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Pop sound when reversing

10K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  foolproof 
#1 ·
Hey guys any ideas as to what would be causing a popping/thudding/clunking sound when reversing and turning the wheel all the way to the right? Just moved back to Colorado from California and this just started this week which coincidentally has also been a super cold and snowy week. At first I thought it was ice and gunk stuck in the there but it keeps doing it.

It's a 2014 Rubi that has the AEV 3.5 inch lift and 35 inch KM2, if that's helpful to know


Thanks
 
#2 ·
Mine was making a popping sound when I drove backwards or took off from a stop. Turned out to be a loose control arm bolt. I went around and re torqued all of the control arms and it went away. I never re torqued them after putting a couple hundred miles on after installing my lift.

Heres a tip.....
I used a floor jack to "hold" the wrench on the bolt while I torqued the nut. You'll need two hands on the torque wrench to muscle 125# anyways!
 
#14 ·
#10 ·
A little OT, but

I remember once while growing up I was in the car with my mother and sister. Mom was backing the Buick Electra 225 out of the driveway and we heard a "pop". While mom continued backing out of the drive and wondering aloud what that pop was, my sister started wailing as she noticed her cat flopping around with a noticeably flattened head.

Not that this appears to be your problem, but your thread title brought up suppressed memories from the mid 70's. Kinda funny how that happens.
 
#15 ·
I have studied you pic and it is looking like a classic Shock load failure of your axle shaft. From the pic it looks like the joint is not seized. A u joint will normally make a squealing sound when it starts to go bad and also clunking noises.

I had one go bad in my jeep that was only noticeable in 4WD. It never showed itself in 2WD.

The cold weather does affect metal But I do not believe it was cold enough in your area to contribute to this.

I will take an educated guess based on your comments regarding being new to using 4WD that you possible engaged 4wd at some time in the past that caused a sudden shock to that axle which started a stress crack. Overtime the crack grows and then breaks completely, which is what you are showing us.

Keep in mind this is an assumption from what limited info we have here.

The good news in this is that now you get to upgrade all the front end parts that you take apart to fix the axle shaft.

Surf the site and start building your list of parts and procedures and have at it. And if you have limited skills now is the time to cash in on all those favors your friends owe you. Hopefully you wont have to go the shop route, but if you do make sure you decide on the quality parts you want installed if that concerns you.

Good Luck

The cold temps do affect metal at times in bad ways BUT
 
#16 ·
I have studied you pic and it is looking like a classic Shock load failure of your axle shaft. From the pic it looks like the joint is not seized. A u joint will normally make a squealing sound when it starts to go bad and also clunking noises. I had one go bad in my jeep that was only noticeable in 4WD. It never showed itself in 2WD. The cold weather does affect metal But I do not believe it was cold enough in your area to contribute to this. I will take an educated guess based on your comments regarding being new to using 4WD that you possible engaged 4wd at some time in the past that caused a sudden shock to that axle which started a stress crack. Overtime the crack grows and then breaks completely, which is what you are showing us. Keep in mind this is an assumption from what limited info we have here. The good news in this is that now you get to upgrade all the front end parts that you take apart to fix the axle shaft. Surf the site and start building your list of parts and procedures and have at it. And if you have limited skills now is the time to cash in on all those favors your friends owe you. Hopefully you wont have to go the shop route, but if you do make sure you decide on the quality parts you want installed if that concerns you. Good Luck The cold temps do affect metal at times in bad ways BUT
It's very possible that at some point I messed up and engaged 4 wheel wrong or incorrectly. Is there a good resource that shows how to properly engage and what realistic speeds you should be at?

Also do you have any recommendations on axle shafts?
 
#17 ·
Is it possible that you turned really hard, while in 4WD, in a dry parking lot or something? I saw this same thing happen to a friend of mine, and that was how he did it. It's important to NOT use 4WD unless it is on a slippery surface. I've seen people use 4WD to drive on a snowy road, then pull into a plowed parking lot, and leave it in 4WD. Sometimes you can actually see the vehicle hop as it turns.
 
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