Topic: knocking sound from wheel well

[tallrugbyguy]

Hey
I just bought a 95 yj recently and a knocking has turned up. sound like it is comming from either the front or rear wheel well on the passenger side. knocking appears to be in sync with tire rotation. happends with clutch in or out, noticed more a slow speeds.

can it be the bearings? u joint? how do i check for a worn u joint? also alot of grease on axel and backing plate and such. what kinda seal could be blowen? as well my engine light does not always come on when i trun the key, and if i dont see the engine light the jeep wont turn over. whats going on here? ignition ?
any help would be great.
also does a larger throttle body and a spacer make a noticible difference?

[Jeffy]

You're going to have to localize the knock.  If it's the rear, I'd check the rear suspension bushing at the frame.  When they get old they start to sag a bit and that allows the sleeve in the middle to knock against the frame when the body leans.  That's an easy fix.

A knock in the front could mean your trackbar is loose and it's knocking when body leans or the suspension moves...

[neale_rs]

Since it is in synch with the rotation of the tire I'm going to guess front axle u-joints.  Mine sounded the same way when I first got my '95 YJ.  They were so worn out and loose that they made knocking sounds.  To check, just grab them and try to move them, if they are this far gone it will be easy to detect.

[tallrugbyguy]

its really hard to pin point the sound while driving. sounds like it comes from under the passenger side door.
i hauled on the u joint and it seems fairly solid.
ill have a look at the suspension tommoro.

[Jeffy]

its really hard to pin point the sound while driving. sounds like it comes from under the passenger side door.
i hauled on the u joint and it seems fairly solid.
ill have a look at the suspension tommoro.

Jack the Jeep off it's tires and give them a shake.  Also, check the driveshaft U-joint.  The upper one especially.

[oldjeep]

Could also be a tire out of balance or a bad shock

[tallrugbyguy]

sweet guys thanks. i have never actually posted on a forum and gotten advice back.
Cheers

[Oilsmoke]

also does a larger throttle body and a spacer make a noticible difference?

Yes it does.  Do both.

[tallrugbyguy]

haveing bigger problems with my starting. the engine turns but wont turn over....eventually the engine light comes on and it will go.
not sure what kinda of electrial problem this is. could it be in the starting unit?
seat belt light comes on, just not the other right away. this is usually just the first start of the morning it does this. annoying as hell.

any insite would be great! thanks

[neale_rs]

When mine did that it got progressively worse until it got so bad I had to do something about it.  It turned out to be the PCM (ECU, computer).  The check engine light should come on right away as a bulb check, it should not depend on any sensors or anything else.  If you listen carefully next time, you will notice that as long as the check engine light does not turn on, the fuel pump will not begin priming.  Once the light comes on, the fuel pump starts to prime and the Jeep starts and runs perfectly.  I spent about a month checking and rechecking grounds and voltages but in the end the PCM had to be replaced, after that it has been fine for many months.

[Jeffy]

haveing bigger problems with my starting. the engine turns but wont turn over....eventually the engine light comes on and it will go.
not sure what kinda of electrial problem this is. could it be in the starting unit?
seat belt light comes on, just not the other right away. this is usually just the first start of the morning it does this. annoying as hell.

any insite would be great! thanks

Check for CEL codes first, them move from there.

[VA_YJ]

As far as the sluggish starting, there's a really informative thread "No Spark" http://4bangerjp.com/forums/index.php?topic=5360.0

There's even a link that tells you how to replace the capacitors if the ECU turns out to be bad.

[neale_rs]

That is very good information at the end of the "No Spark" thread, whish I had had access to that when my PCM went bad.  Instead I had to piece together from the FSM, all the pins to check.  I would actually recommend doing the bus connector checks first.    If things are OK at the bus connector then you know right away that the computer is bad (or the connector is bad) and don't waste time checking a bunch of extra stuff that could be just fine.  If you find something is not right at the connector then you can track it to the grounds or the battery or the wiring.

[tallrugbyguy]

wow thanks.
i hope it is only the wiring not the comp.
on other thing i notice is that my cd player never has any memory...... but i also notice that when i turn off my head lights my cd player turns off as well. so im not totally sure i wired her up right.
but this may be a power problem...... ill run those test asap.

[oldjeep]

wow thanks.
i hope it is only the wiring not the comp.
on other thing i notice is that my cd player never has any memory...... but i also notice that when i turn off my head lights my cd player turns off as well. so im not totally sure i wired her up right.
but this may be a power problem...... ill run those test asap.

You've got your CD's power wire hooked up to the illumination wire