Well I do not know if it will be better than yours but I am trying to make it nice and one of a kind around here. There is only one other X lifted around here and it is a 1st gen. So needless to say I am trying to make a statement in this neck of the woods. I am going to be busy this week. And I will post updated picks too. I think I am going to stamp the skid plate with the name "HULK" in the middle with 5" stamped letters. What do you think.

 

[GIJOE]

That would look cool to have HULK stamped on your skidplate.

 

[SkyJumper]

Yeah that is what I am going to do then and I was thinking of painting the skidplate the same color green that my truck is. I am hoping to get all this done for the auto show in Austin next weekend on the 31st and the 1st.