OME Lift Kit Installed and now clunk/pop sound

[Figman]

Hi Everyone, I have a Disco 2 2001, ACE with 101K miles. My SLS air suspension gave up and I decided to install an OME heavy duty kit. The truck looks and feels good with a 2” lift. Everything seems to be in proper order and installed correctly, sometimes as I drive around and the truck changes direction from left to right or tilt side to side I get this loud “clunk/pop” noise from the front right side that you even feel it through the floor inside the cabin. I brought it back to the shop and my LR guy and his team checked everything top to bottom and could not find anything. We checked all sway bark links and bushings, third members, shocks, springs, Etc. They put the truck on the lift looked under, drove the truck around at lower and high speed and sometimes the “clunk/pop” is there and sometimes is not. However, driving 20mph in a fast zig zag pattern will do reproduce the sound. My LR guy thinks it could be the ACE shock/arm in the front right, we physically inspected and it looks OK, performed ACE test with the computer and could not replicate the sound.
Have anyone had any issues with ACE after the truck was lifted? I did not have this issue before the lift. Is there a way to check the ACE system without having to disconnect it? Does it need some type of re-calibration? Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Thank you all,

Figman

 

[K-rover]

I had the same noise. It was the sway bar bushings. I too took it to a mechanic who said everything looks good.
When I got under the truck myself I was able to push the sway bar back and forth. A couple of new bushings and the noise was gone. My vote is for swaybar bushings and/or end links. I just did end links on my Mazda that was making the same clunking.
Could also be panhard bushings??

 

[discostew]

I would think if it was ACE it would make the same noise on both sides . Maybe the spring on the noisy sides not seated right or something . Since the shock was just put in it should come out pretty easy . Just to drive it that way and see if the noise is gone .

 

[AfiRover]

did you install the spring cock rings on the top ?

 

[discostew]

did you install the spring cock rings on the top ?

They make cock rings for Discos ?

 

[JustAddMtns]

You could remove the sways and see if the sound is still there...or get a new cock ring. Either way.....win-win.

 

[discostew]

You could remove the sways and see if the sound is still there...or get a new cock ring. Either way.....win-win.

Its an ACE truck

 

[acg]

You may need this:

http://www.rte-fab.com/index.php?pa...=12&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=119

Designed to allow for more unrestricted rear axle articulation, the HP Watts releases the bushing bind created by lifting a Discovery II. For owners with 3" + of lift, the driver's side offset arm prevents the linkage from contacting the axle bracket during droop.

 

[discostew]

You may need this:

http://www.rte-fab.com/index.php?pa...=12&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=119

Designed to allow for more unrestricted rear axle articulation, the HP Watts releases the bushing bind created by lifting a Discovery II. For owners with 3" + of lift, the driver's side offset arm prevents the linkage from contacting the axle bracket during droop.

I thought this when he first said he had that noise . But He said it sounds like its in the front right . Described the way a watts link sounds for sure .

 

[Reed Perry]

You may need this:

http://www.rte-fab.com/index.php?pa...=12&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=119

Designed to allow for more unrestricted rear axle articulation, the HP Watts releases the bushing bind created by lifting a Discovery II. For owners with 3" + of lift, the driver's side offset arm prevents the linkage from contacting the axle bracket during droop.

He's on 2" OME. The watts won't bind with that setup. Plus the noise he's talking about is occurring when he's driving around town. Not wheeling or articulating. And he says its in the front.

I had an ACE truck on 2" RTE and 3" RTE. Never had any issues with the ACE system on or off road. I did get some spring pop from the rear when wheeling.

 

[KyleT]

It sounds like the swaybar end links.

You really need longer ones. Especially in the rear.

You can run front links in the rear and make extended ones for the front. The angle of them will amplify any wear.

 

[Figman]

Holy cow, I did not realize I had all these replies with useful information. Anyway guys, let me give you a bit more information. While doing the lift the front right (passenger) sway bar link was replaced, my guy told me the old one broke and they had to put a new one. the left (driver side) was left alone after they concluded is okay. When I brought the truck back after the first time when I discovered the clunk noise, we noticed both rear sway bar links had some play on them and we replaced them hoping that was the problem. Nope. the clunking noise still there is kind of annoying after driving all these days.

Here is a curious note, when I first drove the truck home the gas tank was almost empty so it was very little weight in the back, my first stop was the gas station, after filling up with gas and adding weight to the back is when I noticed the noise, prior to that the noise is almost non existing. Now, while driving the truck around and I make a 90 degree turn to either side, depending how fast you are going it makes the clunk noise as I turn the truck and then when I straighten the wheels back then it clunks again. Now that the truck is low in gas the noise seems to go away. This make no sense. One more thing, my guy check under the truck with a crow bar for play on pretty much all bushings and nothing seems to have any play. Like K-rover suggested I thought it was the front sway bar bushings, I don't remember ever replacing them but they look okay. Final word, this noise is driving crazy especially since you don't know when is going to happen.

Believe me friends your comments are very much appreciated. Please keep them coming, I will be talking to my mechanic in the next couple days.

Figman.

 

[discostew]

I would take a pry bar and see if you can find any loose bushings in the watts link . One way to make a watts link make noise is to drive over a curb or speed bump at a 45 degree angle . And I would do the same thing to the panhard rod .

 

[KyleT]

If you sit still engine off and wiggle the wheel back and fourth can you hear or feel it?

 

[Mongo]

climb under the truck and rock it back forth, don't be a pussy and get it moving in all directiosn, left, right and up and down

it will become obvious where the noise is coming from