New lift new clunk up front.

[Fj80oregon]

So I installed a 2” iron man stage 3 lift. Adjustable panhards, drag link, upper and lower trailing arms and a 1.5” MT spacer. After driving around the neighborhood I went over a speed bump at 25-30 mph and heard a clunk from the front end metal to metal sounding. I went home checked all bolts where tight and torqued and could not see a problem? Went back and went over same bump at lower speed 15-20 no clunking but as soon as I am up to 25+ I’m getting the clunk? Any suggestions to check for? If I go over bumps same speed with just one tire hitting no noise? I did install delta sway bar drops front and MT rear and rear delta bump stop drops. Thanks

 

[cahill]

Maybe double check the shocks are seated well and bushings on the shocks in the correct place? Make sure the springs are seated too? Maybe try jacking up the front and rear axle separately to see if anything makes contact under the vehicle when the springs are compressed such as a sway bar with the drive shaft etc? I am no suspension expert but just throwing some ideas out there.

 

[Uglymud]

Don't know how often it happens with shorter lifts, but my coil contacts the little flange around the bumpstops up front.

 

[BROMO95]

Front sway bars might hit rear drag link.

 

[Sandy Cruiser]

How loose were the front sway bar links when you put the spacers on? Where they floppy like you could move them with the touch of one finger? I was getting some clunking from that recently. Would also feel them rattling through the floor board when I got up to 50+mph. Also check that the shocks and coil springs are seated properly.

 

[LCSA]

I recently had a shop install the 2” and started hearing the clunk when hitting bumps at speed. Turns out I could move the shock freely with my hands in the shock tower hole and the hole in the bracket on the axle even though the nut on top and bottom were torqued down. I haven’t yet fixed the issue but I wanted to see what you guys thought about this install.

It seems like the shop used a total of 8 washers for one shock, so at the axle bracket there was, in order from top to bottom, washer —> bushing —> washer —> axle bracket —> washer -> bushing —> washer —>. This was repeated at the top in the tower. Is this common? The only way I’ve shocks installed in the past is washer —> bushing and then the bracket and the bushing has a lip that goes into the hole in the bracket. That’s probably confusing so here is a pic. If this is the correct order of washers/bushings then why do I have so much play in the shock?

 

[LCSA]

I recently had a shop install the 2” and started hearing the clunk when hitting bumps at speed. Turns out I could move the shock freely with my hands in the shock tower hole and the hole in the bracket on the axle even though the nut on top and bottom were torqued down. I haven’t yet fixed the issue but I wanted to see what you guys thought about this install.

It seems like the shop used a total of 8 washers for one shock, so at the axle bracket there was, in order from top to bottom, washer —> bushing —> washer —> axle bracket —> washer -> bushing —> washer —>. This was repeated at the top in the tower. Is this common? The only way I’ve shocks installed in the past is washer —> bushing and then the bracket and the bushing has a lip that goes into the hole in the bracket. That’s probably confusing so here is a pic. If this is the correct order of washers/bushings then why do I have so much play in the shock?

View attachment 2681757

To clarify, if feels as if the shock stud is way too small for the bracket hole. Feels as if a sleeve is missing or as if these rubber bushings should have a lip that goes up into the bracket hole but the additional washer is preventing that from happening...

 

[LongDuck]

When was the last time you lubed your driveshaft U-joints and the Carden slider? Just throwing this out there that a lift will change the compression on the Carden joint, which could be shifting under bump when the axle compresses and extends. Might try giving it a few pumps of a grease gun, but don't over-do it - posts here say you can over-lube the driveshaft and then you get other problems.

Let us know what you find,

 

[LCSA]

When was the last time you lubed your driveshaft U-joints and the Carden slider? Just throwing this out there that a lift will change the compression on the Carden joint, which could be shifting under bump when the axle compresses and extends. Might try giving it a few pumps of a grease gun, but don't over-do it - posts here say you can over-lube the driveshaft and then you get other problems.

Let us know what you find,

Lubed all zerks yesterday actually. Thanks for the suggestion!

I’m pretty positive the challenge is the shock that I can move by over half an inch by hand. I feel like that should not be the case.

 

[BILT4ME]

To clarify, if feels as if the shock stud is way too small for the bracket hole. Feels as if a sleeve is missing or as if these rubber bushings should have a lip that goes up into the bracket hole but the additional washer is preventing that from happening...

What brand of shocks are now installed?

No, you should not be able to move it 1/2" by hand.

You may be able to twist (rotate) it, but not move it.

The steel washers should have a lip on them that fits into the hole on the bracket. There is a large lip washer and a small lip washer for each location. The large lip goes under the bracket and the small lip goes on top. This way the two washers mate inside the hole to take up all the space. If the installer just dumped all the parts on the floor and started grabbing, then odds are one side has all of them and the other side has none.

 

[LCSA]

What brand of shocks are now installed?

No, you should not be able to move it 1/2" by hand.

You may be able to twist (rotate) it, but not move it.

The steel washers should have a lip on them that fits into the hole on the bracket. There is a large lip washer and a small lip washer for each location. The large lip goes under the bracket and the small lip goes on top. This way the two washers mate inside the hole to take up all the space. If the installer just dumped all the parts on the floor and started grabbing, then odds are one side has all of them and the other side has none.

Iron man gas shocks. Ok my guess is that’s what happened. I will pull them today and realign. I guess it’s surprising to me there’s not a form of bushing designed to go between the hole and the stud but that’s probably also why I’m not an engineer

 

[LCSA]

What brand of shocks are now installed?

No, you should not be able to move it 1/2" by hand.

You may be able to twist (rotate) it, but not move it.

The steel washers should have a lip on them that fits into the hole on the bracket. There is a large lip washer and a small lip washer for each location. The large lip goes under the bracket and the small lip goes on top. This way the two washers mate inside the hole to take up all the space. If the installer just dumped all the parts on the floor and started grabbing, then odds are one side has all of them and the other side has none.

Issue solved! As you stated, the shop put the washers on in random order. Thanks for the help!