those with castor plates, question??

[concretejungle]

Are you experiencing a popping noise when the front flexes? Mine does and i've tightened up every bold in the front end. But everytime i go on a wheelin trip and the suspension flexes, i get a real good POP out of the front when it flexes. I'm thinking it's the castor plates. Yes i do have them welded, but still, i can't ID the popping noise.

Anyone else with plates having this?

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Have you checked to see if the control arms are tapping the tie rod? Mine were pretty obviously rubbing so I ground the arms a bit. I thought I'd done plenty, but I still get a little "twang" every now and then, especially on a washboard road.

 

[Arleaux]

Have you checked your bumpstops and their relation to the springs? Mine were just a little off-center, & the stops were catching on the coils.
Made a pretty good popping sound.

 

[concretejungle]

cory, i did check that and have ground my arms a tad. They no longer appear to touch from lock to lock.

Chris, it really sounds like a metal pop sound. Almost as if the plates are allowing the front mount to move ever so slightly when articulated. But i have not checked my bumpstops. I will.

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Alex, when your suspension is flexed one of the arms will move up in relation to the tie-rod, so it is possible that they touch. I don't think that could cause a popping noise, but rather more of a clunk, but it's possible. See if you can track down some gear marking compound or something like some brightly colored grease and apply it to the tops of your control arms. Then go flex it up, turn it lock to lock and see if it transferred to the tie-rod at all.

 

[concretejungle]

here's the thing, it is a loud "pop" as if a bolt is loose or something is popping out of position just a tad. It doesn't sound like a tie rod coming in contact. No clunk, or tap....just a loud "pop". I would relate it to the sound of an axle snapping...POP!!

But my axles and everything are fine. i have allready been through the entire front and rear axle. Checked the arms for clearance of the tie rod. Tightned down all my slider bolts, front control arm bolts, rear control arm bolts, pretty much everything. But with the windows down, it sounds like it is surely coming from the front. That's why i was thinking plates.

 

[Nay]

Sounds exactly like a damaged bushing - everything seems fine in terms of bolt tightness and then you flex it up or hit big bumps and it thunks loudly - you can hear it and probably feel it.

When you did the caster plates, did you put rubber back into the control arms (assuming you had OME CC bushings). How are those panhard bushings?

Nay

 

[concretejungle]

Sounds exactly like a damaged bushing - everything seems fine in terms of bolt tightness and then you flex it up or hit big bumps and it thunks loudly - you can hear it and probably feel it.

When you did the caster plates, did you put rubber back into the control arms (assuming you had OME CC bushings). How are those panhard bushings?

Nay

You are probably right Nay. I did replace the front two arm bushings with OEM when i went to plates. But the rear bushing in the arm (linking it to the frame) is still original. Panhard bushings are original also. I plan on getting new adjustable panhards soon that's why i have held out from replacing those.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Could also be one of the springs shifting. One of the guys I know said one of his springs pops around now that the lower spring plate is sitting at an angle.

 

[concretejungle]

I think i resolved this problem. Last weekend i replaced all my rod ends. Now the steering feels like new and is very tight. Also, i have not had a single "pop" sound since. I have not flexed it all the way out either....so i will do that and report back. But initial report says that the rod ends were causing the noise.