Ok, I'm stumped.

2006 TJ Rubicon. BDS 3 inch with BDS LCAs, ZJ Tire rod conversion and BDS Quick Disconnects. Also 15x8 soft 8s w/ 33x12.5 Duratracs.

Since before my lift and tires I've been getting a noise from my front right. No grinding, no monkeys laughing, nothing like that BUT...

When going over small bumps---think a poorly paved parking lot or caliche road---I get a rattle from the front right. It's not in sync with the bumps but they get it going. And it doesn't happen at high speeds.



Anyone have an idea?

Oh, and forgot to mention, front end already has all new calipers and pads.

My father in law has an 01 Sahara with a 4" lift and he usually would follow me when on the trails. His rig use to rattle like madness! It turned out the lower bushings on his front shocks were shot. He bought new bushings and bar pin eliminators and the noise stopped! We found out by watching the shocks and springs as the other jumped up and down on the bumper.

I have new shocks with new bushings but I will double check my bar pin bolts just in case. Thanks.

Anyone else have any ideas? Bolts for the bar pins have been eliminated.

What kind of track bar are you running? Make sure your track bar is tight. if you have any heim joints squirt some oil on them.

Have someone sit in the jeep and rock the steering side to side while you inspect every joint, bolt and connecting point in the front end.

This one is probably way off, but my buddies 05 LJ with manual transmission developed a front end sounding rattle right after we lifted it. It would only happen during certain situations, like when he pulled out of my driveway and hit the dip in the road. We looked at everything and finally found the culprit. In his case it was... the bell crank linkage for the clutch pedal under the dash. We only found it because while I was listening to it, I happened to step on the clutch pedal and it stopped. The linkage under the dash had side to side play and that's where it would rattle from.
I know it's a really long shot since you think your noise is coming from the passenger side, but since you can't find it, I thought I'd share. Good luck.

479Jeep - I'm doing a complete re-torque tonight, will let people know if this helps. WIll also double check steering play. Everything is new EXCEPT the drag link joints...dammit I don't want to take it back apart.

Track Bar is Rough Country 1083. I'll re-oil the heim when I re-torque but the sound was there before the lift and has continued.

LJ Dave - I've got the Auto tranny so no clutch linkage to bounce around.

Any chance you have a winch with a fairlead attached? The rollers on a fairlead could be making the rattling. Axle u-joint that's bad and loose. Driveshaft u-joint at front diff. Battery not tight in the tray. You could set here all day trying to chase down a rattle and never find it. I pulled side steps off because they use to bounce up and down. Hell of a rattle. I've got a rattle in my rear end but I know that's my crappy stock arms. Friday those get upgraded. Other thought is sway bar links up front.

May be sway bar links or control arm bushings.

No winch or fairlead. Will check the drive shaft u-joints again when I'm under there tonight.

Control arms are brand new with brand new bushings so that's not it.

Either of tthem honestly. Aside from finding a shop with a simulator you could drive the jeep onto so they can rock it about, tracking this down will take time and more than one pair of ears. It took my father in law and I months to figure out his shock bushing were shot.

Sway bar disconnects are also brand new along with all new Daystar sway bar bushings.

And, already double checked the sway bar to frame contact and that's not it.

You've had the rattle since before the lift?

Ya, I'm meeting up with a local club this Sunday so I may need to have someone ride along and see what they think.

Yep, rattle since before. That's why I'm thinking it's not suspension or steering - with the one exception being the drag-link which is still stock.

Rocking the steering sideways will tell you if the drag link is bad. You can also drop the load on that side and with big channel locks squeeze the drag link joint at the knuckle. It shouldn't have any play if good. A rattle from before could be anything!

One more guess, and I really doubt it's your issue but - have you tried to move the sun visor on the passenger side. I find that when mine gets unclipped it rattles like crazy. The first time it happened I searched for the noise over the course of two 15 miles trips before I figured it out - then had a good laugh at myself because it was such a simple thing.

Ya, this noise is going to be the death of me.

LJ Dave - hahaha damn! Ya, that's not it. Just remounted mine after running my CB power under the windshield frame trim piece. Damn that would have been a K.I.S.S. solution though...if only.

Have you or someone before hand ever changed the stereo? On mine there is a bracket that connects to the back of the deck and then up into the dash somewhere. I pulled my deck but not the bracket and it rattles around sometimes until it finds a wedge to stop. An idea

ooooo..... I think I reattached that bracket when I did my stereo...I think. I'm definitely going to have to double check that one and maybe rig something up!!

Good thinkin'!

That's just an idea. I'm going over everything that I've done and thinking about what can make noise. If its before the lift that excludes almost everything I know of. I've only got 7 years experience under my belt, we might need some of ther older guys to chime in.

Hey, I appreciate it. The radio bracket wasn't something I had thought about.

It rattles on mine. I've been lazy about that one and its been cold, too cold to work on small things.