Clunk from driver's front - only going over driveway curb

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HoosierJeeper

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Have a clunk in the driver's front of my 05 Liberty that literally only happens when pulling in my driveway (not out). Doesn't happen over any other bump. Even took it off road this weekend (Iron Range OHV area in northern MN - best park I've been to!) and it didn't make a peep.

Had play in the upper ball joint, so I replaced that. I jacked it up by the LCA and felt no play at any position on the wheel. Sway bar bushings are a few months old, end link looks good to the eye. As I drive over the curb, it clunks as the Jeep rocks. Thought it might be the driveway, but this is the only vehicle that does it. Any ideas? One I had is maybe the hole for the sway bar end link on the sway bar could be egged out.
Thanks!
 
Have you tried jacking it up by the frame ? Be sure to examine the CV or universal joints .

Hor many miles on the vehicle ?
 
Check your engine mounts. My old Infiniti would also clunk going up the driveway and it was from a bad mount.
 
It's a coil over shock upfront, replaced it with a Mopar one a few years ago, probably has 40-50k on it.

Going to have to look at the engine mount! Just a visual inspection probably?
 
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It seems to only do it while making a left turn. I've pulled in the driveway from the other direction (making a right instead of a left) and it doesn't make it.
 
Hold your foot on the brake as you shift through the gears. Hold your foot on the brake as you push the accelerator pedal down. Watch your motor mounts as you're doing all that. Look for torn rubber in the mounts as the engine moves. Sometimes the mounts are even torn all the way in through in two halves, but just looking at the mount while the engine is still, the mount will look fine. You have to check the mounts while the engine is pulling on them. The clunk is the sound of the engine banging into stuff because there's nothing left to hold the engine still.
 
That's what I did during the video - not sure if the amount of movement was normal or not.

The only clunk is pulling into the driveway making a left turn. No clunks at all during other driving, even if I floor it super hard and then back off instantly.
 
Originally Posted by HoosierJeeper
That's what I did during the video - not sure if the amount of movement was normal or not.

The only clunk is pulling into the driveway making a left turn. No clunks at all during other driving, even if I floor it super hard and then back off instantly.


Broken motor mounts will always cause a noise during very specific maneuvers. Mine was always during a left turn while going over uneven pavement at the same time at a specific spot in the neighborhood. The other maneuver was going over certain speed bumps but not all speed bumps. In the end, it turned out to be the front center mount that was broken completely in half.
 
That's interesting for sure....would it make a single clunk or would it clunk as the vehicle rocked? Thanks for helping me out!
 
Originally Posted by HoosierJeeper
That's interesting for sure....would it make a single clunk or would it clunk as the vehicle rocked? Thanks for helping me out!


Always one single clunk for each maneuver.
 
Mine's a few clunks...it feels like it oscillates along with the movement of the coil and the shock. As it bounces it clunks
 
Originally Posted by HoosierJeeper
Mine's a few clunks...it feels like it oscillates along with the movement of the coil and the shock. As it bounces it clunks


It might be a strut mount. I thought mine was the right front strut mount. I bought a new strut mount and installed it only to discover that the original strut mount was fine. I then took the car to the frame & wheel shop for those guys to look it over. They showed me the engine flopping around all over the place and told me to replace the right front and front center motor mounts. I then replaced both the mounts when I got home. The front center mount was shot, but the right front mount was still fine. I replaced the right front anyway because they told me to.
 
The shock mount is pretty new, but now I'm wondering if the coil spring isolators might have issues. Noticed they were a little cracked when I did my last tire rotation...wonder if there's some part broken off that I can't see and it makes contact only over "sharper" bumps.
 
Clunks from an engine moving around are very distinct sounds. It sounds like something very heavy is running into something less heavy. I've listened to struts moving around on YouTube and that sound is totally different. More of a hollow tapping sound.
 
I think I'm going to have to try to get a video. It sounds like a pop, maybe like a blown shock type clunk. Just the way it pops several time as the vehicle bounces.
 
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