1996 xj Cherokee front end clunk under braking

[oldon]

Originally Posted by djh13

Same. I pulled the rear drive shaft and greased up the splines where it goes into the transfer case. Clunk gone.

Now you're talking sense mate.

[black magic]

Is it possible that my steering box is the cause of this clunk/thud if i push on the pitman arm where the drag link attaches i can hear a kock/clunk it doesn't move much but i figure its worth asking

[bleetnblurt]

WOW I thought you would of found the thud noise by now ?
it is very hard to find the trouble when a car is not in sight ,
but look through it , remember about 60% of braking goes to the front , but have you tried looking elsewhere ?
have you pin pointed the noise ?
now , xj do have the curse of the steering box bolts becoming loose , plus the recall , where a bracket had to be placed into the chassis BUT, if the bolts have been removed by someone at some stage that bracket can move OR if a bracket is not in there at all the chassis can be crushed causing the bolts to become loose and break , but I am quite sure you would of found something like that by now.
have you checked the ball joints ? if you place on stands and get a small jack and put pressure on the lower control arm and get a decent rod under the tyre (make sure there is enough gap just to place a rod under the tyre) and pry upwards to feel/see if any movement.
have you lifted the whole front up ? by placing stands under the chassis and started the car and moved the steering to see if any rods have movement ? (you would need a friend to help) have you checked free play in the front diff ?
from transfer case right through to the diff itself ?
have you looked to see if the exhaust is not hitting anywhere (like where the drop pipe is going down the side of engine and under the or near the box/motor )
have you checked and or bleed the front brakes ? as brake fluid become OLD
and looses its boiling point and air and the brakes can become soft, every car/bike needs to be done , flushed and at least bleed to remove the old brake fluid from the calipers.
remember , the xj did have a problem and a recall for the steering box , and if it doesn't have that bracket inside the chassis can cause the bolts to break , and no one wants that.
the easy way to check is by checking with jeep ,

[black magic]

Originally Posted by bleetnblurt

WOW I thought you would of found the thud noise by now ?
it is very hard to find the trouble when a car is not in sight ,
but look through it , remember about 60% of braking goes to the front , but have you tried looking elsewhere ?
have you pin pointed the noise ?
now , xj do have the curse of the steering box bolts becoming loose , plus the recall , where a bracket had to be placed into the chassis BUT, if the bolts have been removed by someone at some stage that bracket can move OR if a bracket is not in there at all the chassis can be crushed causing the bolts to become loose and break , but I am quite sure you would of found something like that by now.
have you checked the ball joints ? if you place on stands and get a small jack and put pressure on the lower control arm and get a decent rod under the tyre (make sure there is enough gap just to place a rod under the tyre) and pry upwards to feel/see if any movement.
have you lifted the whole front up ? by placing stands under the chassis and started the car and moved the steering to see if any rods have movement ? (you would need a friend to help) have you checked free play in the front diff ?
from transfer case right through to the diff itself ?
have you looked to see if the exhaust is not hitting anywhere (like where the drop pipe is going down the side of engine and under the or near the box/motor )
have you checked and or bleed the front brakes ? as brake fluid become OLD
and looses its boiling point and air and the brakes can become soft, every car/bike needs to be done , flushed and at least bleed to remove the old brake fluid from the calipers.
remember , the xj did have a problem and a recall for the steering box , and if it doesn't have that bracket inside the chassis can cause the bolts to break , and no one wants that.
the easy way to check is by checking with jeep ,

The front driveshaft has a small amount of up and down play at the slip joint could that cause it

[bjm]

Don't know if this has been mentioned.Had upper and lower front axle location bushes put in.All ok for a month then clunk under braking.Took me ages to pinpoint where the noise was from .All bolts seemed tight until I got a bar on them and rung their necks!!Clunk gone.Was one of the uppers to the body.

[rustynuts]

Originally Posted by black magic

Is it possible that my steering box is the cause of this clunk/thud if i push on the pitman arm where the drag link attaches i can hear a kock/clunk it doesn't move much but i figure its worth asking

Well yes. Have someone turn the steering with the engine running and the car stationary and have a look at what the steering box is doing. Look for movement between the box and rail. Does the rail twist. Can you reproduce the clunk while doing this?

[jacala]

I have a 2001 XJ
About every 12 months I grease the spline on the rear tailshaft to stop the "clunk" that I can hear/feel every time I stop and start at traffic lights.Maybe that is your problem ?